I signed up for the upcoming Marathon but recently found out, upon checking their website, that the Marathon is no longer available and they only now offer the half marathon.  This happened to me twice now, and neither changes were communicated to customers. The company changed the product and did not communicate this change and refused to refund or offer any other resolution to customers of any kind, due to a waiver we signed absolving us of any right to a refund or the right to dispute. I understand with COVID a lot of businesses are going through hardships, but at the very least communication and compromise would have been nice, but no. Lesson learned, please be careful when signing up for future races as they may be altered and you will not be refunded even though the change was no fault of your own. read more

This was a very poorly organized event. My friend and I ran the 5k, and they made all runners pick up their packets at the expo (DC Armory) on Thursday or Friday before the event. Not a minor inconvenience, as having to drive to DC on a weeknight is no fun. From the organizer's stand point, I can understand the logistical reasons for it. However, if making people come out to pick up packets, they should have been more thorough at giving instructions. First of all, the expo parking was horrible. The lot we were supposed to park at was not labeled clearly and was very difficult to find.. Not to mention extremely hard to even get to! How can you tell us to go this way to the lot, only to have us cross 3 lanes of high speed traffic to get to the other side within like 30 feet or we'll miss the entrance completely? It was super dangerous and nerve-wracking. Also, the lot had no lights so it was hard to see. Were we the only ones that didn't realize the DC Armory was the national guard building? Maybe I need to go into DC more.. But we didn't know that we couldn't take any food or drinks into the building until the bag check at the door. Apparently we weren't the only ones. The poor man in front of us had a bag full of girl scout cookies. He had to leave his whole bag there and pick it up later, but it wasn't secure at all. It was placed under the table along with other people's bags, and anyone could get to them. The participants should have been notified of this beforehand. The expo itself was okay. We got our packets quickly enough and the staff were friendly. We didn't stay long though because nothing at the expo really called to us. For the day of the race, I kind of felt like they shunted the 5k runners to the crappier part of the track. There was nothing to see except side roads and bridges overhead, and the road we ran on was full of potholes and bumps. Yes, I know our 5k is pittance compared to the half or full marathon, but we still paid our fees and came out to have a good time running. We did enjoy the bands that were placed along the track. After the race, all the road closures made it extremely difficult to get an Uber. We had to walk over half an hour in the cold to get somewhere near enough for an Uber driver to get us. While we knew about the closures, it did not make for a pleasant end to the race, and I can imagine it caused a ton of inconvenience to the folks who live there. Overall, not something I'll go for again. At least the medals were cool. read more

Rock and Roll Marathon Series - Starting line for the 5k - Races & Competitions Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

Las Vegas half marathon definitely not recommended. Poor race management for 2023. They greedily registered an insane number of people (27,500) so you're packed in like sardines. If you're in the last group to start, you leave an hour and a half after the race starts. It was about 40°F and miserable. You're fenced in to the strip road so there was no way of getting out of the corrals before or after the half marathon, which added about 3 miles to the actual run. And don't forget that you're likely to walk to and from your hotel to the race, so that's more miles for you. Absolutely terrible. Save your 250 bucks. There are better half marathons than this. read more

I agree with everyone else who wishes they could give this event and organization negative stars!! Rock and roll marathon series = unprofessionalism at it's finest. I signed up to race the DC half marathon in March, however due to COVID-19 they understandably cancelled the race. While they did offer to transfer the race registration to another location, they only offered locations in the US and dates six months to a year out. I contacted the organization and explained that I would not be in the US after July due to a job transfer that I have known about for months and asked for a refund or even credit to use later. A manger named Courtney emailed me back with a generic no, with no explanation or signs she had actually looked at my email. I understand that the original race had to be cancelled for health and safety reasons, however many many other companies are offering refunds or at least credits that you can use when it fits your schedule. Every airline is even offering credits and being understanding of the situation at hand. Overall, I'm so disappointed with the Rock and roll marathon series. I really did not expect the complete lack of professionalism. I will not be running with them again. read more

