Lani Teshima's Staging Area

This is the third year that I’ve run this race. The race starts at the San Leandro Marina and takes you down the Marina Bay Trail towards the San Mateo Bridge. You turn around about a half mile before you hit the Hayward Shoreline Interpretive Center, and head right back up the same trail to the marina.

There’s absolutely no way to get lost on this course. It’s almost completely flat. If there’s any challenge at all, it’s that the trail becomes unpaved on the southern half of the course, if this is the sort of thing that slows you down. I personally prefer to wear shoe gaiters for this race just to keep the gravel and pebbles out.

Because the Marina is so spacious, Brazen invites a lot of vendors to set up their booths, so this race has a little more to do afterwards. There’s also plenty of parking, although if you show up later you will probably have to park a mile away near El Torito!

Plenty of aid stations, plus the post-race smorgasbord of awesome snacks.

Bay Breeze is the winter edition of this popular course. If you’d rather do this when it’s warmer, Brazen also offers the identical course in the summer in the Summer Breeze race.

The race starts in Folsom and finishes in downtown Sacramento, by the state capitol. This is a point-to-point course with a net elevation loss. There are a few uphill portions, but nothing steep. The race offers free shuttle bus service from Sacramento to the start line. The USATF-certified course has minimal turns and is mostly on larger streets, making it a fast course.

PROS:

– Fast course
– Minimal number of turns on the course
– Most of the course is on wider boulevards; no bottlenecks
– Live runner tracking
– Lots of timing mats
– Mileage markers at every mile, plus at key kilometer distances
– Digital clock timer at many distance markers
– Great organization
– Very large finish area
– Free shuttles to start line
– Relay option for those wanting a shorter distance, or want a taste of the race without the full distance
– Chance to see some really fast elite runners (prize purse offered)
– Lots of race merchandise available for sale
– Very large race expo for some good shopping opportunities

CONS:

– Some bus drivers can get lost
– The 6:30 cutoff time may be too fast for slower runners/walkers
– Some aid station volunteers crowded into the course and make running through difficult
– Some areas in the last mile of the finish line have no crowd control and make running through difficult

In a nutshell, this is a very accessible race that serves as a great entry into running events for the newer or infrequent racer. Experienced racers may want to run this for the fast course, or use Rock ‘n’ Roll races as a reason to travel to different cities. The course is lined with musical bands and cheer squads, adding an entertaining and fun atmosphere. Each mile is marked with a big marker, and most of them also have a digital clock so you can see how long you’ve taken.

For those who have done runDisney races, the Rock ‘n’ Roll is kind of like Universal Studios to your Walt Disney World. Similar, but with some differences. The accessibility of the RnR races means this is a great race for a “friends weekend getaway” group event. And like runDisney, RnR provides different distances. And a Saturday 5K means you can participate in two races over two days, which can earn you a special medal of recognition.

EXPO

The expo is held on Friday and Saturday at the local convention center. I was told it would be HUGE…. but apparently for this year, it was shrunken by half, and a big part of the space was taken up with official branded gear. Perhaps because Brooks is a primary sponsor of the RnR races, I didn’t see a lot of vendors from its competitors.

The sheer amount of souvenir swag was pretty impressive, though, and almost matched runDisney in scale. If this was a special half marathon and you wanted to commemorate it, you could choose from shirts, hoodies, jackets, to mugs, stickers, and bags. I already own so much race gear I didn’t see a need to get anything beyond the official participant shirt, but I wound up finding a great backpack cooler that came with folding beach chair (the chair was incorporated into the backpack itself as a single unit). I plan to use this as my gear bag for future races.

PARKING/LOGISTICS/PRE-RACE/CORRALS

The half marathon starts at 8:00 and if you can get there by 7:00, you can find free parking at the SAP Center. This is a great deal, and the starting area is probably only a half mile away.

Although you are assigned a starting wave, this race is very lax and there are no officials to verify that you are in the right place (such is not the case for other large races). I was told the only RnR race where you are limited to your own wave is at their marquis race in Las Vegas.

Just be mindful that if you move forward ahead of your assigned area, those around you will be moving much faster. For everyone’s safety, move to the side of the course and let the faster runners pass. That way, you’ll avoid being pushed and jostled, and the faster people won’t trip trying to get around you.

THE COURSE

The half marathon course weaves through downtown San Jose and into the local community. There’s nothing particularly remarkable, except there are some neighborhoods with incredibly huge homes. With the high cost of housing in the Bay Area, I can’t even imagine how much these homes might sell for (but well in the eight figures, I’m sure).

The entire course is on paved roads, on wide roads. Even in the neighborhood communities, the course winds through bigger streets. At no time will you experience poorly chosen turns or narrow portions that cause bottlenecks. Other than the occasional crack or reflective road dot, there are also no hazards to trip over.

The highlight of the race is all the different musical bands along the course. I think they had one at least once a mile, and they were of all different types of music. If I had more time I would’ve stopped to take pictures, but I definitely appreciated this “race soundtrack.”

