Let's start from the top. I think there's a lot of energy that highlights the anticipation of the race. That is why I signed up for this race after running … MORE
Let’s start from the top. I think there’s a lot of energy that highlights the anticipation of the race. That is why I signed up for this race after running the Bay Bridge Half, which is also put on by the organizers of the Oaktown Half.
Unfortunately, the energy is not appropriately placed into the planning and to the attention to details that runners typically fret over. First, the packet pickup could be held on the weekend before the race weekend instead of the Thursday/Friday before the race. If you’re working in San Francisco or elsewhere, it could be difficult to attend the pickup. Also, having packet pickup in Berkeley was kind of an odd choice. Your other choice is to have your bib sent for a $30 fee, which is a bit much.
Second, there was not much information about parking on race day. I know I’m not the only one to freak out about possibly getting a parking ticket on Saturday since parking meters are strictly enforced on race day. Maybe having the race on Sunday or providing more info about parking or even having a shuttle taking runners from a lot to the race start could help.
Third, if you live across the bay or out of the East Bay, getting to race start could be a pain. A Lyft/Uber ride is expensive. If you do decide to drive, then is the beer fest even worth considering? The beer fest is a nice way to end the day but not if you drive.
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Race needs more info for runners
Let's start from the top. I think there's a lot of energy that highlights the anticipation of the race. That is why I signed up for this race after running … MORE
Let’s start from the top. I think there’s a lot of energy that highlights the anticipation of the race. That is why I signed up for this race after running the Bay Bridge Half, which is also put on by the organizers of the Oaktown Half.
Unfortunately, the energy is not appropriately placed into the planning and to the attention to details that runners typically fret over. First, the packet pickup could be held on the weekend before the race weekend instead of the Thursday/Friday before the race. If you’re working in San Francisco or elsewhere, it could be difficult to attend the pickup. Also, having packet pickup in Berkeley was kind of an odd choice. Your other choice is to have your bib sent for a $30 fee, which is a bit much.
Second, there was not much information about parking on race day. I know I’m not the only one to freak out about possibly getting a parking ticket on Saturday since parking meters are strictly enforced on race day. Maybe having the race on Sunday or providing more info about parking or even having a shuttle taking runners from a lot to the race start could help.
Third, if you live across the bay or out of the East Bay, getting to race start could be a pain. A Lyft/Uber ride is expensive. If you do decide to drive, then is the beer fest even worth considering? The beer fest is a nice way to end the day but not if you drive.
Fun run but course short
Great energy, crowd, start. Plenty of portapotties. Loved running through Downtown, Lake Merritt, Produce District. Quite a few turns including some sharp ones but all good. Lovely downhill finish. The … MORE
Great energy, crowd, start. Plenty of portapotties. Loved running through Downtown, Lake Merritt, Produce District. Quite a few turns including some sharp ones but all good. Lovely downhill finish. The 1:50 pacer was solid and fun. BUT only got 12.85mi on my watch, this has been a problem with this race before. Very unfair for folks mistakenly thinking they ran a PR. On-course nutrition was one late stop with U-Can gel, which is a starch-based, slow-acting product not really appropriate for well into a half-marathon. And, I know it’s a matter of taste, but I did not care for this year’s medal or shirt design–I found the “graffiti” colors and style to be garish.
Great race with a few details
Loved the set up and organization of this race, from the announcer to the music and festival at the end. Great flat course, plenty of water stations and bathrooms located … MORE
Loved the set up and organization of this race, from the announcer to the music and festival at the end. Great flat course, plenty of water stations and bathrooms located at strategic miles. There were a lot of non racers in the course which bothered some people, and the race was short by about a quarter of a mile.
All in all, I had a great time and would consider running it again!
Amazing energy, brilliant view of Lake M
Great views of Lake Merritt with the sunrising over the water and the temperature was perfect. Awesome aid station, and beautiful medal at the end. Loads of fan-fair when crossing … MORE
Great views of Lake Merritt with the sunrising over the water and the temperature was perfect.
Awesome aid station, and beautiful medal at the end. Loads of fan-fair when crossing the finishing line. Excellent pacers, and such an array for food and drink vendors at the end.
If you love Oakland, this race is for yo
Flat, fast race with lots of areas where you run past other runners which makes it fun to see friends and cheer each other on. good course to highlight Oakland. … MORE
Flat, fast race with lots of areas where you run past other runners which makes it fun to see friends and cheer each other on. good course to highlight Oakland. Great beer fest after although those lines got pretty long. Would definitely consider doing it again if I do more halfs.
