No pre-race communication at all until the month of the race. The website was confusing and difficult to navigate. The app is great though.
Expo- it’s inconveniently located far from even the metro, requiring a shuttle. We went Saturday morning and waited an hour to get in. Crowd management and traffic around the expo was horrendous. Once inside, the selection of gear was pretty limited for women. Very few options in women’s size/styles and they ran out of small/extra small in most styles quickly. The free shirt is a hideous mock turtleneck, unisex of course.
Start line is easy to access from the metro, though you have to walk about 1.5 miles to get into runners village. Security screening was efficient and there were ample port a potties in the start area. Strangely no real corrals and just a mass start with the honor system for your predicted finish time. The wheelchair racers started just a few minutes before the runners and were forced to weave through the packed course the whole way.

Many people rave about this course but I thought it was just ok. There are several out and backs that are long and absent crowd support or on course entertainment. The Key Bridge and Georgetown were fun, but so early in the route. The loop around the island is flat but tedious, with primarily a golf course view. The mall stretch is awesome, but the last 6 miles, including the bridge of tears from mile 20-21.5 are kind of heartbreaking. There were not enough water stops given the heat and humidity. There was great on course medical and emergency support. I’ve never seen so many people collapse on a marathon course before! They ended up closing the course early due to heat/humidity, which was the right decision based on what I saw. The Marines did an awesome job cheering and organizing the race, as you would expect!
Finish area was congested and requires a slog uphill on tired legs. Not enough
Port a potties on course. Saw so many men peeing on the side of the road. Not exactly an option for everyone though! I’ve done several other big city marathons and I would say this one was only ok.

I think I was expecting to love this race more than I did. There were definitely some strengths, but overall I would rate it lower than Chicago, which has a similarly flat course.

First the pros: The course is fast, flat and scenic. The start and finish are both located in the center of town with easy access from lots of hotels. Free use of the subway on race day makes getting around a breeze. The atmosphere was excellent. I can only assume that the rain chased many spectators away, but those that stuck around were loud and enthusiastic. The on course bands were a charming mix of polka music, 80s easy listening and many, many drum bands. And there was even an old German lady handing out meat and cheese open-faced sandwiches at mile 18. The start and end are well organized, the medals are awesome and the sights along the way make you feel like you've seen all of Berlin.

The negatives: the weather this year was horrible, very wet and humid. But I'm guessing that was unusual given that most people usually comment on how amazing the weather is for this race. Just bad luck. The expo was torture, crowded and disorganized. They ran out of almost all the race merchandise by the second day. The on course support was pretty limited in terms of number of stations (definitely fewer than in U.S. races) and the on course electrolyte beverage was a very strange beet based drink. So definitely bring your own nutrition/hydration strategy to this race! Finally, the drawback to the start is that for people who have never run a marathon in Germany, they count you as a first time marathoner. so regardless of your goal time or expected finish you're stuck in the last coral with the 6 hour marathoners. And the course is pretty narrow and crowded, so it makes it difficult to get out of the crowd until the mid-point. I guess that makes it a great course for a negative split, though!

I don't understand the race planners for the Rock n Roll. They've had different courses for each of the last 3 years and each one has been worse than the previous. This year's had a good 3 miles on the I-5 express lanes with no views, no entertainment, uneven surfaces, dark and shadows in the tunnels and roaring traffic overhead. The hill up Queen Anne was long and steep, but overall not that bad since we'd not had much elevation gain before that. But coming down to Seattle Center was torture. So steep. There's got to be a better and safer way to get down. Maybe they'll mix it up yet again next year?!? Shirts were a nice design but a hideous army green color. On course aid stations were well staffed and well placed. Overall it's a well run race, but the course is just terrible every year. I really miss the old Seattle Marathon half with the stretch on Lake Washington and then coming up through the aboretum.

This half marathon race is held every year on Labor Day. It's a fast, flat out and back course starting and ending at Redmond Town Center in Redmond, WA. The registration process was easy and affordable. Race day parking was extremely convenient and same day packet pick up and the 8 AM start made it feel relaxing even if you don't live super close. The course was flat, mostly on a paved trail along a river. It's a long out and back, but the scenery is pleasant and there is almost no elevation change. The course was well marked, there was tons of on course support (aid stations a plenty) and even some spectators. The finish line and recovery area are very small, but well staffed with bagels, bananas and water. My only complaint is that the t-shirts were pretty terrible. Unisex size and very cheap, thin material. Otherwise this is a great local race.

Expo: easy to get to from the light rail which is a plus. Bib was easy to pick up. Not much to see among the vendors, but no complaints in general. Given the small size, they could probably hold it at a hotel downtown which would be more convenient in general.

I opted for the pre-race VIP package. I arrived right at 5:30, when it opened (1 hour prior to start) which was a good idea. There was a crowd and the hot coffee and seats near the heaters went very quickly. The restroom line was pretty long even in the VIP section. Location was convenient for the start and the gear check was easy. Overall, worth the money, I think.

Course: I think my main complaint with this race is that it is heavily geared toward the half-marathon distance and the marathon feels like an after thought. The ratio of half to full runners seemed about 10 to 1. They crammed most of the entertainment and the pretty parts of the course into the first half. There were some big but short hills in the first half, but nothing unmanageable. The full marathon broke off right at mile 12.5 and much of the remaining miles were a long and painful slog on the viaduct. There were some nice views, but the wind was howling and it's tough pounding on concrete for that long. There was a short loop in Woodland park around mile 21 that was scenic and peaceful but absolutely dreadful in terms of elevation change. It was on narrow, rocky trails that were steep going up and down. Everyone I saw was walking both down and up. The last 2 miles are an easy downhill slide (except for a 0.2 mile hill at the VERY end. There were plenty of on course aid stations and port-a-potties. The on course gel was disgusting so glad I brought my trusty sport beans. Some intrepid spectators were handing out donuts and bagels on the aurora bridge at mile 23. Amazing! Great fan support overall.

Recovery/finish line: immediately handed my medal and drinks which was nice. No blanket or jacket though to warm up which was a real problem for the full marathon. A rainstorm blew in at mile 23 and the temperature dropped 15 degrees, gusty wind and pelting rain. I was near frozen by the time I crossed the finish line and everyone in the recovery area seemed perplexed that I was cold. They probably should have prepared for that ahead of time and been ready to hand out wraps. I was absolutely frozen by the time I made it to gear check.