Horrible race management. Theiving, greedy bastards. Cancelled race, after cancelled race, After cancelled race. Deferment options were trash. They actually expected me to choose from races that would interfere with training or racing two world majors. (Chicago and Boston) when I asked for other options they 1. Took FOREVER to respond (with an attitude) by the time they responded it was ALREADY to late for me to even choose one of their crappy race options they gave me! NEVER again will I or ANYONE I associate with sign up for or run a RnR event!! Hope you enjoyed my money because you just lost yourself THOUSANDS! Remember the name as I work in and am EXTREMELY involved in the running community and I plan to make my voice and the voice of the community heard. Zero STARS for RnR HEARD! read more

Rock and Roll Marathon Series - Just reposting the reviews below as this is the exact same experience I had. Shame on you Rock n Roll!! - Races & Competitions Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

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What an absolute trash organization. Maybe the only company on the planet to not offer a refund during COVID. Takes about 5 or 6 different support tickets and multiple phone calls to get any sort of response from them and by the time you do hear back they provide no assistance whatsoever. On the phone they'll tell you to send a message to the same email you've been contacting already. The people you talk to on the phone will also give a completely different answer than those via email. They'll keep this Yelp page unclaimed to avoid any bad publicity just like how they make it impossible to contact anyone. Greedy and unprofessional. read more

Garbage event planning and garbage customer service. Scheduled and accepted payment for a race in Savannah - where they did not have appropriate permits to run. Refund was not available, instead booked us a separate race in a separate city, which did not coincide with our family and work schedule. read more

Disappointed doesn't cut it. Very poor communication with an overflow of confusing emails and wrong times listed on the website for things such as bag check. Lack of accommodation or genuineness from staff working the registration. Faulty timing chips. It felt like a complete waste of money and time engaging with rock n roll and we will not be participating in any of their future events. read more

DO NOT. I repeat DO NOT pay money to sign up for their events. If there is a global pandemic, they do not work with you on refunding or changing your registration. Even with 6 months advance notice to request a relocation to a closer event... NO. They will not work with you. They said they sent an email informing me. (Went to spam--- so fresh out of luck). Booked an entire couples vacation around this race. Was looking forward to seeing the city and running the race. I understand the race had to be rescheduled, but they WILL NOT work with you if it's beyond their "date" (6 months out, mind you). I'm done with Rock and Roll Races. Just burn your registration money and go run a route in the city of your choosing instead. You'll be much happier. read more

I don't plan to run any RnR races ever again. Greedy company and horrible customer service. Poor customer service: I had a scheduled run for summer 2020 but due to COVID the race was cancelled and postponed until 2021. I was fine with the cancellation in 2020 because I wasn't comfortable running that year with all the unknowns about the virus. I asked for a refund in 2020 and tried again in 2021 with plans to sign up again in the future. I've done several others races with RnR with positive experiences before this and would have easily given them my money again. But I won't any longer. Refund requests denied both times. Email communication and race updates were extremely slow. Options were limited for customers as races were rescheduled for new dates and different locations. By the time the 2022 race came along it was scheduled during a different time of the year - Fall instead of Summer and in a different city. Other athletic events offered full refunds, partial refunds with the option to donate some or all of your registration fee to the non-profit partner, or save registration funds to use in the future. You could also do the race "at home" and they would mail your bib, swag and medal. Expo: The expo and gear pick up was very small, maybe only 15 vendors in a small conference room. Swag and giveaways were lackluster compared to previous years at the expo. Runner perks pre and post race were garbage. Race day: Decent course but there's always a hassle to get to your coral every single year. Decent amount of drink stations and really liked the BioFreeze stops. My pacers was great and interactive with runners. After Race: Fruit, chips, water and sports drink provided immediately after the finish line. Free beer ticket got you two full drinks in 2022 as opposed to just one. Plus a full can of the Heineken zero (non alcoholic). Wish I didn't have to consume the non alcoholic beer in the beer garden. Total of three drinks plus limited quantity of bagels, fruit and pasta in the beer garden were offered. No additional vendors and I didn't stay for the entertainment. read more

