Jim Kentris's Staging Area

Such a fun event that it has become a must doin our household. You never know what or who you will see along the beautiful course. The race itself is exceptionally well run. Plenty of security, water stations, and porta potties along the route. The infamous Hayes Street Hill greets you at about mile 2.5. Once you finish off that beauty it’s pretty much a decline to the finish line on the Great Highway. Plenty of post race festivities for all!

This is a nice and small Turkey Trot that is held at the beautiful San Leandro Marina course. It is a very low key event that is great for new runners and families who have or want to start a Thanksgiving tradition. The event kicked off with a cute kids race led by “Wishbone”.
The course is a simple out and back that begins on the Marina park green and the follows the bay trail for about 1.3 miles. The bay’s scenery with a stunning view of San Francisco keeps your interest. After the race, in addition to a nice medal, snacks and water are provided.

This was the second “Destination” race in which I have participated. (Thanks to winning the entry from A Rave Races contest! ). Again my review is mixed as the course and all associated with it were amazing! The volunteers and CHP were very helpful and encouraging. The views along the course are beautiful, post-harvest vineyards. The small undulating hills are a joy to run on. The are two challenging inclines, one at the beginning and the second at about mile 9.
The pre-race and post-race organization was not good. We selected the hotel to stay at based upon the Destination website that stated there would be bus transportation at 6:15 only. We, and about a hundred other racers were waiting and one bus showed up at 6:15! ONE BUS. Only 56 were allowed to board, the others were told they would need to find their own way to the winery start. Very unacceptable.
Post-race, it was very difficult to exit the finish line area for runners. The exit was clogged by families and friends celebrating their runners finish. The rest of us had a very difficult time passing through. Poor organization. When we chose to leave the post race festivities we were told to follow the “signs” to the pick-up area. Unfortunately the first sign was blocked by an EMT vehicle and there were no other signs to the busses once we reached the adjacent winery’s huge parking lot.
This lack of attention to detail makes the overall experience one I will not be a participant of in the future.

The 5k race in the running festival is a flat, easy course. There are a few turns during the first mile, but after that there are long stretches of straight away followed by a slight incline just before the finish. The over race production is smooth. Be aware that there is little to no entertainment or spectators on the majority of the couse, and there are quite a few children running who are unaware of the dangers of darting in front of others or not paying attention to curbs(resulting in road rash for them). Post race activities are well organized and quite enjoyable.

This is a very well organized race. It is obvious by the production than they have done this many time and have made any adjustments to make the race a very enjoyable event. The course is gorgeous, beginning with a down hill through Goldwn Gate Park. You then continue with a 4 mile out and back on the Great Highway. On this day is was sunny with a very minimal breeze! The final 2 miles are at a pretty tough incline but, again the beauty of Golden Gate Park is an excellent dis tractor. There were well run aid and hydration stations, with awesome volunteers, spaced appropriately along the course. Of course my favorite part of the race was the food at the finish! Chocolate fondue with a banana, rice crispie treat, and pretzels for dipping. I was thankful they included a wet wipe as my hands and face were covered with chocolate! I plan to run this again next year as it was that much fun!

This is an absolutely delightful event that is designed for the entire family. It is low key and run at Pt. Pinole which an absolutely beautiful spot on the San Francisco Bay. The course is about 90% smooth trail with the remaining 10% asphalt. The course has a couple of inclines but they are doable for all levels. The scenery is absolutely gorgeous, wide views of the bay and surrounding counties and back to therolling Bay Area hills. This race has sold out for the past few years so do register early. An added bonus is they to have a food drive for a local food bank as a part of the event. Heads up, this is a FUN run race so the courses are a tiny bit longer than 5kand 10k.

The Disney races are “fun” type runs for runners of all abilities. But be aware, the vast majority are there to socialize, stop for photos in the park, and are unaware of runner etiquette. You spend very little time in the parks at distances over 5k, with the majority of the mileage taking place on the streets of Anaheim. The entertainment along the course is top notch to make up for being on the streets. There are plenty of water stops and ALL OF the volunteers to a fantastic job along the course and at the expo. Running through the park takes patience, but once on the you can open up if you wish. The medals are always amazing. I would not recommend running in a Disney race if you are an experienced runner going for a PR.

The most beautiful course I have run to date. The backroad a of the Napa and Sonoma wine country are spectacular and the gentle hills provide a nice mix for this half marathon. Finishing in downtown Sonoma is perfect for post-race socializing and the free wine tasting is a bonus for those who imbibe.
The packet pick up process needs to be improved upon as you line up to receive your packet based upon your bib number, however the numbers were displayed at table height! Display the numbers higher so all can see where to linee up! I do not care for virtual race bags, unless I can use virtual money! Given that, I hope to runthis race again next year.