Kudos to organizers! This race was great
Perfect Weather, good location and good course. Very good organization. Nice medal, gift and expo. Enjoyed beer at almost all the stations with live music, what else you need :) … MORE
Perfect Weather, good location and good course. Very good organization. Nice medal, gift and expo. Enjoyed beer at almost all the stations with live music, what else you need 🙂
Very organized, and economic race. I’d love to do it again.
Perfect for the PR.
Race lacking community & fellow cheer
I am a Bay Area resident and have been to Lake Merritt area before but I was just completely thrown off by the abject poverty & garbage strewn all over … MORE
I am a Bay Area resident and have been to Lake Merritt area before but I was just completely thrown off by the abject poverty & garbage strewn all over the race area. Add to it the algae bloom in the lake that is contributing to the stinky smell. The orange cones showing the track were confusing at a few places; no mile signage at all between Mile 7 and Mile 11; the same track was being used by the public population that was out & about for it’s walks/runs and I personally saw some fast runners having to shout to announce they are coming. I was not running for a time record but it can really impact someone shooting for their personal best time. What really made it a depressing run for me for the sheer lack of community or fellow runners’ cheer, except for the energy at the start/finish line. I will not be coming back to it next year.
Stunning experience for my first 5km!
I had a lot of fun during this race. The race was pretty much flat, which I what I looked for and the organization was great! This was my first … MORE
I had a lot of fun during this race. The race was pretty much flat, which I what I looked for and the organization was great! This was my first 5km and I loved the experience! I also enjoyed the fact that there was a bag drop off area, exactly what I needed. At the end, I was able to enjoy all the booths and the live music. I also liked the gears, nice tee-shirt (not an oversize cotton one) and nice medal!!
Great race, but not a half marathon.
This race was well-organized and had great amenities, but the course (which is not USATF-certified) was .4 miles short of a half marathon and the mile markers were incorrectly placed. … MORE
This race was well-organized and had great amenities, but the course (which is not USATF-certified) was .4 miles short of a half marathon and the mile markers were incorrectly placed. Because the route was super-flat, I’d made this a goal race, and the disappointment when I realized that the PR I thought I’d achieved was entirely due to the shortened course cast a shadow over an otherwise really positive experience. I hope the organizers will be transparent with runners about this issue and correct it moving forward — ideally by investing in USATF certification of next year’s course.
Solid race with a couple of missteps
Overall, the event was organized and run very well. The route covered some of Oakland's better highlights, but as another runner mentioned, it was actually short of a half marathon … MORE
Overall, the event was organized and run very well. The route covered some of Oakland’s better highlights, but as another runner mentioned, it was actually short of a half marathon distance by a quarter mile or so. My GPS tracked 12.9 while my friend’s tracked 12.8. I don’t think it’s an instance of GPC inaccuracy, either.
I actually followed the race course very closely on a training run a couple of weeks prior and finished right around 13.1. The only different I noticed between the actual race course and my training run was the placement of the last turnaround on Telegraph Ave. – it should have gone all the way down to Latham Square, but was a couple blocks shy of that instead.
The brewfest at the end was a nice addition, although the website could have provided a little more detail on what to expect, timing, etc.
Fast, flat, not crowded
Ran this 6 weeks after the SF Half Marathon and it was so much better. Easy to get to start line via transit, portable toilets were not nasty. The route … MORE
Ran this 6 weeks after the SF Half Marathon and it was so much better. Easy to get to start line via transit, portable toilets were not nasty. The route was wonderfully flat with just a few tiny hills (like switching from the lakeside path to the road). Most of the scenery is during the lake portion, the rest is through downtown Oakland streets. A bit crowded at the start but after a few miles, there was a lot of space between runners and I felt like I could just enjoy the run rather than trying to keep up with people around me. Looking forward to next year!
Great race! Will run it again.
Great run. Love the new route, got to see lots of Oakland, Ca. Plenty of water stations and a ucan station about half way. The beer fest after the race … MORE
Great run. Love the new route, got to see lots of Oakland, Ca. Plenty of water stations and a ucan station about half way.
The beer fest after the race was a nice treat!
Not coming back
• Garmin GPS showed distance as 12.76, significantly shorter than a half marathon. • Pace group leaders for 2:45 and 2:30 did not show up. • Participant photographs are not … MORE
• Garmin GPS showed distance as 12.76, significantly shorter than a half marathon.
• Pace group leaders for 2:45 and 2:30 did not show up.
• Participant photographs are not searchable by name or bib number.
• Parked on Harrison St. and in the pre-dawn dark and did not see the parking restrictions. Ended up with a $68 parking ticket.
First race ever, best race ever!