CHALLENGES/MEDALS/SWAG

The medal for the race itself was OK. It wasn’t too big. Interestingly, the straps for all their medals are much narrower than traditional ones. But RnR is known for its flashy medals as long as you’re willing to sign up for additional races or challenges. For example, if you ran the previous day’s 5K, completing Sunday’s 10K or half marathon gave you a third medal as a reward for the extra challenge of running back to back.

FINISH/POST-RACE

As you come into the finish, you are instructed to go one way if you were finishing the 10K, and the other for the half marathon. Both groups rejoined after crossing their respective timing mats, and you walked through the post-finish line area, where they provided you with water bottle, energy drink bottle, chocolate milk, and various packaged snacks. They still had a lot of inventory when I finished, so I can’t say how well-stocked they were for the duration of the race (I’ve been told they run out for the slower participants, unfortunately).

Speaking of a slower pace, as I was walking back towards my car, I saw that there were trucks going to the various band stages to start taking the stages down. And this was while the 3-hour racers were still finishing! I realize 3 hours for a half marathon isn’t going to set any world records, but that’s still a solid pace and well ahead of their cutoff time, so I was really surprised and somewhat disappointed that they thought it was OK to start turning the entertainment off while so many people were still on the course.

The race finishes by the Plaza de Cesar Chavez, and they take up the entire space for the race. They have large signs in the reunion area so you can meet back up with your fellow runners or with family/friends who came out to support you. There was a very large tent where they were selling all the race gear, as well as a very large stage where a band was performing. If you’re there with friends, this is a wonderful post-race area that encourages you to linger. They even had free beer for race participants.

All in all, it was a fun race. I don’t know if I’ll do it again, but I’m glad I finally had the chance to run a RnR race.

Footnote: One race shirt design particularly stood out, and it made a poor impression on me (as well as to everyone else, apparently). The design looked like a California vanity license plate that said “San Jose” on the top (where it normally says “California”) and “Rock ‘n’ Roll Half Marathon San Jose” across the bottom — that is, this shirt was specific to THIS race. However, the main “vanity letters” across the middle said “RUN SOCAL”, as in Southern California. Somehow, some wires got crossed when they designed/ordered this shirt, because San Jose is part of the Northern California Bay Area, and is definitely not in SoCal!

When I looked through the merchandise tent at the post-race area, I saw that they were selling these shirts for 40% off. I guess nobody else wanted these mistakes, either. It actually managed to insult both Northern AND Southern Californians at the same time! I almost feel like I should have bought it just as a joke shirt, but I’ll be happy just posting a photo of the boo-boo.

TL;DR VERSION:

Surfer’s Path Marathon and the Capitola Half Marathon are held at the same time, along the same course that starts and ends by the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk. The marathon has a split personality; the first half, that runs with the half marathon, is a much larger race, but it shifts gears radically at the halfway point, and turns into a lonely weekend run. If you’re trying to choose between the marathon and half, go with the half.

EVENT INFO

The names may seem confusing (“Are there two races? Why are the names so different?”), but both races are held on the same day, start at the same time, and use the same course (most race events with different distances, but which start at the same time, have the same name, differentiated only by the distance; otherwise, most of them are on sequential days but not held simultaneously).

To make matters more confusing, the Surfer’s Path Marathon and Capitol Half Marathon both start by the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk, although neither race has “Santa Cruz” in its event name.

The half marathon is considerably bigger and more popular than the marathon, but marathoners get to enjoy the feel of a large race for the first half of the race. The start line is right on the main street, but the finish is on the beach on the north end, past the pier.

PRE-RACE DETAILS

Although the half marathon is pretty big, there is still a pretty small town feel to the race, and you notice it most at the bib pick-up area. Everyone, for both races, picks up their bibs at a pavilion by the beach in the town of Capitola. It would be a lot more convenient if they would offer bib pick-up in Santa Cruz, but it feels like they want to try to help the local economy by forcing participants to go there outside of the actual race. It certainly worked for us these past two years. Since it’s *SUCH* a pain to find parking right near the beach, once you find parking, you want to spend a little extra time wandering around. There isn’t a whole lot to see there, so we wind up getting lunch, or stopping for coffee. Capitola is a nice little beach town but it gets completely inundated, so be prepared to wait for parking, or park farther away at the official public parking lot a few blocks away.

THE COURSE

The course starts at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk, heading south. The course navigates through Santa Cruz for a few miles until it gets out of the heart of town, and settles into a very nice path parallel to the shoreline. The route then winds into the hamlet of Capitola, where a mini loop threads around the main downtown area (near where you picked up your race bib the day before). You then head back northward again, passing slower runners as you start heading back to Santa Cruz.

