Rock ‘n’ Roll Los Angeles Half Marathon

I ran this race in 2015 and it was my first sub 2:00 half! HOORAY! Other than that, I really don’t have any strong feelings toward this race. It’s not awful, but it’s not amazing either.
The registration price was the same as other half marathons are — about $ 100. The expo was at the LA Convention Center and it was extremely lackluster. It was one of the smallest, low key expos I have been to, and I was expecting much more from a race organization like Rock ‘n’ Roll that hosts races all over the country. So that was a major let down. I picked up my stuff and headed right back home.
Parking on race day was kind of a nightmare. I missed the exit and spent half an our driving around trying to get to the LA Convention Center to park. I couldn’t get over there even though I was only a block away because every single street in the area was blocked off. It ticked me off even more when we didn’t even run anywhere near that area. I ended up having to get back on the freeway and drive in the opposite direction for a few miles and get off just to be sure that I wouldn’t hit any more closed streets. The parking wasn’t cheap either. It was $ 15, so be prepared to pay that price. Street parking is basically impossible because as I said, the streets are all closed, even the ones that you don’t run on.
The course was alright. It was nothing special and we ran in some pretty boring parts of LA. It was fun running through downtown and the finish area is great (right next to Staples and LA Live) but other than that, the rest of the course is pretty bland. Oh, and it’s LA so be prepared for some hills!
The medals were nice, but again, nothing special. It was Halloween themed, so the 2015 medal was a jack-​o-​lantern and smaller than I had hoped for. But hey, they can’t all be massive medals! There’s also a finish line festival at LA Live at the end and they have a «headliner» at every race that Rock ‘n’ Roll does. It’s usually someone who was big 20 years ago or someone who made a one hit wonder. This year it was Sir Mix A Lot. I didn’t stay to see him because I didn’t really want to wait around for a couple of hours before he came on but I’m sure it was cool!
If you’re looking for a race to run in LA on Halloween weekend, you’ll probably have fun especially if Halloween is your favorite holiday. If you’re looking for a bunch of bells and whistles from a race, you won’t get it here.

I like this race a lot. It’s well-​organized, it’s efficiently run, the medals and shirts are usually nice, and it’s a lot of fun. I even liked the pumpkin medal this year, that so many others seemed to hate. I thought it was cute. I’ve participated for two years now, and hopefully i will be able to continue doing so.
I can’t speak to parking, but the race starts right next to the Pico train station, which is served by the Expo and Blue Line Metro trains. It’s a very easy trip on mass transit.
Post-​race food and amenities were good. This year they had a booth where you could get your name added to a 45 single record. The race entry included a free beer, but drinking at 8 in the morning didn’t really appeal to me. There was also a post-​race concert but it wasn’t until 10 or 11, and I didn’t really want to stick around that long after the race. I wish they’d bump up the concert time a little.
My pet peeve for this year really has to do with the attitudes of some of the participants. Yes, I wish that they would start the 5K and half separately. They don’t, though, so we all have to live with it. A lot of people behaved like absolute jerks to the slower runners and walkers.
I was not in an early corral, and I made sure that I was at the back of my starting group. I stayed all the way over to the left-​hand side of the course, right next to the barrier — which is what the RnR Final Instructions instructed everyone to do. I STILL had to contend with runners that were actually trying to shove between me and the barrier to get ahead and almost knocked me over. Look, folks, Not everyone on the course is as fast as you. They might even be, dare I suggest, walking. There’s no need to try to mow them down, especially if they’re doing everything they possibly can to stay out of the way.
And after the race, the same was true — there were so many runners who were trying to push ahead or cut the lines for the various activities. In the iced coffee line, the person behind me actually tried to grab the ice scoop out of my hand AS I WAS USING IT. Seriously, you’re a grown adult and you don’t know how to wait your turn for 30 seconds?
I sincerely hope that next year people are nicer. That’s nothing to do with the race organizers, though.

Worked the event today. Super fun! Everyone was awesome. A definitely must run for me next time!

