The San Francisco Marathon Reviews

I ran the race and the medal was disappointing. It felt super light, already had scratches on it, and just didn’t match what we paid for. I tried bringing it up, but it kind of felt like no one was really listening or cared much about it.

In the end, I got my bib and shirt, so it wasn’t a disaster or anything. But packet pickup for the SF Marathon felt messier than I expected for such a big race. The line moved slowly, and the signs weren’t super clear, so I ended up having to ask twice where I was supposed to go. Some of the volunteers were really helpful, which I appreciated, but overall it just wasn’t as smooth as I hoped. Not terrible, not great, about 3 stars for me

I signed up through thesfmarathon.com. I was let down by the shirt. It felt cheap right away. Scratchy too. Not something I’d run in.
I washed it once and it already looked worse. The print started cracking a bit. For what the race cost, I expected a lot better.

I had high expectations for a marathon in San Francisco, so maybe that’s part of it, but I was a little disappointed with the course. There were a few nice stretches here and there, and those were cool, but a lot of it felt like running through random streets, construction zones, and blocks that just weren’t very memorable. I don’t want to say it was awful, because there were moments I enjoyed, but for the price and the city, I expected it to feel a lot more special.

i signed up for the sf marathon and the actual race was totally fine, but getting there stressed me out way more than it should have.
the parking info on the website felt confusing and kind of outdated. we ended up driving around for way too long, and the lots they listed were either already full or blocked off when we got there. there also weren’t enough clear signs or staff around to help.

for how much the event costs, the transportation and parking situation really should be planned better. i started the day already annoyed and came way closer to missing my start than i expected.

Well... I liked some parts of it, but it just felt too expensive overall for what you get.

I’m still really excited for the race itself, but the pre-race emails have been a little all over the place. Some of the info felt scattered, and stuff like bib pickup details and timing wasn’t super easy to find. I kept clicking around the site trying to figure out what was actually current, and I still wasn’t 100% sure tbh. For a big marathon, I just expected the updates to be clearer. Not a huge deal or anything, just a bit frusterating right before race weekend.

The race itself was fine, but the corral placement really frustrated me. I entered my expected pace like I was supposed to and still got shoved way farther back than made sense. I spent the first few miles weaving around people, and it felt like I was practically begging for space just to run the pace I signed up for. I don’t want to sound dramatic, but it definitely left me a little resentful and kind of ruined the beginning of the race for me.

The bathroom situation was bad enough to ruin the whole experience for me. The lines were ridiculously long and there just weren’t nearly enough porta potties, especially before the start. I spent way too much time standing around waiting and almost missed getting into my corral. For an event this size, whoever runs this really should’ve planned that better.

there was barely any cheering... it felt quiet most of the time and kinda lonely being there

I was disappointed with the refund policy. There’s basically no refund option, and even trying to defer felt way more expensive than it needed to be. It took what should’ve been a simple fix and made it frustrating.

The volunteers I interacted with came across rude and not helpful at all. I asked where I was supposed to go and mostly got short answers, and one person basically just waved me away. For an event this big, I really expected at least some basic friendliness, some basic helpfulness. It made race day feel way more stressful than it needed to be.

I was disappointed with the timing. My chip time was nowhere near what my watch and splits showed, which made the result feel kind of meaningless after all the work I put in. I reached out by email, but the response was generic and didn’t really help. For a race this size, accurate timing feels like a basic responsibility to the runners, and it’s only fair that people can trust their results.

Signing up for the SF Marathon was more annoying than I thought it would be. The website felt a bit slow, and I had to double-check the same details a few times, which made the whole process feel clunky.

I was also expecting clearer instructions around the fees and add-ons, since some of that didn’t really become obvious until later. I did get registered in the end, but it definitely wasn’t as smooth or straightforward as I’d hoped.

The second I got to the start line I was like, nope, this is way too packed. There were no clear lanes, people were jammed in every direction, and it felt like everyone was stuck before we even started moving. It was stressful and a little unsafe, which is not how you want to feel before a race.

The finish line was fun at first, lots of good energy, people cheering, and that nice little rush when you cross. But once I got past it, my vibe dipped a bit because it felt crowded and kind of confusing. I had to wander around for a minute before figuring out where I was supposed to go next. Overall, not a bad experience, just wish it had felt a little smoother and less hectic.

It was okay for a bit, but the water ran out kind of early, which was annoying. I wasn’t expecting it to be gone that soon, so that was a bit of a letdown

I was really looking forward to having some good photos from my marathon, so I paid for the race pics expecting at least a few solid shots. Unfortunately, most of them were either blurry or somehow missed me almost completely. The few I could actually find were unflattering and didn’t feel worth buying. After putting so much into the race day, it was disappointing to feel like I lost out on a keepsake I can’t really get back.

I ran SF Marathon it was tougher than I thought it’d be. Views were really nice, especially in few spots, but the hills just felt like they kept coming forever. I trained decent, but after the halfway point I was struggling bad. It’s not a bad race at all, just maybe not the best one for beginner. I’m glad I finished it, but I don’t think I’d sign up again unless I was a lot more prepared.

The race itself was fine, nothing amazing but not terrible. The organization, though, was kind of a joke. The signs were confusing, bag check took forever, and the volunteers seemed like they had barely been told what was going on. For what they charged, I expected way better than this half-baked mess.