If you’re doing the half, you run past the Beach Boardwalk, past the pier, then take a left turn onto a short path that leads to the finish line. If you’re doing the full version, you don’t turn. Instead, you keep going up, from Beach Street to Cliff Drive. At this point, the feeling of the race changes drastically. Where the course used to have course marshals and safety cones, the back half of the marathon lacks most of this, especially along the shoreline stretch. You stay along this road for three miles until you reach Natural Bridges State Park, at which point you move away from the shoreline and start running on narrow paths, including some unpaved portions that are relatively flat and non-technical trail.

This segment, which includes some out-and-back as well as a loop, totals about seven miles, and adds a completely different dimension to the race. There is one portion, as you and start heading back, where you can see the beach below. As I was running past, I saw a perfect wave–glassy, tubular–great surf! The view was breathtaking, and was the best scenery in the entire race (at least for me).

AID STATIONS

The aid stations are pretty plentiful, but are pretty basic. Most of them just consist of folding tables and volunteers offering cups of water or sports drink. A few of them also had energy gels.

One big issue is that there is no signage letting you know that an aid station is coming up. This means you could wind up on the wrong side of the street and either have to run across, or skip an aid station. A big standing easel with a sign that says “AID STATION AHEAD” on the side of the road that the station is at, would go a long way (especially if there was a big sign saying if they had gels at that station).

The stations were placed in locations that were convenient, but they were not easy to remember. They were located at miles 1.5, 3.8, 5.5, 7.3, 8.7, 11.6, 13.3, 14.8, 16.5, 18.8, 21.5, 22.8, 24.4, and mile 26 (yes, 0.2 miles before the finish line…why?!?). There’s really no easy way to know where these are in advance. If they are at least at the same place as some mile markers (like “mile 3, mile 5”), you could.

Please don’t get me wrong. I love aid station volunteers. They are out there because they want to help, and I have done my own share of aid station volunteering. The issue was never with the volunteers. It’s that the aid stations were hard to find, had no signage, and except for a couple of places where you kind of assumed they HAD to have an aid station, almost impossible to predict. This was particularly true once you headed to the full marathon segment of the course, after the half participants finished.

GOODIES/BLING

All participants get an event- and gender-specific tech tee. The design on the back was the race logo and the year, and it differed depending on the race you signed up for. The front of the shirt said Surfer’s Path on the left chest area, which was strange, because that was not the name of the race for the half marathon. It would have been better if it had the name of both races on the front.

Unfortunately, this year’s shirts were all white, so I won’t be wearing this anywhere. As soon as you sweat, you can see through these white shirts, and they don’t provide much SPF either (plus, white tech shirts get stained so quickly and they are generally hard to get totally clean and white again, and let’s not even start on those ugly arm pit stains).

Race finishers get a pretty nice looking medal with the race logo. The logo includes a surfboard. Unfortunately, the finisher’s medals are pretty small (maybe only about two inches in diameter?). I am not a fan of those huge pizza pan-sized monster medals, but these are definitely on the smaller side.

If you were drawn to this race because of the surfboard medals, be warned that these are not like the famous surfboard medals from the Surf City Marathon down in Southern California.

The overall winners and age group winners actually get some really nice plaques (the age group ones look like wooden VW vans). Unfortunately, here again is another sign they have a tight budget; they only recognize age groups in 10-year, rather than 5-year increments (so a 30-year-old has to compete against a 39-year-old in the same age group).

POST-RACE INFO

Before I talk about AFTER the race, I should mention the actual finish line. It’s the same for both the marathon and half. You turn off the street down a path that opens up to… the beach. As in, fine sand. Yes, you and your tired legs/feet get to run the last 20 yards or so of the course on dry, fine sand. I always think there’s something just a little bit sadistic about this.

You run through the finish line right onto the beach, and you get your (tiny) finisher’s medal. For the last two years, post-race snacks have been given to us in the form of a grocery bag with various snacks in them. I believe the bags and the snacks in them are courtesy of a local supermarket, and they were things like a banana, a granola bar, and small bag of chips.

This beach area is also where they make their award announcement for winners. Unless you’re willing to just plop down on the sand, there isn’t really a lot of space on which to sit and hang out. They did, however, have a massage tent set up.

CAVEATS

I ran the Capitola Half Marathon last year and wanted to know what the Surfer’s Path version might be like this year. The main thing you need to know is that the second half of the marathon feels like a totally different race because you are no longer running with the hordes of half marathoners.

On one hand, you might enjoy the solitude and relative quiet after you leave the half participants behind you as you head onto Cliff Drive. However, aside from the periodic aid stations, there is NO SIGN that there is a marathon going on. This stretch is extremely popular with joggers, walkers, bicyclists, and dog walkers. This is THEIR turf, and with the wide sidewalks, they’re used to the area being safe. That means people are often not paying attention, and many certainly won’t care if you’re trying to finish a race. This is mostly just an issue of inattentiveness though, so all you have to do is yell out and let them know when you need to pass. But you will still occasionally run into people who are on their phones and won’t notice. Just be patient. Be careful too, though.