2015 was my 4^th consecutive year running this race! I love it! The course was changed up because of the closure of the 6^th street bridge. Unfortunately, this made the second half of the course very hilly. Nonetheless, it was super fun, hills and all!
The costumes just keep getting better, I live that both the first and second half of the race are out and backs, you get to see all the runners (all the costumes)!! The expo is great and the post race party is super fun! It’s a giant party!
I highly recommend this race, I’ll keep running this one for as long as it’s around!

This wasn’t a perfectly planned race, but I still had a great time. The costumes were the best part, so next year I’m going to go for fun, not competition.
Thoughts for next year:
More bands! The whole point was to have music on the course. No, the Jr. cheerleading squad doesn’t count. Neither does the guy with a boom box. There were only like two actual stages along the course.
Have the 5k start an hour later. There was no need to jam everyone together when half were going more casually than others. Getting the 5k walkers out of the way of the ½ marathon runners would clear a lot of congestion.
Assign faster competitors to the front. Again, The big complaint from anyone who takes their runs remotely seriously was that they were blocked by the casual walkers. Letting/​assigning the serious runners to the front would have a huge impact on overall satisfaction (see the other reviews).
Do more with the website and software. It’s a little clunky and has unnecessary clicks to get what you’re looking for. Send an email telling people of the preregistration available. Show a better parking guide. Also, the runner stats are great, but I ended up with someone else’s photos which was a real letdown.

The post race event/​concert at the end was a lot of fun but besides that I can see why some people would give this race low ratings, especially if you’re not from LA. If you like running marathons for the course & the sights you won’t see much here. The highlight of the course is going around the stadium at USC, two days before the race the 6^th bridge was closed for construction so the route got changed. Most of the course was going one way then coming back in the opposite direction, my guess for that would be because LA has some much traffic every other day of the week & to avoid jamming the city up anymore we got a course that goes up & down the same road.
Another con was the start time & corrals. They had corrals assigned to everyone based on the estimated finish time they listed when they signed up, but at the start of the race people got to go into whatever corral they wanted which lead to people having to run around & dodger slower runners & walkers for the first 2 miles. The 5k also started with the ½ marathon for some strange reason.
Despite that the event was still fun, parking & traffic was no where near as bad as I thought it would be, the concert with Sir Mix A Lot was good & my friends & I happened to end up in the best spot of the beer garden. We hung out right by the gate where everyone walks along to get to the entrance. All the people that didn’t want their free beer (it was Michelob ultra light so I can’t blame them for not wanting it.) would walk over and give away their free beer tab. We all ended up with 5 or 6 free beers.
If you take your races serious or tend to travel for certain races you might want to skip this one, but if you live in the area & are more into the fun & social aspect of running then you might enjoy this race.
P. S. out of all the other Halloween themed medals I’ve seen for this race the one we got this year was pure trash. A big stupid looking Jack O Lantern. If it wasn’t for the fact that I got a good deal on this race & finally wanted to do my first half marathon I probably would have skipped this race just because the medal looked so lame.
One more thing, as someone else noted in their review they relied on their GSP & didn’t see any mile markers. I saw every marker but they all came way after my GSP would say what mile I was at. They must have added 30 – 50 meters to each mile because everyone I ran with finished with 13.44 miles on their tracker instead of 13.1 like a half mile is suppose to be.

This race was entertaining. But poor planning with corrals. People who began early who were slow and walking by end of mile 1 made me aggravated. I aint the fastest but trying to dodge those people left and right while roads were narrow was abit frustrating esp if you have 10 more miles to go. Later by 6 mile the slower crowd thinned out but initially waiting 20+ minute after the first horn went off was abit draining. Other then that it was fun with lot of participants and it flet good to run around dtla where I was always used to just driving by. Lot of volunteers and entertainers with costumes made it an interesting race. This race was not too difficult and helping me prepare for the real deal aka LA marathon next year (hopefully keep finger crossed).
I recommend it. It was entertaining. But please if you are going to walk the race or slow down by mile 3 just start at the back of the line. Common courtesy for faster runners who trained for the race.
Gogogo!

