What's it like? I've read about the course route on the webpage, but what personal experiences do people have with the race? Is it worth running? Is the course fast? Also, how easy/difficult is it to gain entry and find accommodations if I entered in, say, late Feb/early March? The only reason being I'm not sure if I will be in the area next summer yet.
well organized (elite racing uses an excellent corral system), but course is not that easy--and race can be humid and a tad warm, however it is one of the best bets for a June marathon. Course is somewhat scenic and gives a good tour of some areas of San Diego...getting in should not be a problem by April or so.
good luck!
bump
Parking is a nightmare. I am no fan of RNR events, a bunch of hooplaal about nothing. Give me a small marathon without all the hype. Before the start of the race all these charity runners chanting and screaming, it was horrible
I always laugh about those who complain about the chairty runners---they offer a lot to races, and in fact are one of the reasons that running is currently doing so well (numbers are higher now than they have ever been) Parking is not really that bad (lots of lots in downtown and a short walk to the start) and the organization runs like a fine tuned machine---bag drop, corrals, start village, etc are always very well done. Sure, lots of rah rah charity types here, but in general this is a well done good race with a fair course.
Is it possible to somehow get into one of the seeded corrals or near the front if I've never run a marathon before? This will be my first, and I don't have any marathon times to be seeded with yet.
I don't know how they corral people for the start, but you definitely want to get as close to the start as possible.
This year, sub-3:05 got you into the top 1% (160th / 16,000 finishers).
Sub-3:15 got you into the top 2% (320th / 16,000 finishers).
My goal is going to be sub 2:40