I ran the 5k for the Rock n Roll marathon. The price was very fair, for any race you sign up for. The parking situation was ridiculous. Depending on what race you complete its a different scenario. For marathon runners, people that live in the DC area are force to find their own rides. The rock and roll programmers provided parking spaces for runners but its additional $16, which you purchase online. Half marathon runners, run at a later time( 8:30am) so they are able to catch the metro that opens at 7am. 5k runners can either take the metro or drive... but it is cutting to close if people take the metro. So i decided to purchase a ticket online. The drive home was ridiculous. Bumper to Bumper traffic, especially since there are few runners still running the course, and their are multiple road closures. Overall, rock and roll needed more tents and activities. All they had was the main stage and a beer site. Of course their were some small tents but nothing exciting to make you want to stay there longer. read more

Not sure if original has remained. Was a Nashville RnR racer. Group blocked me from Facebook for complaining about race AND disrespect putting their logo (virtually) on the Alamo. Sent emails inquiring about things - ignored. Been deferred three times, expect November to be deferred. NEW UPDATE/Alert: this group DOES NOT answer emails about updates or options to convert to virtual because of things beyond your control. They continue to push sales, and if you challenge them on things you're ignored or blocked. Constantly see complaints by others on Facebook but no response. Not surprised - they would race Ironman but cancel RnR events. I have had to forfeit my race as the costs are far too high. Being an St. Jude Hero, I'm not out money except a Tie-Dye hoodie and socks I can wear anytime - and feel OK to wear as SJ hosted a RnR virtual 5K. (Not my race here but OK). Just as well: RnR medals and shirts downgraded in looks Massively from the 2020. Shoot, SJ's event medal is gorgeous... but the one I would've had in 2020 was a yellow star on black square with Cowboys, and I can't figure out the 2021 medal. Would've liked getting my 2020 shirt as I did arguably pay for THAT one was gorgeous. I say if you want to help the hospital - donate to the hospital itself or the heroes racing Memphis. This one is built and hosted by SJ itself, who treat folks FAR better than I've been here. Don't give RnR credence with the St. Jude link. They treat customers poorly. read more

I signed up for the San Diego Race in 2020. The race was canceled due to covid and I was granted a voucher for another race. In July 2021 I recieved an email stating I had to use the voucher. I wanted to use the voucher for the Dec 2021 San Anotnio Race in Texas , but mistakingly signed up for the 2021 San Diego Race. I reached up to the race organizers immediately and asked them to switch it. They refused to switch my registration for the correct race in San Antonio . When I asked about a refund then , they refused. read more

Like others they will cancel the only race in your state. Then, do cancellation after cancellation. Allowing you to never do a race in the city you choose. And never allow any refund. I always dreamed of running this race, and now it became a nightmare. If I was given a refund, I would have loved to have done a race if they ever actually did a race in a city in my first choices. Now avoid them at all costs! read more

The run was nice but the customer service is terrible. I will never support St. Jude as long as they are represented by Rock n Roll. Rock n Roll was bought by china and no one cares about the runners. No one can find out age category results and the food at the run was a banana and fruit cup. No age awards because they are too cheap and they charge $20 to have your metal lightly engraved to where you can barely see the engraving. No festivities. Disappointment all the way. They only care about money, period! Look at the prices for a cotton shirt, $29.00 stupid. Cheap Just being real. They lie and say you MUST pick up your packet but then they bring the packets to the event and let you pick it up on the day of the event. these guys can not be trusted read more

Wonderful organization, excellent logistics and support to the runners, not to mention the different causes it supported!!!! P.S. it was colder than expected, my hands took a while to warm up ‍ read more

All the other reviews say the same thing but this happened to me too. I spent about $120 on a race, the race was cancelled, and I was given no opportunity for a refund of any kind. Huge rip off, I feel completely robbed. Buyer beware... pick a different race. read more

Finish time was calculated wrong. No one would get back to review submitted inquiries. The photo crossing the finish line with the their clock time reflection was provided and was not taken into account. Would not recommend, not the first race and half Marathon for me and there are much better organizations with precise results calculations. read more