There are so many things that would make this a much better race than what they give you.
Like Las Vegas, San Diego and so many other cities that RnR holds races in, why not do the 5k and ½ on separate days? Instead, you have 5k walkers in the front corrals starting along with those running 13.1. Sure, they split off just after a mile and loop back but why?
Speaking of looping, Exposition Blvd between USC and the Coliseum gets way way too crowded with runners who are both coming and going. This isn’t as bad in the Arts District or the upper area of Flower as crowds have both thinned out and the road is much larger. And the loop around the Coliseum is lazy planning. Just no point to it.
While I didn’t think the «hills» over the 4^th street bridge were bad, I did hate the uphill on 1^st Street after Mile 11. For those who have run the LA Marathon, you know this one all too well.
Water/​Gatorade stations were plentiful but can’t say the same about mile markers. Maybe I missed them but I relied more on my GPS to tell me where I was. They just were not visible. Enjoyed the few DJ’s on the course and loved hearing the «Grim Grinning Ghosts» remix near Mile 3. The bands were meh.
Parking wasn’t an issue as I took the Metro in from Universal City for $ 5 r/​t which seemed like a popular option for many runners.
Finish line volunteers were a mix of confusion and helpful, depending on who you approached. You’re really complaining to me that the ice is too cold so I need to reach in the trash can and get my own bottle of Gatorade. Grow a pair as the girl next to you is flying those drinks out to runners.
Sir Mix A Lot was the post race show and did a good job with the crowd.
I did like the shirt and the pumpkin medal but will more than likely not make this a return race.

This was my first half marathon (2014) and I’ve run ten or eleven since then, so I feel like I am in a position to give a fair review. The expo was decent and pretty much your standard expo fare. Bib pickup for me was quick and easy.
The energy race morning was good — Rock ‘n’ Roll did a good job pumping up the crowd so early on a Sunday morning and the energy at the start line rivaled that of any other major race I’ve been to. The course is fun — I live in DTLA, so it’s not as much of a novelty for me as it may be for those not from the area, but it does give you a fairly decent DTLA running experience (without too much running in the actual downtown area). A lot of it takes place in the Colosseum area, which isn’t very thrilling, admittedly. Running across the bridge is fun, although it comes toward the end of the race and the uphill of the bridge can be tough that late in the race for some folks. But once you turn around on the bridge you’re heading to the last few miles which helps you push through!
The finish line festival was a lot of fun — high energy, well-​organized, etc. The only thing is I don’t really like the Halloween themed medal much. The race to me doesn’t feel Halloween themed — some people dress up, but not all that many, and the Halloween themed medal seems a little forced to me. It’s more like the event happens to take place around Halloween, but it’s not really a central focus of the race. I realize that may seem like a silly critique, but there it is. I enjoyed the event, and since it’s local to me I’d consider doing it again in the future.

This was my very first half marathon, so yes this will always be a memorable race for me. I’ll be honest and say that I was nervous and anxious going into this race, I had done and completed a couple 5K, 10K’s before leading up to it.
The expo was a decent size and not crazy crowded at the LA convention center. I knew the area and had been to Downtown LA plenty of times to watch Laker games at Staples Center and know where the cheaper parking lots are. Tip you just need to drive a little farther down Figueroa street and past LA Live to find them.
Race day it’s self was pretty easy getting into DTLA. I had slept over at my cousins house in La Puente and it was a short 15 minute drive. I met up with one of my friends from San Diego who now lives in DTLA and we just chilled in front of the Magic Johnson statue outside Staples Center before the race started.
The race corrals were well organized. It was fun seeing a lot of runners dressed up in costume in the spirit for Halloween. Running through DTLA was cool and there was plenty of great bands, school bands, and just spectators giving support along the course. Towards the end though you do go through some ugly & smelly parts of DTLA and going through the tunnel before finishing the course at LA Live was not fun and it was hot in there.
Post race was pretty good also with water, chocolate milk, protein bars & snacks. I stayed around and went to the beer garden to get my free Michelob Ultra beer. Traffic wasn’t to bad also getting out of DTLA and I ended up visiting meeting up with a friend who lives in Little Tokyo.
Would I do this race again? Yes… But this year I won’t be able to race it since I’ll be doing another half marathon somewhere else on the same day RnR LA is going on.

