Chris Shuttlesworth's Staging Area

Like all Brazen races, this is well-organized with great medals and shirts, plus an incredible post-race spread. After doing the 5K the first year I ran it, I moved up to the 10K the following year (2014). Wow, what a difference. Whereas the 5K is gentle and fairly easy, the 10K features some brutal hills. Most of the elevation gain is concentrated in about a 1-mile stretch, and running downhill is almost more difficult because it’s so steep. Difficulty aside, it’s got some gorgeous scenery, particularly the view from the top of those hills. I swore I wouldn’t do the 10K again after doing it twice over four days to end 2014/begin 2015, but the 5K sold out (hint: sign up early) before I could register for 2015, so I sucked it up and did the 10K again. One other note — the last two years, it’s been crazy cold to start these races — mid- to upper-30s.

This was my first Brazen race back in 2013 and it honestly spoiled me for most other races. They do a fantastic job with organization, and the shirts and medals are top-notch and always fun. The course is where I do a lot of training runs, and the scenery cannot be beat. It’s well-groomed trails, running along the bay and through woods. And the post-race spread is unmatched — beware of spoiling your Thanksgiving appetite. They also have an adorable, and free, Little Turkeys sprint before the main event, featuring the Nitro Turkey who tragically loses to every kid in the race every year.

I ran this race before Brazen took it over, and I was thrilled when they did, making a good race even better. The course has lots of hills, which is tough for me, and it’s pretty dusty. The theme is fully embraced, with actual tarantulas you can hold after the race, and this year’s medal — another great Brazen medal — featured a fuzzy spider. They also had a free kids spider scramble (a short sprint race) against a costumed spider, which was adorable. Like all Brazen races, the shirts were nice and the post-race spread was unmatched.

I’ve never done either of the endurance events, but I’ve done the 10K a couple of times. In addition to the 6-hour and 12-hour events, they offer a 5K and a 10K both in the morning and the afternoon, and you can do two races in one day if you like. It’s amazing to see the camps set up for the endurance runners — almost inspiring enough to try it. The 10K and 5K races have much smaller fields than other Brazen races because most folks are there for the endurance runs, so you might have a shot at an age-group award. It has the usual fantastic Brazen medals and shirts (the mud monster is adorable), and in addition to the regular race spread, they have a free BBQ lunch for all runners. The course is where I run regularly — a very scenic park with both bay views and stretches through woods, and it’s fairly flat. It’s like a celebration of running with a great atmosphere.

This course is great for a personal best — I’ve gotten a 10K PR at least twice here, either at Brazen’s Summer Breeze or Bay Breeze races. The Bay Breeze swag features an awesome octopus theme, usually mingled with Valentine’s Day. The course couldn’t be flatter and runs along the bay, so it’s a nice view as well. And Brazen has an amazing post-race spread, including It’s-Its at every race.

Until I did the Brazen races at Lake Chabot, I was sure this was their toughest course. Lots of hills made it a challenge, and it’s mostly brown hills, so it felt a little desolate. Sam the race director asked at the beginning of the race how many were running it for the first time, and when a lot of hands went up, he joked that’s because no one comes back. Brazen races are always super fun, though, with great atmosphere, medals, shirts and post-race spreads.

The year I ran this, it was in a heavy rain, turning the course into a gooey slip-n-slide. There’s a huge hill, which became very difficult to climb and descend in the mud. But it has a nice variety of terrain, including running around a lake, and I would like to try it again sometime in better weather. Like all Brazen races, the shirts, medals and post-race spread (even in the rain) were awesome, and few races are as well-organized as Brazen events.