They kept my money even though they postponed the date due to the Covid pandemic-so they rescheduled me for the next year 2021-in which I was unable to attend due to unforeseen medical circumstances. I emailed them to see if I can attend this year 2022 and they said -I was unable to - since I missed the previous year(2021) I do believe that in good faith they should mediate this clause, as a honest gesture of the sort...however they continued in the email with "thank you for understanding" as if I excepted this fate. Very shrewd way of conducting business- i hope they're happy keeping my money. read more

Poor flexibility for athletes travelling from out of state or even internationally. Customer service doesn't answer questions, they just bounce around some generic emails that make me think they are robots behind their screen. No phone number of course. Guess what they are doing with the athletes money??? Worst options ever seen during COVID-19 pandemic. basically they ask you to pick a date within 2 weeks time for something that might not happen. Current practices are issuing refunds or vouchers. This will be my last race with them. Too bad they had convenient locations and overall fun events. I will now look at smaller races, more local and mostly way cheaper. read more

4.25 stars. So I decided to run a half marathon with a friend who was coming in all the way from Illinois simply to run this race. Now, while it is true that I had a relatively successful high school career and this particular friend trained under the same legendary coach, our stories take quite divergent paths sometime after that. While he set a course towards regimented training over the past few years and has a goal of running half marathons in all fifty states, my training regimen disappeared in its entirety and recently had consisted of equal parts alcohol consumption and no running. And while my training method clearly deserves to be mocked, I did take the last few weeks seriously enough to drop a few pounds and ensure that I wouldn't be thoroughly embarrassed. We got to the race and there was a punch of pop music blasting through the speakers. I guess this is what pumps up most people although I guess it isn't necessarily any worse than my admittedly odd selection of Brand New and Childish Gambino. Then there was this absurdly peppy announcer making bland "personal" statements about runners from each group. It was early in the morning on a weekend, and I was mad at myself for making this commitment. Thankfully, it got far better from there. As you are running, there are a number of live bands playing that certainly pump you up. The first was playing a cover of Goldfinger's "99 Red Balloons" which surely went over nearly everyone else's head but I thoroughly enjoyed. Then there was the band that was decked out in obligatory Irish gear (leading to a taunting ROLL TIDE from me) in celebration of St. Patrick's Day. It was somewhere around mile 3 and I noticed my pace wasn't too bad (right around 10 minute/miles). Everything was going great until mile 6 when you had to traverse an absolutely monster hill from Rock Creek Park to Adams Morgan. It was amazing how many people quit right there. I kept my legs moving but it was clear that this one hill was taking a lot out of me. I survived and moved on to mile 7. I really have to thank all the Adams Morgan and Mount Pleasant folks for having some of the more interesting race signs, trinkets, food items (what is irish soda bread?), and beer samples. Miles 7-11 moved in pretty short order as a result. It doubled as the area of race where multiple friends were cheering me on so I almost didn't notice that the bands were a bit less interesting during these miles. Mile 12. It is always hilarious to hear everyone's support while the runners are basically like SHUT THE FUCK UP when you are telling them that they only have one mile left. Yeah, one mile isn't a big deal on its own. But after 12 other miles? I knew their intentions were good so I soaked it in with a smile. Some of the other runners? Not so much. I have expected a fight between runners and well-intentioned supporters at the 12.5 mile mark. The finish featured another killer uphill. My friend remarked that the course overall was far more hilly than the New Orleans one he had run earlier this year. Well, that makes sense because the topography of New Orleans isn't exactly mountainous. The takeaway is that this isn't necessarily the best course for beginners. Swag. There was SO MUCH FREE STUFF at the finish line. Water, Gatorade, Jamba Juice, Power Bars, all sorts of fruit and bagels, and, of course, BEER and music. Say what you want about the course, but these guys put on an impressive show and swag bag. Overall? This is more fun to run that most races, but Cherry Blossom 10 miler is still the most enjoyable race I have run in DC. I'd strongly recommend it, however, for people who already are seasoned runners. read more