For some reason, I had high expectations for this run. After all, it was in LA — you know, land of the fitness freaks, diet fru-​frus, name brand wearing whores, and so-​on. Lol.
THE START
I did not want to get a hotel in LA, so I decided to drive up from San Diego. Traffic wasn’t terrible, but I was still late. Sometimes it can take maybe 30 mins to even an hour before all the corals are released, so I was not necessarily in a fret. Considering that this was my 8^th half marathon of the year (2014), I thought I knew better… nope. Only 15 mins into the race, and they were already at the last coral. WTF. Were there not that many runners? I couldn’t find the gear check-​in, and there was the sag wagon right there… so I had no choice but to start running.
**Sag Wagon = If participants do not maintain a pace faster than the course time limits they will be stopped and shuttled to the finish line area.
THE COURSE
The course was pretty anticlimactic. Initially I was excited because I thought we were able to run in USC’s Coliseum, but no. You run around it. The bathrooms were open, so at least it’s safe to say they have nice bathrooms. lol. (I’m not a fan of port-​a-​potties.) The course also had «loop arounds,» which I did not enjoy. It felt like you were running the same course twice. It distracts me seeing the runners before me, and after me. I consider that lazy planning on the RnR series. Come on guys, you are more creative than that. And running through that tunnel was kind of freaky. It was very inclosed, dark and hot. The rest of the run was dull, and exhibited unexciting parts of downtown that consisted of homeless, trash and smells of various human excretions. No wonder the on-​site support was pretty bare.
POST-​RACE
The race finished by LA Live/​Staples Center. Not that many people hung around. I know I started the run a little late, but not that late. I don’t know how many runners there were, but it didn’t seem like many, and the ones that did participate weren’t that festive. You’d think for a Costume/​Halloween Race in LA, everyone would be into it and it would have been a sold out event or something.
Maybe I thought of LA too highly or something? I don’t know. Let’s see how long this race will last, just like the Rock n Roll Half Marathon in Pasadena. The Hello Kitty Hungry Hunt just started, so maybe people were more into that than the Rock n Roll Half Marathon? I went to a couple of the hunger hunt places the day before the race, and a little after the race. It was a lot of walking, but it was actually kind of fun. Lol.
**Hello Kitty Hungry Hunt = Participating foodie venues around town offered a special limited edition Hello Kitty themed food or beverage item created for this special occasion. Each Hungry Hunt menu item includes a small gift: a collectible Hello Kitty Hungry Hunt enamel pin featuring Hello Kitty enjoying a culinary treat. The menu items and pins are exclusive to each location and available for a super limited time while supplies last.

I’m not sure why… but LA RnR seem to NOT possess all the spectacular-​ism the other RnRs have.
I think this is my least favorite RnR so far (I heard San Jose wasn’t great, either). It was crowded and the route got boring towards the end. Sooo boring that my friend and I chose to walk to talk about her love life!
If it weren’t for running along the Trojan campus or the folks who dressed up in their cool costumes, this race would super suck!
Highlight of my race weekend was walking around Staples Center and trying out some macaroons from Bottega Louie. =(Only reason to run this race is to get the Cali combo medal.

Half marathon #10 is back to RnRLA for 2014.
Not a lot of changes from last year. Same course (blah), still Halloween theme (yay), etc. Bigger and better expo this year. Also, they have changed the untimed «mini marathon» to an official 5K, but since it’s all on Sunday, it’s not part of the Remix Challenge series that RnR is doing in some other locations.
They still start the 5K before the half, which ends up causing congestion as the course shares the first mile and a half. By the time the half starts, the walkers from the 5k are impeding the course. There is NOTHING wrong with walking, but it would be better to separate out the events or remind folks to move to the right to facilitate runners passing. It just makes the beginning harder than it needs to be.
The course isn’t great. The best part is the first half, which goes from Staples, down Fig past USC, around the Coliseum and back. That is not super scenic, but it’s much better than the second half, wher, after looping past the start/​finish line, you head north, through the sketchy tunnel and into the really industrial part of downtown. The streets are so torn up, so you really have to watch your steps. Then it’s out and back across the famous Sixth Street Bridge (you’ve seen it in movies and commercials) before heading back to the shady tunnel and down Fig to the finish (all downhill the last 1.5 miles).
Ample room in the finisher chute and plenty of supplies. Cute medal this year!
The T-​shirt was white, which is see through and looks dingy after a few wears (boo). The line at the Heavy Medal tent was quite long, especially for my Cali Combo series medal. Wish they would do a wristband like they did in Vegas to speed things up.
Not the shining star of the Rock n Roll series, but it’s local, it’s Halloween (fun costumes), so there ya go.

