Seattle Rock and Roll Marathon
Seattle, Washington
Saturday, June 27, 2009

I race walked the Seattle Rock and Roll Marathon on Saturday, June 27, 2009 in Seattle, Washington. The first year event started at 7:00 AM with clear, completely sunny skies, little wind, and a temperature of 58 degrees that rose to 77 degrees by the time I finished the race. The event drew more than 20000 entries in the marathon and half marathon. There was a wave start with 1.5 to 2 minutes between waves. Each wave had about 700 participants and there were 36 waves. I started in wave 26 which meant I started 43 minutes after the gun went off. Water stations were loacated every 1.5 to 2 miles and were manned by plenty of enthusiastic volunteers. The course was completely closed to traffic and mainly used a HOV section of the interstate and an elevated highway that only had a few access places that police could completely close. The course was somewhat challenging as it had many hills, some of which were long and steep. Music as usual in Rock & Roll marathons were spaced along the entire route. Much of the course was scenic with views of Mount Rainier and much of the waters around Seattle. Some of the early part of the course was somewhat crowded with so many participants. It was a well organized first year event that I enjoyed.