Terrible!!! The 2021 DC Rock n Roll Half Marathon was a terrible experiEnce. DO NOT GET THE VIP. They closed the VIP parking lot without notice, leaving paying VIP members to park in the neighborhoods. They promised a "secure" location for your belongings. I found mine in the mud on a rainy day. No help. No information. No communication. Terrible! If I could give them a ZERO, I would. No more DC runs. After about 10 there, time to relocate. DC is terrible. read more

They are so disorganized!!!!! You don't find out much about the race until like a few days before. HORRIBLE directions. not will to accommodate you AT ALL. Not worth your money. And the staff is rude and mean! read more

This was a poorly constructed route for a Marathon. You literally did a gigantic loop around all the major tourist attractions in DC with no regard to tourists that are visiting and wanting to go see the monuments and museums. It took well over two hours to try and make my way into the main area via car which I could've WALKED if I wanted to spend an HOUR to freaking walk. At least if you're going to make a route, give more than ONE route to get through. This is a horrible marathon and did nothing but delay and cause me to miss some attractions I wanted to see while in DC. read more

No refund for the cancelled marathon in DC due to coronavirus. I'm sure all the vendors got paid but the actual runners get screwed. Unacceptable. I will never pay for a Rock and Roll event again. I suggest you go elsewhere. read more

Beware and never run these races! My issue is the same as everyone else. Due to Covid-19, the Chicago half marathon was canceled. Runners were given a handful of dates to choose to transfer to, many of which were just months away, in other states, and in states where Covid was running rampant. Check out their Better Business Bureau rating....F. This is well deserved. read more

I signed up for the Rock n Roll New Orleans Marathon on November 9, 2021. The race was to take place on February 6, 2022. On November 18, 2021, I was notified that the marathon was cancelled. No reason was provided. My options were to run in the New Orleans half marathon--not what I paid for--a marathon two weeks away (12/5/21), a marathon in Arizona (the other side of the country for me), a marathon in Nashville on April 23, 2022 (not available on that date), a marathon in San Diego in June 2022 (other side of the country), and two other marathons at the end of 2022. They will not provide a refund or even give me a reason why they cannot provide a refund. They also will not provide a phone number to contact a customer service representative to try to provide a resolution. I didn't realize I needed to research a race organizer prior to signing up. Had I known that they take peoples' money and cancel races on a whim, I would not have signed up. read more

Changed venue from a flat course to a hilly one with multiple changes in direction after selling the race as flat and perfect for a PR. Nothing wrong with a hilly race if that's what you signed up for, but selling a course one way and then changing it completely is false advertising. At mile 12 the turn around was so sharp, tears fell down my cheeks. Did not offer refund option. Cancelled full after deferring for a year. Moved runners to half without offering a refund. Corral runners/walkers with mixed paces after elite. You end up with still some pretty fast half marathoners starting in corrals with people walking a 10k. Bottlenecking makes it impossible to run at goal pace, I'm sure it's discouraging for first timers and walkers, and it's dangerous. Did not feel the excitement of race day. Felt like funneling runners in and runners out was the goal, with no real commitment to making the race safe and enjoyable. Runners who aren't elite compete with themselves. The New Orleans RnR set the runners up for failure. This is literally the first time I cried after a race because of how frustrating it was. I would not recommend a RnR. read more

All runners from this year's cancelled Chicago race were not refunded and had to defer entry to a different city, the closest being Nashville. Very unprofessional and not worth your money for a generic amenities race that could be cancelled and not refunded at any time. Way to risky a booking to justify the cost. read more

BS that packet pick up have to be done in person. My wife and four other friends are running. I was going to pick up their packets form them on my day off from work. I had signed letters and copies of their driver licenses. Unfortunately all of them have to take off work on Friday and drive to DC to pick up packets. This is the first and last time my wife will run a Rock & Roll Marathon. read more