(Eleven Halfs since February!)
I needed a new addiction.
Just nine, short months ago, I began long-​distance running. I’m not truly sure as to why. Prior to February, I had never thought to run so eagerly. One day, I just decided to try. I mean, I had run sprints during workouts or warm-​ups, but that was it. However, as I said, new addictions were in order. Why not run?
Maybe many of the 11,000 runners at the 5^th Annual Rock-​n-​Roll Los Angeles felt the same way. Regardless of reason and motivation, they were there though, costumed and all: bananas, super heroes, ghost busters, ninja turtles, headbangers, sideburned and bejewel-​shaded Elvis’s, Disney characters of all sorts… You name it. Myself, I didn’t dress up, but I did sport my new Sugar Skull tank!
The course, though, it has its ups and downs. I loved running around the Coliseum and the outskirts of USC; and there were energetic, rockin’ bands after bands along the route to keep you amped-​up on high. I can appreciate that. However, sometimes the run was a bit dull. I don’t know, maybe it was just me. This being my first RnR, maybe I had my expectations a bit too high. After all, when I finally reached the finish – my GPS tracking over 13.8 – I felt great… tired, but great. And the medal, at least for me, made up for any inconveniences I had struggled through along the way.
A bit of advice:
1. Going to the Expo on Friday (instead of waiting until Saturday) made a HUGE difference. I mean, it was practically empty. We were in-​and-​out in no time.
AND…
2. This is BIG: park across from The Original Pantry. (I love that place! Homemade sourdough toast!) For those who get there early enough, you are golden if you are fortunate enough to snag a spot. It was only $ 7 to park, the starting line was a block and a half away, and it’s easy to get on and off the freeway: it’s right there off the 110! Perfect spot!

This was my first RnR in LA and only did it to earn my Cali Combo medal. *bling* I appreciated that we got to vote in the medal design.
It is quite fun to be dressed in costume with a bunch of others and amazing how covered up some were the whole way through.
I took the train for packet pickup and race day to avoid cost of parking. Because I left my place earlier than if I had driven, nature called during the run. (I’ve never had to pee in the middle of a half marathon before.) I was so grateful for the bathrooms at the Coliseum because I truly hate porta potties. I used the first womens restroom and with so many stalls, there was no wait. I saw two other womens restrooms after that within the Coliseum but I can’t confirm if they were open.
I had heard complaints about the bridge at mile 9 but when I got to it, I didn’t think it was anything to complain about. I could not feel the grade of the incline. It was nothing — absolutely nothing compared to the most hilly course of RnR SF.
Backing up a bit, I thought I’d read there were lights in the tunnel in previous years but this year, the tunnel wasn’t exciting at all. Yes there was a DJ at the end but the effect would have been better with laser lights.
I was disappointed in the concert headliner and sad to be hearing Snoop will be headlining RnR LV because I’m not going to sin city for this year’s RnR.

I’m sorry RnR, but I still don’t love this race…
I did the race this year since I missed out on Chicago in July due to injuries and I had to make up for this by doing a local one — LA. I had friends doing this race, so why not?!
I didn’t realize it had been 3 years since I did the last LA RnR. I heard the route changed so I was pretty excited that it would be more scenic! I was disappointed. I did like the fact that we went around USC’s stadium — «AROUND». It would have been more fun if we ran inside!
Pretty much the remainder of the race was the same. Glad the race started earlier at 7am because it started getting warm and sunny by 9am! Around mile 9-​ish is the damn bridge with a pretty steep incline. Not fun when you have the sun beating down on you.
The streets had some construction which runner can definitely get hurt! Also, some portions of the route reeked. Not sure what smell it was — SMOG, TRASH, PEE?! Gross…
Glad the start and finish were in the same place and I like how the finish was at the Staples Center/​LA Live. Great place to find some post-​race grub!
=====================================================
STATS:
Overall: 3072 out of 7797
Division: 231 out of 766 Gender: 1264 out of 4601
Pace 10:21
Chip Time 2:15
(Better than 3 years ago! HOLLA!)

