Letter to the Race Organizer

Dear Race Organizer,

Thank you for your recent event.  I felt  better during and after the marathon than I ever have before.  The support on the course was fantastic between the aid and hydration stations and the entertainment and cheering crowds.  I very much enjoyed my actual running experience.

But I have a few complaints.  The goody bags were pathetic.  A few coupons and some dish soap samples?  Come on!  Not even a t-shirt -- you had to FINISH the marathon to even get an event shirt.  That's stupid -- at least you should get the t-shirt for paying for the event and trying to finish. Granted I finished, but thats not the point for all those depressed DNFers out there.

I have never before been to a worse expo.  Running is not all about Nike.  The fun of an expo is wandering around, looking at new products, trying some out and getting free stuff.  I do not need to try on Nike sport bras or sign up for Nike Plus or get my picture taken in front of a Nike sign or drink more Gatoraide (I drank enough of that in training).  The expo was small and essentially lame.  We were in and out in 5 minutes.

As for the race, can you please announce race and running etiquette before the Start?  Like for all those people who decide to walk.  PLEASE walk off to the side.  A marathon is long enough without having to dodge walkers.  Please, please, please do NOT run with change in your pocket!  It is extremely irritating to hear the jingle for miles when I don't have the energy to sprint past you (or when I finally do, you decide to pick up the pace and pass me back).  Ughhh!  And for all you Team in Training Coaches out there...  please don't dash in front of other runners, to get to a teammate to cheer them on.  Plan better, or be on the correct side of the road, or something... anything!  But don't make me slow down or stop for you to do your coaching thing.

Now to the race finish.  You promote the Tiffany bling as the race "medal" at the end.  But all it is is a tiny little necklace with a microscopic charm on it that looks nothing like what you'd expect out of Tiffany.  And, pardon me, shouldn't the Marathoners get something different from the Half Marathoners?  Come on!  We raced twice as far, shouldn't we get a little more of an award???  Frankly, I'd rather have the traditional Marathon Medal -- so much cooler.

And last, but certainly not least... No post-race food at the finish after 26.2 miles, except water and a cold bagel?  I thought this was an anomally of poor planning at the Las Vegas Marathon, but apparently it's a chronic problem that race organizers let the Half Marathoners eat all the food before the Marathoners can get there.

So thank you for the experience, Nike Women's Marathon in San Francisco, California.  I'm glad I ran and finished your marathon.  It was an accomplishment.  But I won't be back.  Next time, I'll be running the Napa Valley Marathon where my "goody bag" is an actual dufflebag or back pack.  Where at the finish, I'll get a real medal.  And where there's hot showers and an actual meal, including hot soup, waiting for all the finishers.  Maybe you should look into that.

Sincerely,
Marathon Finisher