Kevin De Jesus's Staging Area

The La Jolla Half Marathon can be summed up in one word: hills. Even the race director said it best: “It’s one big hill, just get over it.” With roughly 900 feet of elevation gain, this is definitely not the course to choose if you’re chasing a PR. It’s a challenging route that demands patience and smart pacing from start to finish.

What keeps runners coming back year after year is the scenery. This is easily one of the most picturesque half marathons out there, with stunning views of the La Jolla coastline and beaches throughout the course. The ocean views help distract from the climbing and make the suffering feel worthwhile.

One thing the race absolutely gets right is on-course support. Water and aid stations were available nearly every mile, which was greatly appreciated given the difficulty of the course. Volunteers were consistently friendly, helpful, and encouraging throughout the event.

This year, however, the biggest issue was the shuttle bus system. The buses did not have a dedicated route and ended up stuck in the same traffic as everyone else trying to get to the start line. Even after arriving at the recommended 4 AM time, we still ended up late to the event. The buses themselves were at least comfortable and air-conditioned, but the transportation logistics definitely need improvement.

Crowd support was present along the course but fairly limited overall, with most of the energy and spectators concentrated near the finish line. Thankfully, the post-race atmosphere made up for it. The beer garden was one of the highlights of the entire event and created a great environment for runners, friends, and family to relax and celebrate together afterward.

Overall, I’d recommend this race if you’re visiting town and looking for a beautiful but demanding challenge. It’s tough, scenic, and memorable — just don’t expect an easy day on the legs.

The inaugural McKinney Half Marathon sets a strong foundation for what could become a standout race in North Texas. For a first-time event, it delivers an above-average experience, thanks in large part to solid organization and execution.

Production is handled by the same team behind the Dallas Marathon, and that experience shows. The race runs smoothly, with clear logistics and well-coordinated pacing teams. The pacers, in particular, deserve a shoutout—they were encouraging, approachable, and helped maintain a positive atmosphere throughout the course.

The route itself is semi-hilly and offers a scenic tour through many of McKinney’s parks, which adds a refreshing, natural element to the race. However, portions of the course that run along sidewalks can feel a bit cramped and take away from the flow, especially when runners are tightly packed.

Aid stations are available but start to feel a bit too spaced out in the later miles, which could be improved for future races. Crowd support is modest, as expected for a suburban course, but there were still pockets of enthusiastic spectators along the way.

One area that could use improvement is the race merchandise, which felt somewhat limited for an inaugural event.

Overall, the McKinney Half Marathon is a well-organized and enjoyable race with room to grow. With a few adjustments, it has the potential to become a must-run event in the coming years.

The San Antonio Marathon is a great way to experience the city, taking runners through several major points of interest including the San Antonio Botanical Garden, Pearl, and even an Army base station, which makes the course feel especially unique. Aid stations were plentiful throughout most of the race, though they became more sparse and spread out during the later miles, so proper hydration planning is important.

Crowd support was absolutely amazing in the sections closer to downtown and the city center. However, the stretches between the Botanical Garden and the Army base were noticeably quiet, which can become mentally challenging during the tougher miles. While the overall elevation gain is not extreme compared to other marathons, the course is deceptively difficult due to the constant rolling Texas Hill Country-style hills combined with the Texas heat. Even our pacing group struggled with the conditions and ultimately decided to DNF, which says a lot about how demanding the course can be.

The course also includes several turnaround sections, which personally were not my favorite since they seemed to add little value beyond extending the distance. If you are not well-conditioned for hills or heat, this race will likely feel very difficult.

Overall, the San Antonio Marathon is a beautiful and challenging race that showcases many highlights of San Antonio. For an inaugural event, the race producers did a very solid job, even though there are still a few quirks to work out in future editions.