Los Angeles Rock and Roll Half Marathon has a special place in my heart. My first half marathon was their inaugural race. As Los Angeles Rock and Roll Half Marathon turned 5 this year, I decided to sign and join my friends on this local run.
The route has changed from their inaugural’s route. Honestly, I like it much better because i found the route to be more scenic and doable than the first race. Overall, the race was good and I have no regrets in doing this race again.
Pros:
— route (be careful of the hilly bridge)
— nice and clean bathrooms at the Coliseum
— creative costumes, which gave me some good ideas for my Halloween costume this year
— not too early/​not too late start time
— overall flat — a race that one can PR if she/​he trains
— no traffic getting to LA from the eastside
Cons:
— too few bands (come on, RnR!) and not enough diversity in the music (LA is the hub of music bands. Take advantage of that and the diverse musical talents!)
— expensive expo parking $ 15
— wished it was less «loopy». I felt that I was going back and forth seeing the same scenery.
— hidden processing fee — my pet peeve when races do that.
Tips:
— register on the 13^th of the month and get $ 13 off the registration fee
— found $ 5 parking lot on Figueroa
— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —
Half Marathon #8
Time: 2:32

I had so much fun running the LA Rock N’ Roll Half Marathon this year. The race is incredibly well organized. The course is flat with numerous water, Gatorade and Gu stations. There isn’t confusion at any point in the race despite there being thousands of participants. The 7:30 AM time is great. There is a staggered start so you may start up to 10 – 15 minutes later, though. I ended up finishing in 2 hours 10 minutes. This meant I had completed a half marathon before 10 AM. Talk about a great start to the day!
Running through downtown LA was awesome. I especially loved running around USC, the Coliseum and through the EDM tunnel. The organizers cleaned up skid row nice. I only saw one camper in his tent unlike the usual hundreds! They must have bused them to the Holiday Inn. The race finishing at LA Live/​Staples Center adds to the excitement. Running 13.1 miles with thousands of fellow Angelinos & visiting friends followed by drinking beer next to the biggest sports complex in the US is nothing short of epic. ~Kings, Clippers & Lakers all play at the Staples Center.~
This was my first half marathon in over a decade. I’ve now run two and I can’t wait to sign up for more. Running is awesome. Never have I felt more fit, balanced and happy than I do lately. I attribute this solely to long runs like this half marathon, where I achieve more each time than I could have ever imagined in months previously. Run because you can. Run to see what you can achieve.
~~ How sick was the medal you may ask… SO SICK! SKULL SICK!!! Kudos to the artist.~~

Ran the RnR LA Half again this year solely because I have my heart set on the heavy medals and I like the Grand Slam bling more than the Triple Crown so I’m sticking to this series for the races I can make it to in 2013.
I don’t think the course changed at all. Fairly flat with gradual climbs here and there and the 6^th street bridge. Start time was 730A.
Expo parking was $ 15 again this year — damn you LA Convention Center and was boring and uneventful as most are. I was unable to find a new Brooks visor (without the LA RnR stuff on it) good thing last years is still holding up. They had a b12 tent there, which was nice since I like getting these from time to time.
Rode the Metro this go around — $ 6 (all day pass) instead of driving down and parking.
Weather was perfect, you can’t really beat an LA morning in October.
Plenty of restrooms, water, Gatorade and Gu at some points — none of which I needed besides the restroom.
I didn’t care for the medal or shirt very much — the scary animal skull just seemed a bit off putting and sort of weird since this race benefits ASPCA. I wish the medal and shirt had a different design.
I do like that the past two years I have found it very easy to spot friends/​fam along the course even when I’ve had no idea where they would be. Finish line had waters, oranges, chocolate milk, jamba juices, protein bars — didn’t see any bananas or bagels this year.
This is an easy half to get to/​from if you live in LA. There’s certainly nothing worth wild along the course that I’d recommend coming in from out of town for. Skip half assing it and sign up for the LA Marathon if you want to see landmarks.
The costumes are always fun to look at, nothing to extravagant but a casual easy run nonetheless and something for me to knock out after a long 4 month break from racing.