One lady was completely engrossed in a phone call while she was walking her dog, and her dog was sniffing something on the other side of the sidewalk, so the leash was essentially creating a rope barrier across the width of the sidewalk. The leash was hard to see because it was a retractable wire-type, and the other pedestrians even tried to warn her that I was coming through.

So essentially, the back half of the marathon is very lonely, feels unsupported (except for the aid stations), has essentially nobody cheering. There are no course markers or signs, and you’re on your own to have faith to stay on the road. The portion near the northern section is a little better, but the stretch in the middle can get mentally tough.

TIPS

I never wear earphones during a race, but you might consider wearing one for those really long and lonely stretches. If the weather report says it’ll be sunny, make sure to wear sunscreen as well. There’s almost no shade on this course.

My biggest tip for you though, is to pass on the full marathon, and just run the half. You get all the fun of the race without the boring stretches.

EVENT & COURSE INFO

The race starts at Quarry Lakes Regional Recreation Area and takes you along Alameda Creek. The start/finish area is at the picnic area, with lots of green space and lots of parking. This is a good race to bring your entire family out to; parts of the course are on unpaved dirt/gravel but there’s nothing difficult about this course other than fighting mental boredom.

The course runs along Western Pacific Trail, which was part of the old Transcontinental Railroad. There are no trains or even train tracks to run alongside on this race, but the course is flat as a pancake and feels straight as an arrow, making it feel like YOU’re the locomotive chugging along. Truth be told, this isn’t the most scenic or exciting race from Brazen, but its marathon is USATF-certified if you want to try to use it to put in a fast finish to qualify for the Boston Marathon.

For the full marathon, the course continues along Alameda Creek, past Coyote Hills Regional Park, and turns around right before the trail hits the water.

There are occasional “elevation changes” on the course by way of underpasses. A lot of the course is also under shade, although there is still quite a bit out in the open. There are also several miles of paved path, but enough unpaved portions that if you’re used to wearing gaiters on trail runs to keep the pebbles out, you might want to wear some for this race as well.

For the 2017 race, the weather was on the warm side. For those running the full marathon, it got awfully warm. The course started feeling pretty warm and lonely once you got out by the Coyote Hills area. By this point, you completely lose any tree cover. With all the rains this year, the grasses on the side of the path were really tall so you didn’t have much of a view at all. Plus, there were a whole lot of flying gnats buzzing around trying to land on your face.

AID STATIONS

Those of us who run Brazen races get pretty spoiled because the aid stations are so great. Most of them have pop-up tents, and folding tables laid out with a ton of options for refueling (everything from water and sports drink to cookies and candies).

They had seven aid stations, and due to the way most of them were available for both out and back, full marathoners had access to 12 aid stations.

GOODIES/BLING

Finisher’s medal: Brazen always rewards every finisher with a beautiful finisher’s medal that is specific not just to the race, but to that year’s race. No generic race medals, or an undated version with the date just printed on the lanyard. This race was no exception. 5K, 10K, and half marathoners got a medal with a train on it. Full marathoners got a separate medal that was round… and was also a coaster.

Age group medal: If you are fast enough to earn an age group medal (given to the top three finishers for both women and men, in 5-year increments), Brazen made a custom version specific to this race. If you find out you won an age group but didn’t get an AG medal, let them know so they can get it to you. For this race, age group winners got medals with an old locomotive train on it.

Race shirt: Gender-specific shirts were available in male, female, and youth sizes, and you could choose between tech fabric and cotton versions. 5K and 10K participants get a cotton shirt and half marathoners get the tech, although 5K and 10K folks can pay extra to upgrade to a tech shirt.

You can pick up your shirt before the start of the race so you can wear it for the race–or if you’re like me, change into it after the race so you have a clean shirt to wear when you go and have brunch after the race.

POST-RACE INFO

Brazen is known for generous post-race snacks. Lots of fruit, bagels, chips, cookies. They won’t replace a sit-down protein meal, but it’s perfect for a quick refueling after a race. As always, they offer It’s-It Ice Cream sandwiches (pro tip: Look for the white styrofoam coolers by the post-race food tables. There is usually a volunteer there who will hand you one; it’s free–just ask!).

CAVEATS

If you’re looking for a fast Boston qualifier, there are other faster races… but with minimal elevation changes and turns, this is faster than many others. The course can get pretty boring and hot, as well. But if you’re looking for a straightforward, low-stress course put on by a great professional organization and staffed with a lot of enthusiastic and supportive volunteers, give this one a try. If the full marathon seems a bit too daunting, consider one of the shorter races.

TIPS

If the weather is going to be sunny, make sure to wear sunscreen. I typically don’t wear earphones, but for this race it might actually work out for you. Keep the volume low enough that you can hear people–but there are no technical or single-track portions that require any tricky maneuvering.

QUICK BITS

Put on by Bay Area trail racing organization Coastal Trail Races, Ayala Cove was a charming little race on Angel Island that offered something for everyone, with the three distances of 5-miler, 10-miler, and 15-miler races, with all versions taking runners up to the summit of Mount Livermore.

