I ran the Seattle Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon in 2013. It’s a fun large city race and part of the Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon series. I had never been to Seattle before and it was a great way to see the city!

The marathon expo was also quite large. Brooks had a huge section as a major sponsor and did not disappoint. It was pleasant walking around and seeing what various companies had to offer related to running.

One thing Seattle is known for is rain. We got lucky on race day because it rained the days before and the days after but on race day it was a clear beautiful day!

The race was incredibly organized. Everything went smoothly. Dropping off your bags, getting in your corral, and finish area were all efficient. There were tons of port-o-potties too, which runners will appreciate! The aid stations were well stocked and in Rock ‘n’ Roll series style, they were full of enthusiastic and sometimes costumed volunteers. I like the fact that they had the bands but I had my own music so I didn’t experience much of that aspect. The various groups cheering, people giving you high fives, and folks holding signs were uplifting. The portion of the race with the veterans and soldiers killed in action particularly stirred my heart. The race itself was a great experience.

The course had some fun variety to it. You start at Seattle Center and make your way through the city to Seward Park. The park is beautiful and I could see Mt Rainier in the distance. From there, we made our way up to the 1-9, across the bridge, through a tunnel (who doesn’t love tunnels? besides my Garmin) and back. On the bridge, I could again see Mt Rainier across the water in the distance. Just beautiful. Then, we made our way back to the Seattle Center. The course map showed the race had some hills but I didn’t think it was as bad as the elevation chart indicated.

The finish line was top notch. People can line up to watch their runner come in. I was so excited because I got a PR and was pumped to finish. The volunteers load you up with the normal race finishing water and fuel. A very nice touch was the cold towel handed to me. It felt glorious! They have an area for spectators to meet up with runners which helps keep things from getting clogged up. Then, after all this I went to do some tourist activities, like the Space Needle (after a shower, that is).

This race was a great experience. I would do it again and would recommend it to others. I would also recommend the Rock ‘n’ Roll series. It can be a bit pricey but they put on a good race.