Rock ‘n’ Roll Raleigh Marathon & 1/2 Marathon

This was my first time in Raleigh, and it was a good time. I did the half marathon and thought the amount of hills were unnecessary. It was somewhat discouraging to so many people walking. Also, I felt the finish line snacks were lacking for a half marathon especially compared to some of the others I’ve done. The shirt and medal were really cute and all of fuel stations during the race were much appreciated. The volunteers were all really nice and encouraging. Loved all the restaurants and bars downtown.

first time running this race. it was for everyone. I stayed at the sheraton hotel it is right in front of it all. a must run! cant wait till next year.

This was a very nice race (I ran the half). It’s not too big, so the most awesome thing is that I was able to leave my hotel and be in my corral in five minutes. Also, the race ended right at my hotel so that was great.
Corrals were very orderly. Music along the course was good but not as much as other Rock N Roll events I’ve run. Volunteers everywhere were outstanding. They really did a good job there. Plenty of course support from spectators, policy and EMTs. Really pretty well organized.
The weather was perfect the day I ran so I won’t even bother to complain about the hills, although the one before mile 7 and the little one right before mile 12 I thought would kill me.
Expo was small but efficient.
On the not so great side, I don’t like the company that did the timing for this race. It was hard to navigate on mobile and if you were a runner they made you sign up to get data (so just pretend you’re a specator) and even then, the data was bare minimum. They need to look at how timing is done at other races to see it done correctly.
Another thing I have to say is that Rock N Roll races make their websites overly complex and hard to navigate. To find info about the start corrals, I had to click a lot and then I just got a map. There were no instructions that said how you should enter the corrals, which would have been helpful since the bag check was in front of the start line across the course and the corrals went around the block. Make the logistics easy to find with one or two clicks. Especially on mobile. When people are traveling around they are more likely to have a phone or tablet than a full PC so optimize your website for mobile. Very poor mobile experience.
I don’t advocate traveling to NC due to their regressive and repressive governor but if they ever get their act together and decide to join the 21^st century, this would be a fun race for everyone.

³⁄₁₅ runs for the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame!
WHERE IS RALEIGH? jk.
If it weren’t for this Rock n Roll thing, I would have never even considered Raleigh as a travel destination, running destination, or anything destination. I’m from sunny San Diego, and we have everything. lol. jk.
THE EXPO
If you’ve been to one RnR Expo, you’ve been to them all. There were a bunch of booths promoting some type of fitness food, gadget, destination, ect. Outside of the convention center, I loved how they dressed up the statue of Sir Walter Raleigh with racing gear. It was cute. I love the community spirit.
THE SHIRT
Also cute. Loved the squirrel! Wish the medal and the shirt would coordinate because they were two completely different designs. RnR should probably consider that for all its races. And you Raleigh folks, someone should have dressed up as a squirrel, or even Sir Walter Raleigh. Show your pride in your city. lol.
THE ROUTE
It was a little challenging, but doable. There were hills, and a lot of trees. Raleigh is known for being «The City of Oaks» thus a piece of bark flew into my mouth and it made me choke during the race. lol. Considering that this was a spring race, and with things starting to bloom… hello allergies! Pollen levels were HIGH. In addition to choking, I was sneezing a lot, and my eyes kept watering up. To my allergy-​friendly friends — start taking some allergy medicine prior to the race, and make sure it’s the non-​drowsy kind. You don’t want to look drunk on the course. Despite the hills and the allergy attacks, I actually did fairly well.
THE SOUTH
You need to remember, you are in the South, home of the Chick-​Fil-​A. lol. jk. (They were everywhere though!) Sunday’s in the South… prepare for closure! A lot of restaurants, grocery stores, sightseeing places were closed. Surprisingly, the half marathon was on a Sunday, as opposed to the typical South hosting races on Saturday’s. The places I had in mind to check-​out were all closed — especially the restaurant I had plans to pig out at after the race, and unexpectedly, convenience stores for allergy medicine. I was hungry with a runny nose. Luckily Jimmy John’s (gourmet sandwich joint like Quiznos) were handing out free sandwiches after the race, so half my problems were solved.
It may not seem like I had a good time in Raleigh, but I did. A lot of funny stories came out from this mini vacation. (ie I ALMOST DIED VIA UBER. Well not really, but I had the potential to. And, weird people asking for my number… are Asians non-​existent in the South or something? lol. jk.) Would I probably do it again? No, but you gotta do what you gotta do for the bling-​age. lol.
**If you run the 3 out of the 4 Rock n Roll marathon/​half marathons in the same calendar year — New Orleans, Raleigh, St. Jude Country or Savannah you will earn the Southern Charm medal!

Inaugural Rock ‘n’ Roll Raleigh full & half marathon on April 13, 2014.
The course started by the convension center, around downtown, to Cameron Village, back through Capital Blvd. to downtown Raleigh. The course was a challenge. Challenge might be an understatement. It was very hard, plus the weather was gorgeous but too hot of running!
The expo was well filled with free samples and athletic store booths. Although compared to other RnR Expos, there was a lack of local run events. I thought there would be more local run events that I could sign up for, but a bunch for events in Virgina and out of state.
Overall the event was good. I’m glad I was able to complete the half marathon, especially after reading 2 people passed during the race. :(