I registered for the Savannah half. When the race got cancelled in April, I received an email giving me my options: Receive a refund, or get a free registration for a different race. Refunds, the email said, could take until May 31 to process. I opted to receive a refund and clicked the appropriate button. I never heard back from anyone, but didn't think too much of it because I knew that it could be a month or so before the refund got processed. The next communication I got from them was an email congratulating me on signing up for the San Antonio half and asking me to complete my registration. I replied, explaining that I had asked for a refund, and was told that, without documentation to support that claim, they couldn't help me. I explained that I did my part and shouldn't be penalized for their failure to reply. Several emails have been exchanged, each one more patronizing than the one before. I doubt I will ever see that $130, but I am certain that I will never run another Rock 'n' Roll event. read more

I placed an order for two pairs of shoes in March, and didn't hear anything from them for a week. I followed up and they told me there were delays, which is fine because of COVID-19. A couple of weeks later, I followed up again and they said that they didn't have an estimate for when my order would be filled, and that's still fine because I know shipping is a nightmare right now. Almost 2 months after my original order, they reached out to tell me that my order had been cancelled and that they had already gave the shoes that I had paid for to someone else. read more

I sustained a concussion a week before the race after training for months with my colleagues. Unfortunately the doctor advised that I not do the race to avoid more injury. Despite my doctor's note and pleaing with the race coordinators they kept telling me that the bid was "nonrefundable and "nontransferable." This was upsetting because the race was over $100 which is a lot of money for me. So on top of not being able to run the race with my friends, I was not able to transfer the race to next year or able to get it refunded. I will not being doing this race again. read more

This race had good drop-off and pick-up areas for your stuff. The start-line experience was positive, but then it went downhill after that. I did the 1/2. The course itself was not very exciting and did not cover many DC highlights and the music along the route was average at best. One could believe that since we are running in DC, you would have seen more landmarks along the path. Instead the latter half of the course went through some residential neighborhoods. I don't think the race map was well planned. The race signage/mile markers were poor and the ratio of "spot-o-pots" to runners was very imbalanced and caused very long lines. I ran the NYC 1/2 in 2014 with a far better experience dispite that it costs the same as the DC Rock and Roll. I will not run this race again. read more

The absolute worst distance race I've ever done. I have never encountered a more runner-hostile event. From the absurdly high price to the course layout to the services to the obnoxious staff, every aspect of this race screams rip-off. It finished at RFK Stadium, but unlike every other race that finishes there, they did not allow parking. Then they put the starting line miles away, and made no provision to get there. There was supposed to be gatorade at every other water stop, but instead there wasn't. Some of the stops didn't even have water! Never again! read more

I am very disappointed the Rock-n-Roll marathon is transiting through my area this year. I live at 5th and Harvard NW, and last year, your runners were very disrespectful. I was appalled they littered the streets and sidewalks with their used Kleenex, power-gel packets and they even removed their clothing an threw it on the ground. I called your organization last year to complain about the mess and there were no actions taken. In addition, I was advised that a street sweeper follows the runners at the end of the race but that did not happen. Lastly, who cleans up all the trash on the sidewalks and victims yards from all the disgraceful runners who litter? read more

I wish I can give this Rock and Roll negative ratings, they are the most unorganized and unprofessionals. First of all they sold tickets to us but when we go online to sign up, they said its already full, how can you not allow someone to register when tickets have already been issued, then we had to fight through to get the registration and now the packet picking is a long long line and only open in downtown and no other locations, that too 12-6 on weekday and everyone from the family had to be present to pick it up, come on..how do you expect everyone to be present, one person with signature and ID cards, should allow to pick up the packets, never again wasting money like this or giving them a single penny!! read more

I found out that I am pregnant, early stages of pregnancy and my Dr. wouldn't allow me to run the marathon, I tried to contact someone for weeks, no one got back to me and after a week I found another contact that I emailed the situation, and their answer is no refunds and I cant give it to someone else, if I want to push it to the next year, I have to pay $39 extra. It seems like people are not allowed to have these kind of situations because the organizers are not understanding/ or recognize these circumstances- to them is all about the money, the reason Colleen gave me is because they already have purchased T-shirt and medal for me, so that's part of what I have paid before...she got attitude when I said they need to be more understanding of the situation- this will be the last time I do anything with these organizers! they are claiming that they do this for a good cause but yet they have no idea what comes with being humanitarian!. read more