PRE-RACE DETAILS

This is the second time I’ve run a race on Angel Island, and it really makes for a great experience. You have to catch the ferry to get there (and Coastal Trail Races hired a ferry run just for runners), and wait a bit for the race organizers to set up the start area before the race starts.

Registration was very reasonable (5-miler: $35; 10-miler: $40; 15-miler: $50), which included a gender-specific tech tee and finisher’s medal for those who finished. The race was based on gun time and was not chip timed.

The race fee did not include the cost of the ferry ride; that was an extra you could add on to your registration, or pay when you picked up your bib at the docks.

Unfortunately, the weather was wet and bitterly cold right while we were waiting, but the weather turned nice as soon as we took off.

THE COURSE

The course was set up as three loops along different loops: The summit, middle, and perimeter loops. All distances got a chance to hit the summit; the 5-milers just did the summit loop. The 10-milers did the middle then summit loops, and the 15-milers ran the perimeter, then middle, then summit loops. The perimeter loop was the most boring because it’s essentially the paved perimeter road around the island, but fortunately the 15-milers got that one out of the way first.

AID STATIONS

The single aid station was located by the start area, so you were encouraged to be somewhat self-sufficient with your own water. The aid station was stocked with fruit, salty snacks, sports drink, and water.

GOODIES/BLING

Finisher’s medal: The small rectangular medal had the race logo on it, but the medal did not list the year. Instead, the date “2017” was printed on the pink ribbon. HOWEVER, I originally got a medal with a generic pink strap, with no year printed on it. Without the year, there was no way to know what year it was for, so I went back and asked the medal distribution volunteer if she still had any left with the year on it. She was kind enough to trade it for my blank one… and then she proceeded to give the blank one to the next finisher!

I’m guessing Coastal Trail Races plans to reuse the same medal for next year’s race, and wanted to keep costs down. The pink design was cute, but the generic undated medal was a bit of a disappointment.

Race shirt: Gender-specific tech shirts were available. It looked like the men had a choice in colors, while the women only had one. Either that, or they ran out of the second color for the women (if that’s the case, again maybe the race organizer was trying to keep costs down by minimizing extras/waste?). Since I ran the 15-miler they may have run out of the second color by the time I finished.

The shirts were not available for pickup before the finish.

POST-RACE INFO

Post-race food was looking really sparse by the time I finished, and I was not the last finisher by any means. Some other race organizations make it a point not to put out all the post-race food right away, to make sure later finishers can enjoy the same food experience, but they seemed not to do that for this race. I think I was able to snag one orange slice at the end, but nothing else (the trash bags were very full and food trays were all empty). I had to go to the cafe near the boat dock and buy my own snacks to get some calories.

TIPS

I like that even the 5-milers get to go to the summit. In a lot of races with multiple distances, the shortest distances usually don’t get to go to the summit, so this was nice. If I run this in the future, I think I will just sign up for the 10-miler. I’ll feel like I got my money’s worth (a 5-miler is almost too short for me to go through the hassles of getting to Tiburon at the crack of dawn to catch the ferry). That way they won’t run out of shirts and post-race food when I finish.

GENERAL THOUGHTS

Charming but feels like a small-time operation. Not really looking for a really slick professional setup, but it felt like there wasn’t as much attention paid to small details as I’m used to with other local trail races. That said, the course is wonderful, and the view is breathtaking! It’s a fantastic run and a great excuse to visit Angel Island. If you can make it a day, go visit the museum and hang around to enjoy lunch at the cafe!

BEST/MOST UNIQUE FEATURE?

Spectacular views. Bring your camera!

HOW WOULD YOU IMPROVE THE RACE?

Please don’t give out undated generic races medals. Also, why not just give out the race shirts when you pick up your race bibs before you get on the ferry? That’s less stuff to carry on the boat, and people can wear it for the race (or take it back to their parked car in Tiburon).

WOULD YOU RECOMMEND THIS RACE?

Yes, but only the shorter distances unless you are very fast and can get to the finish before they run out of post-race food.

QUICK BITS

This race is normally at Lake Del Valle in Livermore, but due to flooding, the East Bay Regional Park District and Brazen Racing determined that the location would not work for the race this year. With just days to go, Brazen nmade the decision to change the location of the race to El Sobrante, near San Pablo. Although this caused some people to have to cancel their race plans, most people took it in stride and had an enjoyable race.

Brazen gets lots of kudos for working very hard to get the word out about the last-minute change.

THE COURSE

With the venue change came an obvious course change. The race essentially was a simplified version of their Wildcat race (held later in the spring), through Wildcat Regional Park. The half marathon course started with a big hill for the first mile, and although the course is definitely hilly, this particular course is an out-and-back, which meant any uphill you trudged up on the way out, you went down on the way back. The course had an elevation gain of roughly 2,000 feet with max elevation at 1,100 feet.

