Seattle Marathon Race REVIEW + Running Tuesday!

I have more Vegas pictures and posts, but I have to get this race review up since it’s already a week late…

The Seattle Marathon was held on November 28th; I can’t remember how much early entry was but late entry was $125 for the full marathon and $100 for the half.  About 7,500 people ran the half and 2300 ran the full.

THE EXPO

The expo was held at the downtown Westin hotel.  It was decent, not really big but my mom and I did manage to score some samples and freebies.

We went Saturday evening and it wasn’t crowded at all; I was able to grab my bib and goodie bag quickly and then check out the booths.

THE START

The race started downtown Seattle right next to the Space Needle and the EMP which was a pretty sweet place to start.  Plus, there wasn’t any line for the porta potties when I used them!  booyah.

I easily got in the start area and close to the front with only a few minutes to spare; they weren’t crowded at all.  I think this was because there wasn’t that many people running the full.

I don’t think there were numbered corrals, but there were pacers.

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The marathon walkers started at 7:15am, half marathon walkers/runners at 7:30 and marathon runners at 8:15am, all right on time.

THE COURSE

The course was what really made this race: it was beautiful and scenic.  I loved that the course seemed to change often to different sections so it kept your interest and didn’t get boring. 

You start downtown, run across a floating bridge, through Seward Park, along the water, through more parks and then ended up finishing in Memorial Stadium.

A heads up: there was a tunnel we ran through in the beginning of the race around mile 4 where I lost garmin reception and so my garmin was off for about .3 miles the whole race.

The course is mostly small, rolling hills until the end: around mile 20 you hit some steep ones but it eventually finishes downhill.

COURSE SUPPORT

There wasn’t many spectators, but the few that were there were very friendly and encouraging.  There was water and Gatorade every 2 miles and 2 GU spots at mile 9 and 18, I think.

POST RACE

Right after the race I got a heat blanket (needed this because it was chilly!) and water.  Then you walked to the Recovery Area which was inside a nearby expo building.  This was also the family meeting area, and it was great that it was indoors and warm.

I thought there was supposed to be coffee and hot soup in the recovery area, but I didn’t see either.  I didn’t see any food in there.

THE NEGATIVES

-The timing chip was an ankle bracelet that had to be worn on your ankle.  I’ve never seen anything like it, but it pretty much looked like a alcohol monitoring bracelet.  I must have worn mine too tight because the next day my ankle was sore.

-I’ve never used a bag drop, but I read that to retrieve the bags after the race, people had to climb the bleacher stairs at the Memorial Stadium.  not fun after running 26 miles….

-There really wasn’t much food or refreshments after the race. 

-The shirt design is sorta plain…

SUMMARY

This is a great, smaller race in a big city marathon, and the course is really what makes it awesome.  After running Las Vegas and being completely bored with that course, I appreciate how scenic and interesting Seattle was.

It does lack some of the frills of bigger races, but I think the friendly spectators and great sights make up for it.  I’d rate it a 7.76 out of 10.

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TIPS

-Be aware of the weather!  Weather can be super inclement in Seattle so be watching it to know how to dress appropriately.  It was perfect, cold weather when I ran it, but it rained the next day so check the weather.

-Be prepared for a few steep hills near mile 20-21.

-Have warm clothes for afterwards.  I was really cold afterwards and it was windy which made it colder.

-If you need to eat right afterwards, have your own eats ready because there isn’t much offered.

It’s Running Tuesday!  What are you doing today?

Tagged as: race review