I loved running in the early morning hours in my home city! The race environment and my fellow runners were amazing! Positive vibes all around! MORE
I loved running in the early morning hours in my home city! The race environment and my fellow runners were amazing! Positive vibes all around!
Oaktown, fun, but needs some work.
I was very happy to be allowed to co-Pace the 2:15 group with East Bay Beer Runners. I was impressed with the many options to pick up my bib, more … MORE
I was very happy to be allowed to co-Pace the 2:15 group with East Bay Beer Runners. I was impressed with the many options to pick up my bib, more races should follow this example! the Bib, pins and shirt were well designed and great quality. The crowd had good energy going in, but due to a delay of about 15 minutes, people started getting uncomfortable. after it started the crowd got back to having fun, which I like! The delay is one of the main negative points of this year’s event. The weather was perfect, and the announcer was easy to hear. The course this year was flat the whole way, so it was fast but it went through a lot of industrial areas. I wish that races would try to go through more neighborhoods, so a better feel of the city is presented, but I am sure permits are very expensive…. at least we got to circle Lake Merritt, which is lovely. the other negative to this year’s race was that the course was very short. (Approximately 500 M) I believe the 6 mile marker was early, and stayed off from there. I have a Jones Counter, and wonder if many races use one, as is required for USATF certification. Our Pace group decided to stick to the Pace rather than finish the shorter course in 2:15. The results show a pace based on a full 13.1, which is about 14 sec / mile faster than reality. There were also some sections where we went on trail conditions, Dirt and rocks, rather than roadway. This should be avoided for road races… On the plus side, the Oakland PD always does a stellar job with traffic control. The Medal and Mason Jar given to finishers was really nice, and I appreciated not having more plastic bottles in the world, instead, they had large clean water tanks ready to refill the jars. There was some nice musical entertainment after the race, and beer for those over 21 who wanted it. All in all, I would definitely run this again, and hope they iron out the distance and start time issues.
A taste of Oakland
Production of this run was really well done. The notifications and pickup of BIB was great with preparty. Course meandered through Oakland showing off much of the area. 6 water … MORE
Production of this run was really well done. The notifications and pickup of BIB was great with preparty. Course meandered through Oakland showing off much of the area. 6 water stations along the course and post event was fun with Band, empanadas, energy snacks, and beer! Medal was huge. Due to the warm conditions the course took it out of me. Well done Oakland!
Fun race in downtown oakland
I had a fun time doing this race--it was nice to have something in Oakland that wasn't around Lake Merritt (which is a bit long for a 5K). The course … MORE
I had a fun time doing this race–it was nice to have something in Oakland that wasn’t around Lake Merritt (which is a bit long for a 5K). The course was relatively flat and fast. There were some cars to contend with, I think because there was some miscommunication and the course wasn’t properly secured when the first runners were let through.
I had never done an afternoon race — I thought I’d prefer it because I do tend to be an afternoon/evening runner, but it was a hot day! I rolled my ankle, too, so it wasn’t my fastest race, but the post-race party was a lot of fun and I’d definitely consider doing it next year!
Didn't Know It Would Be Goodbye
I actually fell into this race, kinda by accident. I was contacted by the staff asking if I wanted to run it because I was listed as a race ambassador … MORE
I actually fell into this race, kinda by accident. I was contacted by the staff asking if I wanted to run it because I was listed as a race ambassador (which I had no idea I was). I had been an ambassador for the race in a previous year, but it turns out that people had been using my promo code and I was one person away from getting a free race. I hadn’t really trained for it, but I just can’t pass up a free race right? I laced up, toed the line and ran a 1:30. Not a bad day at all. I didn’t know that this would be the last time that I ran this race. It’s always been one of my favorite.
3 out of 5
The course is fairly easy , mostly flat - I ran my PB ever there. The perks are really good , and the post race festival is nice. Not really … MORE
The course is fairly easy , mostly flat – I ran my PB ever there. The perks are really good , and the post race festival is nice.
Not really a lot of people in 2017 , probably bacuse it was a Saturday morning.Probably on a Sunday you’d get double the amount of people.
Some of the areas that are crossed are not nice at all , with homeless people and garbage , especially the first half is full of warehouses scenery ; it gets better going up to Piedmont.
Not a lot of people at all , cheering the runners along the course.At aid stations I have seen only liquids.
I also haven’t seen mile markers , other than one at mile 7.
in the end , if you want to try and crush your PB , this is your race.
Lots to notice
Pretty easy course, quick and fast. Lots to notice...almost makes you want to run slower so you can see it all! The finish line was fun with lots of post … MORE
Pretty easy course, quick and fast. Lots to notice…almost makes you want to run slower so you can see it all! The finish line was fun with lots of post race snacks and awesome beer!