AID STATIONS

There were three aid stations on the course, and with the out-and-back route, meant you wound up passing each of them twice (for a total of six station stops). As with all Brazen aid stations, they were well stocked, with water, sports drink, and carby snacks like jelly beans and cut up fruit.

GOODIES/BLING

Finisher’s medal: Brazen always rewards every finisher with a beautiful finisher’s medal that is specific not just to the race, but to that year’s race. No generic race medals, or an undated version with the date just printed on the lanyard. This race was no exception.

Age group medal: If you are fast enough to earn an age group medal, Brazen made a custom version specific to this race. If you find out you won an age group but didn’t get an AG medal, let them know so they can get it to you.

Race shirt: Gender-specific shirts were available in male, female, and youth sizes, and you could choose between tech fabric and cotton versions. 5K and 10K participants get a cotton shirt and half marathoners get the tech, although 5K and 10K folks can pay extra to upgrade to a tech shirt.

You can pick up your shirt before the start of the race so you can wear it for the race–or if you’re like me, change into it after the race so you have a clean shirt to wear when you go and have brunch after the race.

POST-RACE INFO

Brazen is known for generous post-race snacks. Lots of fruit, bagels, chips, cookies. They won’t replace a sit-down protein meal, but it’s perfect for a quick refueling after a race. As always, they offer It’s-It Ice Cream sandwiches (pro tip: Look for the white styrofoam coolers by the post-race food tables. There is usually a volunteer there who will hand you one; it’s free–just ask!).

GENERAL THOUGHTS

I’ve been running Brazen races for a few years, and this is the first time they had to change the venue at the last minute. Considering all the logistical issues they must have faced, I was very impressed at how smoothly things went. Sure, there were some things they couldn’t change… for example, the race shirts still say “Del Valle.” But if you didn’t know that they had to move the race, you wouldn’t have noticed. The start/finish area, course, and aid stations looked completely normal, and everything ran smoothly.

RunnyLani’s RaceRaves Review of Disneyland Parks Half Marathon

DETAILS:

Those who wanted to expand their list of half marathons to beyond the U.S., and/or wanted to get a little taste of Disney running magic overseas, had a chance in September with the inaugural Disneyland Paris Half Marathon.

Unlike the Disney theme park races in California and Florida, the French version was organized by Disneyland Paris, rather than runDisney. runDisney was apparently brought in as consultants, but because it was not run by them, this event had a distinct flavor all its own.

THE EXPO:

Unlike the huge convention center hall fitness expos you are used to with Disneyland or Walt Disney World races, the Disneyland Paris expo is both sparse and small. The good thing about this is that the line isn’t terribly long, and you can grab your bib pretty quickly.

There were very few vendor booths, although there were a few from other European races.

Probably the biggest surprise was the official merchandise. Historically one of the most important elements of a runDisney race, it seemed like the merchandise was sparse, and (to be completely honest), not of very high quality, and not very nicely designed. I usually wind up buying at least one or two little souvenirs, but this time I found nothing of interest at all.

THE RACE:

Physical description:

The half marathon course winds its way through both Disneyland Paris and Studios parks for the first miles. The middle of the course goes through some nice roads through the countryside (since Disneyland is kind of in the middle of nothing), and you finish up near the resort hotels.

Because this race is held in Europe, you get kilometer markers instead of mile markers (there were over 20 of them). It’s a good thing I had my own GPS watch, or it would have felt odd passing by marker 20 and not feeling tired yet (whereas back home, marker 20 tells me I’ve go 6 miles left for a marathon).

Corrals:

They had four corrals, which is very few compared to the dozens back in the U.S. runDisney races. That said, they segmented each corral so that they released people in waves (each corral had at least three separate waves). There was no special designation for which wave you got to go on in a corral; it was just simply whereever you were. Although this wound up taking a while, I think everything kind of settled into a comfortable spot so there seemed to be less incentive for people to try to sneak into a faster corral.

They had some announcers at the front, but I have no clue what they were saying. I think they were saying things in both French and English, but I was not near any speakers so I really had no idea what they were saying.

Highlights:

There were an impressive collection of Disney characters with photo meet-and-greet opportunities within the parks. I think there were maybe two or three per kilometer, which is way more than in the U.S. runDisney races. Not only that, but many of the meet-and-greets included a many characters from a movie (such as Carl, Russell, and Dug from UP! or Jasmin, Aladdin, and Genie together.

In addition to the huge number of characters, there were so many cast members out cheering the participants on. They were in big groups, all clapping, cheering, and yelling “Allez Allez Allez!” (essentially, “Go go go!”), and they looked like they were truly excited and happy to be cheering us on. Seeing them so cheerful made me want to keep waving and smiling back at them.

Aid stations were very plentiful, and they offered either water or sports drink. Somewhere in the middle of the course, they also offered real food — the kind you don’t see on a runDisney race course. I think I remember seeing bananas and breakfast cereal bars, although I think there were additional items as well.

Cautions/Heads-ups:

One thing I was curious about was how they would manage security. Not to worry. For the race itself, they physically set up road blocks on every single street that could feed into the course, and these were patrolled by police (and someone told me they also saw some military police as well).

