Rock ‘n’ Roll Seattle
Seattle, WA
- Half Marathon, 5K
- Road (Paved)
- Official race website
Rock ‘n’ Roll announced it will be hosting St. Jude Rock ‘n’ Roll Running Series Washington in partnership with the City of Bellevue this Labor Day weekend, Washington replacing Seattle. *** Best in the Northwest! Starting and finishing under the Space Needle, this beautiful yet challenging race is filled with … MORE
Find Nearby Lodging (hotel, rental, etc.):
Hilly but fun!
So many hills in this race so I ended up needing to walk a lot. Had a tough time getting an Uber to the start so barely made it and … MORE
So many hills in this race so I ended up needing to walk a lot. Had a tough time getting an Uber to the start so barely made it and had to have a friend drive me at the last second. Still a beautiful course and Seattle is such a great city, especially for grunge fans.
Queen Anne Hill Kicked My Behind
Loved this race from the first time I ran it a few years ago. It has a nice course, fairly easy...until you approach the Queen Anne Hill. This was a … MORE
Loved this race from the first time I ran it a few years ago. It has a nice course, fairly easy…until you approach the Queen Anne Hill. This was a surprise to me this time around. Ridiculous hill, succeeded in running half of the hill and then I had to save my legs. The downhill wasn’t as easy either, just as steep. The only take away was the beautiful view of the city and Mt. Rainier.
Other than the Queen, it was a fun race, good energy, beautiful homes and run through the city was nice.
Definitely more of a challenge if you want to PR with that hill. I trained with hills and Queen Anne threw me for a loop. I would run this race again and train harder on hills.
Unforgiving hills, nice mountain views
I've run over 30 marathons, and this was the hilliest (and 2nd slowest) race I've run. There are 3 hills that are almost a mile long and several steep ones … MORE
I’ve run over 30 marathons, and this was the hilliest (and 2nd slowest) race I’ve run. There are 3 hills that are almost a mile long and several steep ones in the last few miles that are clearly added intentionally. It’s a tough race. The reward is that there are amazing views of the city and the mountains in a few places.
Hills
This is another well run rock n roll event. T-shirts and medals are getting better again after Ironman bought them. The course was much hillier than I was expecting. One … MORE
This is another well run rock n roll event. T-shirts and medals are getting better again after Ironman bought them. The course was much hillier than I was expecting. One steep hill lasted for a mile and a half (mile 10-11.5). Seattle is a very pretty city. The weather was great.
Best 5k
This was an awesome 5k. It started at the museum of flight and ran us through an open air hanger with display aircraft from the museum. Very flat. MORE
This was an awesome 5k. It started at the museum of flight and ran us through an open air hanger with display aircraft from the museum. Very flat.
As an airline enthusiast - this was fun!
I've been to a couple Rock n Roll races now and they always seem to do an upstanding job. I was not able to get to the expo in time … MORE
I’ve been to a couple Rock n Roll races now and they always seem to do an upstanding job. I was not able to get to the expo in time on Friday for my bib and got it easy peasy Saturday AM. In fact they warned me of lines and I got there right at 7:30am and the start line wasn’t up yet. I wish I had drove and parked. Parking seemed ample and not far at all. I took an uber and could have saved myself. Scenery was fun for me – but I work for an airline so it was neat to run in and about the Boeing planes. Race was simple. Not much race support as the RnR Half Marathons, but there were a couple of bands along the way. I enjoyed it.
Beautiful race
Having never been to Seattle before I did this race, it was a GREAT way to see the city! Hilly but not ridiculous, the course was oddly enough one of … MORE
Having never been to Seattle before I did this race, it was a GREAT way to see the city! Hilly but not ridiculous, the course was oddly enough one of my faster races. Just so happened that this year, the weather was divine! (Not sure how often that happens in Seattle!) My only complaint is that the course is VERY crowded until the half marathoners turn for the finish line. Of course, that’s a plus too because we were able to run with our friend doing the half almost the entirety of her race.
Great job – beautiful place! Well-organized and fun!
Rock n Roll
This race was a lot of fun minus the hill at I think mile 10. Volunteers were somewhat helpful. I was wondering why they did not have more bands. I … MORE
This race was a lot of fun minus the hill at I think mile 10. Volunteers were somewhat helpful. I was wondering why they did not have more bands. I only saw a few during my run. At the end of the race I was suppose to have my metal engraved but did not find anyone who knew where I was suppose to go to get that done. The expo was cool they had a lot of vendors. The clothing was a little pricey
Delivery Gap?