3.5 stars
Be warned: I’ll be doing a lot of comparisons between this and the 2013 San Diego event. It’s the only other RnR half I’ve run in 2013, so it’s the most comparable in my mind.
I’m struggling to corral my thoughts, in order to succinctly share my impressions. I think the easiest thing is for me to list what I thought could use some work, and what I really appreciated.
So first, my biggest gripe would be the «squeezed» sections of the course. I get it’s difficult to find space in an urban environment for 30,000 people to run, but when you consider the number of people you have on the course, trying to confine everyone to one and a half lanes on a three-​lane road is crazy. It’s the same critique I had for the San Diego event: you’ve hit your stride, you’re in the zone, then the lane narrows, and you’re bumping into everyone around you. It’s not a good feeling, and it can distract those who are prone to finding distractions in the slightest things (I’m pointing at myself, here). There weren’t quite as many of these spots as San Diego boasted, but there were enough to stand out.
The next thing would be the mini-​marathon. I think it’s great that they have this event, and loved seeing all the participants (especially the little kids!) along the course. BUT, I truly believe that the mini-​marathon should have gotten a different start time, instead of sending them off with the half runners. There were far too many walkers (not just the mini-​marathoners, of course) ahead of me to be okay. It took a lot longer to find open space to get my groove than it should have.
Finally, I’m taking exception to the «Rock n Roll» claims of every RnR event I’ve done, especially this year (this is my third this year). It’s gone from bands that’ll rock you for the minute you’re in listening range to a handful of «DJ’s» with iPods and a large assortment of high school cheer squads. Not that I’m bagging on the cheer squads — I love the energy they impart — but it’s supposed to be the *Rock n Roll* marathon series. You can’t give me a dude with an iPod and a speaker blaring dub step and expect me to find the rock in that.
Beyond that, there was a «band» right before the hill at mile 9 that was playing «I Love Rock and Roll» off of an iPod while we ran by the first time, and then playing some other song off the iPod when we circled back towards the finish. It felt like such a rip-​off — were the guitars and drum kit just there for decoration?
As far as the things that I appreciated, I have to start with the volunteers. Again, I always make it a point to thank the volunteers — especially the ones getting splattered with water and Gatorade at the hydration stations — for coming out that day. I know events like this can’t work without them, so I let them know they’re appreciated.
The Finisher’s Village was much better than the one in San Diego. You didn’t feel like you were being crammed in to this teeny-​tiny space, and you actually had room to walk to cool off. The volunteers with the medals were a bit further from the finish line than I would have thought, but I loved how happy they were when they handed out the medals to the finishers.
I feel like the Port-​o-​Potty situation both in LA and Brooklyn was worlds better than what we had in San Diego. Did they just not order enough potties for San Diego? Why did we end up waiting for over 45 minutes just to get a chance at one? In both Brooklyn and LA, there were more than enough potties, and the lines were manageable. Thumbs up for that.
I loved the swag bags (not the same boring black and red versions, of which I already own six) and the shirts (not the same boring black shirt!) The swag bags themselves seemed to be a bit light, as far as the actual «swag» goes, but that’s fine.
For me, though, the two things that I loved most about this event were the medals and the parking situation.
The medals are amazing. It’s probably my most favorite medal, to date. I love the design, and how it tied in to the fact that it was a Halloween run. Very creative and perfectly executed! I did hear some people complaining about the ribbon being blah, but it doesn’t bother me.
The parking was a breeze. I was worried we wouldn’t be find parking within easy walking distance, but that wasn’t even an issue. The signage for parking was much more visible on race morning (yes, we had issues the day before), and we had no problems finding a spot. Getting out after the race was so incredibly easy, I almost couldn’t believe it. Hell, nearby parking in San Diego was almost non-​existent, and, from what my husband told me, trying to leave the area after the race started was a nightmare.
I didn’t PR on this race, but that’s on me. The course was decent (minus the parts where the lanes were too narrow to accommodate all the runners), and I was a fan of the tunnel, but I didn’t really feel like there was a whole lot to see on the way. I mean, it’s downtown LA. I guess I expected a bit more glitz.