The course itself was generally safe, although there was a stretch that was unpaved (you ran over gravelly grass), for the most part, the streets are wide and you won’t get lost on the course. However, things that I thought were hazards were not properly marked. For example, I saw a lot of corners and such that should’ve had a safety cone in front of it. My husband, who ran the first portion in the dark because he started in a faster corral, said two people slipped and fell running through the Moteurs… Action! stunt show area. He said they had monster-sized dots on the ground that were slippery and hard to see in the crowds (he thinks they should’ve had someone calling out a warning, or safety cones).

MEDALS

The race medals were beautiful. The half marathon medal shows Mickey running in front of the Disneyland Paris castle. The other medal I got, the “Castle to Chateau” medal (for those who ran a U.S. runDisney half marathon or marathon as well) is worth the price of admission, with the castle in the center, and the U.S. and French flags on its sides.

SHIRTS

The shirts were dark gray and said “Disneyland Paris 1/2 Marathon.” Interestingly, the shirts were by European size, which are a size smaller than the U.S. sizing, so I wound up trading mine for one size up.

WOULD I RECOMMEND THIS RACE?

The best part about this race is that it’s held at Disneyland Paris. If you’re thinking of taking a trip to Paris and you like the idea of tucking in a half marathon to your schedule AND you also like Disney, this has just that right combo for you.

TIPS

They do things differently for this race. For one, you are required to have a form signed up by a doctor to say that you’re fit enough to do this race. I suspect this is some kind of rule for French races, although it may be for other countries in Europe. If you’re in generally good shape, it shouldn’t be a problem at all, but it’s something you need to take care of before your trip. They were quite fussy about needing to get all the paperwork squared away.

Maybe because this was the first time they put this race on, but communication was pretty sparse and hard to understand at times. We decided it would be easier if we just purchase a hotel/race package from an authorized travel agency… well, it turns out there were only a very small handful of authorized agencies you could work with (including just a single one for U.S. travelers), but Disney didn’t actually provide this information beforehand. If you lucked out and already had a working relationship with one of these authorized agencies (or you knew a friend of a friend who did), you could have signed up for email notifications… but there was no easy way to sign up online, so people spent hours on the phone trying to talk to an agent during the first few days. It was quite chaotic and stressful, and I think completely avoidable. They’ve already announced this race for next year, so here’s to hoping they learn from all their lessons and improve on the process.

If you wanted to just make your own hotel reservations, you had to wait for race registration to open up some months later… but again, not nearly as much information so a lot of people were left in the dark.

Would I do this race again? Not on your life. I’m really happy that I got to do this inaugural race. I enjoyed the course, and I had a pleasant enough time (re)visiting Disneyland Paris. However, it’s PARIS. Come on! The minimum package the travel agency offered was a three-night package. There are two Disney theme parks there, but it’s maybe a day and a half’s worth of time, at most. If you’re interested in this race, I don’t want to talk you out of it. But this is most definitely a one-and-done for me. There is nothing pulling me back to do it again.

QUICK BITS

– USATF-certified marathon is eligible as Boston Marathon qualifier.
– Gentle downhill course offers a chance for faster times (with some caveats)
– Small race with friendly organizers and volunteers
– Unpaved bicycle trail course puts less shock on the body, and is not technical
– Most famous for the 2.5-mile pedestrian tunnel at the start of the race; you won’t run through anything like this on any other marathon

EVENT INFO

[If you want to run this race specifically to qualify for the Boston Marathon, scroll down to the section labeled “COURSE CAVEATS”.]

The Super Tunnel Marathon is the newest sibling in the Tunnel series; added in 2016 in response to popularity of the Light at the End of the Tunnel (held in June) and Tunnel Light (held in mid-September) races.

This is a popular course and in the last few years, has seen the addition of the Jack and Jill Downhill Marathon, put on by a different race organization. [This review is for the Tunnel race only, and does not reflect any evaluations of the Jack and Jill race, which I have not run.]

Although Super Tunnel is brand new, since the race director has been offering the Tunnel races for many years, this has a feeling of a seasoned race. The race website looks like it came straight out of the 1990s, but is perfectly functional and you can register for the race just fine.

One of the pluses for this race is that it’s USATF-certified, so your official time is valid as a Boston Marathon qualifier. If you don’t want to wait until right before the registration for Boston opens in mid-September, running this race versus its later offering (Tunnel Light) is a good option. For those who can manage two marathons within a month, you could run this one, then run Tunnel Light a few weeks later to see if you can improve your time (to either qualify for Boston, or to improve your placement for Boston if you already qualified).

The focus is not just on Boston hopefuls, however. This is a beautiful and scenic race that offers a wonderful view. If you are a slower runner or walker, the gradual downhill means you can enjoy the distance without completely wearing yourself out from going uphill. If you think you might take longer than five hours, this race offers an early start option; start one hour earlier, and you get an extra hour on top of the 6:30 time limit (that means you get 7 hours 30 minutes to hike this downhill course).

