Jenny Gardelle's Staging Area

This race was really well organized, from packet pickup to finish. The organizers did a great job of marking the course, with volunteers stationed at the more tricky spots. Everyone was so supportive, and the aid stations were well-stocked with water, electrolytes, gels, fruit and other goodies (oranges and chocolate-covered espresso beans were my personal favorites).

The course had some single tracks and fire roads. Overall, it was very hilly. Think of those old dad stories where he told you he walked up hill to school both ways–yeah, that was this course. All joking aside, it was hilly, but that’s what we come for, right?

With the recent rains, everything was so green with lots of flowers in full bloom. There were spots where you could turn your head to one side and see the ocean and then turn to the other side and see snow-capped mountains. Breathtaking!

This course is challenging with lots of rolling hills, but much of the last few miles are downhill. In spite of the challenging aspect of the course, it passes through some beautiful areas, and the community support is amazing. There are people either cheering and/or offering water and snacks throughout the course, which is so appreciated! This is my second marathon (the first being the OC Marathon), and I was a bit slower than my first. However, my first one wasn’t nearly as hilly.

There were a couple of minor downsides to this race:
• Given that it’s a point-to-point marathon, you have to worry about transportation logistics before and after the race (before, you’ve got pre-race jitters; after, you’re tired).
• Once you cross the finish line, you have to walk about a mile to get out of the race area and to the shuttle.

My solutions to these minor downsides:
• My friends and I stayed at a hotel downtown that we booked through the LA marathon website, and the marathon organizers had arranged for shuttles to take you from the hotel to the start and then from the finish back to the hotel. It was a bit difficult to locate the shuttles before and after the race, but we found them and were transported without any trouble.
• Just consider the long walk a recovery walk—you’ll get through it.

Overall, I really loved this race, and I’m pleased with my results. I was really looking forward to it and am so happy I did it. Going in, I thought I would be “two and through”; however, I so enjoyed this race that I might be tempted to do it again.

There’s a bit of a climb in the first mile or so, but then a mixture of flat and gently rolling hills. The last third is gently downhill, but there are a couple of higher-than-usual overpasses in the last mile. There were quite a few turns throughout, too. Overall, the race was a good mixture of challenging (especially for a runner like me who’s used to running on flat terrain) and “fast” (in spite of the turns).

The race was also very well run and started on time, had lots of support and water/electrolyte stations about every mile.

The race directors were amazing. I had originally signed up for the full and had to downgrade to the half a couple of weeks ago. They were very easy to work with and generously refunded me $10 (the difference between what I paid for the marathon and the full price of the half)–something that’s unheard of and very appreciated.

I would definitely recommend this race and plan to do it again next year.

This is my second time doing the half, and my course PR! Much of the course is near the harbor and along the beach. Not much shade, but a decent breeze along the beach. It’s mostly flat, but it’s crowded in parts and with lots of turns. The organizers offer a great race report with lots of stats, which is very helpful. I would definitely recommend this half to anyone who’s interested. It’s also part of the Beach Cities Challenge (with Surf City and OC marathons/half marathons), and you get some extra bling if you complete all three consecutively.