This is my second Rock N Roll race, and it was a little underwhelming. Compared to DC, there weren't as many performers on course and there weren't as many spectators … MORE
This is my second Rock N Roll race, and it was a little underwhelming. Compared to DC, there weren’t as many performers on course and there weren’t as many spectators along the way. There were some scenic views but much of the course was boring in my opinion. There were plenty of aid stations although some were either understaffed or under stocked which was surprising. The weather was nice for the race but because I prepaid for medal engraving I waited for the “estimated” 45 minutes in the rain and wind. After an hour, I finally asked for my medal back since I had to catch a shuttle to Vancouver. They were kind enough to pull my medal and move it to next in line for which I was grateful.
Fun race with family
Course was nice running around the Space Needle, several hills made the course tough and one hill in particular was a beast. Temperature was good with a threat of rain … MORE
Course was nice running around the Space Needle, several hills made the course tough and one hill in particular was a beast. Temperature was good with a threat of rain but it held off until after a good finish.
Fun Environment
Great views over the water, awesome tribute to those who’ve fallen while serving our country. Nice atmosphere! Everything from the expo to race morning went smoothly for everyone in our … MORE
Great views over the water, awesome tribute to those who’ve fallen while serving our country. Nice atmosphere! Everything from the expo to race morning went smoothly for everyone in our group! The course will be changing in the future, so be aware, but Rock n Roll certainly run a smooth event.
Good race... Course was Weak
THE BLUE MILE WAS AMAZING - It is the only reason this course gets 2 stars. FYI for those that don't know you run a mile through picture after picture … MORE
THE BLUE MILE WAS AMAZING – It is the only reason this course gets 2 stars. FYI for those that don’t know you run a mile through picture after picture of fallen HEROs with US flags and if you don’t tear up you don’t have a soul….
The course didn’t go pass any of the must see things in Seattle… You only see the Space Needle if you do the Marathon, neither distance passes Pikes Place and the original Starbucks… There were a few places were you can almost get a cool view but overall nothing special was seen.
The medal was eh at best the shirt was weak also… I have been very disappointed with R&Rs shirts and medals overall (NOLA and Vegas were the exceptions)
2nd time & still a great time!
One of my favorite Runcations. Lots of sites, sounds and good eating. The races is wet most of the time, (it’s Seattle) but a nice light, misty, cool rain if … MORE
One of my favorite Runcations. Lots of sites, sounds and good eating. The races is wet most of the time, (it’s Seattle) but a nice light, misty, cool rain if any at all. Will be repeating this race.
Scenic course
This had gone to smaller corrals which move better. The course was very nice along the water. There were 2 hills, one long gradual hill and one short steep one. … MORE
This had gone to smaller corrals which move better. The course was very nice along the water. There were 2 hills, one long gradual hill and one short steep one. Not bad for Seattle. The race support was great. My only complaint was that did not have heat sheets at the finish. It was drizzling and I was cold.
Exceeded expectations! Nice course.
For some reason, I went into this race with low expectations (likely the result of Yelp/Facebook reviews of previous years), but was very pleasantly surprised. I ran both the 5K … MORE
For some reason, I went into this race with low expectations (likely the result of Yelp/Facebook reviews of previous years), but was very pleasantly surprised. I ran both the 5K (Saturday) and full marathon (Sunday). The start area for the full was the worst part of the race. I arrived via the Link from a downtown hotel, and found it difficult to navigate getting to the bathrooms, any food, and corrals. The Seattle event would have benefited from those people who wear big balloons saying INFORMATION or BATHROOMS -> or CORRALS ->, like I have seen at RnR Las Vegas. Also, I may not have seen them all, but I felt that there were only 10s of portapotties (maybe 30?) at the start area, which was not enough. Despite being in the 13th corral, I still saw massive lines for the portapotties when I began the race.
This is my recollection of the course: The 2017 year course began, as stated, at Husky Stadium, then went through the arboretum, along Lake Washington and around Seward Park, then across some neighborhoods toward CenturyLink Stadium (which was the finish line), then on Route 99/Viaduct past the Space Needle, and back to the stadium. I really enjoyed the first 10-12 miles along the Lake. I don’t remember anything particularly motivating or picturesque en route to the first pass of CenturyLink, but I did really enjoy running on the Viaduct! Running on Route 163 in the San Diego RnR Marathon is my least favorite part of the course, and I was expecting that here…but, it was an incredible view, made even more special thinking that it may no longer exist within a year! Part of this portion of the course included a tunnel, which terrified me at first, so it helped me run faster! After the tunnel, the runners come out heading toward the Space Needle. Sometime after the tunnel, the ground changed from asphalt to concrete. That was killer, especially paired with the fact that this was an incline to the highest elevation of the course! I ran this two weeks off of a PR during Mountains 2 Beach, allowing myself to enjoy the scenery and go at an easy pace. With that, I would not rate this course as challenging, despite some hills.
I visited the expo once on Friday. There was a lot of room in the CenturyLink Field Event Center, but I felt the expo was smaller than other RnR events (hard not to compare them to one another).
Other than the start line, my only complaint about this race is that they changed the course after many people had booked hotels. With that, they offered a shuttle from the expo area. I think this is standard, but it would have been better had they offered a shuttle from the downtown (hotel) area. To get to the expo area from the downtown area, one would have to take the Link in the opposite direction of the start line…which seems nonsensical (why go the opposite way when you could just ride the Link to the start?).
OVERALL: I liked the course a lot! I am curious how it will change next year if the viaduct is removed. I hope that RnR works to organize a better start area with improved transportation options.
2017 Half Marathon
I ran the inaugural Rock N Roll Seattle Marathon in 2009 and liked that course better (more scenic). If I remember correctly, in 2009 you HAD to take the shuttle … MORE
I ran the inaugural Rock N Roll Seattle Marathon in 2009 and liked that course better (more scenic). If I remember correctly, in 2009 you HAD to take the shuttle to the start. Transportation to the start in 2017 was a bit more chaotic. I took Uber, which was fine, but I would recommend either allowing more time than you think for driving or ride-sharing to the start or take the shuttle. Traffic was sort of bad. This created a scenario where the back corrals were packed because some of the faster runners arrived late and had to start with those of us that are a bit slower. That, in turn, causes some tension when things are crowded the first several miles.
This race had a blue mile mid-way through the half–which I always fine quite moving.
The expo was a decent size. I liked the medal and shirt.
The day before there was a 5k (I think it was the 1st time they had a 5k) and I would recommend it.
I miss this Race
Such a fun and beautiful way to experience Seattle! I love the bands every mile to keep the energy up. There are so many people along the course to cheer … MORE
Such a fun and beautiful way to experience Seattle! I love the bands every mile to keep the energy up. There are so many people along the course to cheer you on.
Beautiful road race in cool city...
R 'n' R Seattle is my favorite road marathon race to date. Seattle is a beautiful and historic city with amazing water and mountain views. Thousands of runners bring a … MORE
R ‘n’ R Seattle is my favorite road marathon race to date. Seattle is a beautiful and historic city with amazing water and mountain views. Thousands of runners bring a fun energy to the course. Highly recommend this race.
I will never register for this again
I never made it to the finish line. It took me over 8 hours to get to Seattle and back which is an hour drive away to pick up my … MORE
I never made it to the finish line. It took me over 8 hours to get to Seattle and back which is an hour drive away to pick up my race number Friday night. The next morning as I exited to park the car I had well over an hour to get to the start. 45 minutes later I was finally getting to the end of the exit ramp, still hadn’t parked the car and the start was 2 miles away. The start of the race and finish line are 2 miles apart. We were parking the car near Century Field/Safeco….a place that regularly handles large amount of people but this morning no one was out helping and it showed. People were getting out of their cars and running to try and get to the start line.
Seattle skyline is beautiful
This is a great race and there are so many people out cheering you on. It's difficult at times with the hills but some of the views are exceptional. I … MORE
This is a great race and there are so many people out cheering you on. It’s difficult at times with the hills but some of the views are exceptional. I always love to come over one hill and see the two stadiums and Seattle skyline. It does finish after a hill so be prepared. Just when you know you are getting close you turn a corner and look at a downhill and then uphill before a few short turns to the finish line. Ugh.