The starting area is a nice little open parking lot by the course trailhead, but race organizers strongly discourage participants from going there directly. Instead, you are encouraged to park at a lot near the finish line; they offer a free shuttle bus ride to the start line.

The finish area in North Bend has limited hotel options–what we did was to stay in the Seattle/Bellevue area and drive to the parking area early in the morning. The early start was at 7:00, and we caught the 6:00 shuttle from the finish area and got there in plenty of time to watch the early folks take off (this meant we left our hotel at 5:30; not terrible for a morning race). The regular race start is 8:00.

The shuttle bus from parking lot to the race start was around half an hour.

PRE-RACE DETAILS

This is an extremely low-key trail race. There’s no fitness expo or early bib pick-up. You don’t even get your bib before the shuttle ride. You just catch the shuttle, show up at the starting area, and get a bib. In fact, they don’t even assign you a bib number until you show up; it’s that low-key.

Race organizers are very good about communicating all this information, and as race day nears, you will get a couple of emails providing last-minute details.

THE COURSE

The most unusual part of this course is the beginning, where you run through almost two and a half miles of the Hyak Tunnel, a narrow tunnel wide enough to fit a car. There are no lights in this tunnel, so you will be running through pitch blackness; race directors strongly urge you to bring some form of light.

I wore my baby headlamp that clamps onto my visor bill, as well as a $1.00 WalMart light, and these sufficed ONLY in lighting the runners ahead of me–and I used the runners in front of me to guide me forward. Had I been the only one running, my lights would have been pretty weak.

Once you leave the tunnel behind you, the rest of the course is all on an unpaved bicycle path that’s on a gradual downhill. Think of it as essentially a fire road with mostly packed gravel. There are a few slightly looser spots but nowhere is there anything remotely technical on this trail course, unless you count the inside of the tunnel (since you can’t see where you’re going, and you’ll be stepping through some puddles and such).

The course is beautiful, and there were three bridge overpasses you run over. The whole area is just magnificent, with lots of tall green trees. Coming from Northern California with its years-long drought, seeing so much green (and breathing the fresh air) was just spectacular.

The course is not closed for the race, so you’ll periodically come across other hikers, mountain bikers, and even some rock climbers.

Mile markers looked like they were laminated cardstock sheets posted on orange safety cones, but there are so few distractions on the course that the markers were always very visible and easy to read.

The Tunnel races always have official pacers (people who hold up signs of what time they expect to finish by, so that if you stick with them, you can finish at around that time).

AID STATIONS

Aid stations are small and spread out, but very very friendly, with always a smiling face, always helpful; just not a lot of extras. Some had porta potties. A few official bathrooms along the trail. The race website lists 10 aid stations; they are roughly 2-3 miles apart. The site also spells out exactly what to expect at each one (water, gatorade, Clif Shot Enery Gel, etc.).

If you don’t want to slow down too much to hydrate at the aid stations, consider bringing your own water source, whether it be a bladder backpack or a bottle in your hand. I relied just on aid stations and I’m sure I was dehydrated by the end of the race.

BLING

Goodies are plain but solid. You get a finisher’s shirt at the finish line, and they are gender-specific tech shirts. You also get a nice smaller finisher’s medal with a custom lanyard. They do not give out age group awards, but you can view the results to see how you placed. It’s a small race so if you’re relatively fast, you have a good shot at placing in your age group.

POST-RACE INFO

The post-race area included plenty of water bottles, volunteers handing out medals, a big spread of food, a tent to pick up finisher’s shirts, an area to get your gear bag, plus the best area for me — the massage tent. They actually had three massage therapists set up, and Todd, who helped me, was fantastic. They charged $1 a minute.

For a small race, these folks put out a pretty good spread at the finish line. In the shadows of Seattle and the headquarters for Costco, the smorgasbord is thanks to a trip to the warehouse store. We enjoyed lots of watermelon and cut up fruit, sheet cake, potato chips, cookies, sodas, water, and much more. The highlight was hot chili! OK so may they came from big cans at Costco, but after running a full marathon, a cup of chili feels much more substantial than just sweet or salty snacks. It’s something you’ll find at an ultra-marathon race, but not often for a marathon. For me it was a welcome treat (and they provided all the fixins as well; sour cream, chives, tortilla chips!).

COURSE CAVEATS (BQ RUNNERS: READ THIS!)

If you are running this race to BQ and every second counts, heed these caveats.

#1: Pacers: There are inherent issues with the pacer time offerings, because unlike some BQ-focused races, times butt right up to actual qualifying times, rather than giving you a cushion of a couple of minutes (that is, 4:00 instead of 3:58, etc.). Offered for this race were 3:15 (BQ for M40-44), 3:30 (BQ for M50-54), 3:40 (BQ for M55-59; W35-39), 3:50, 4:00 (BQ for W50-54), 4:15, 4:30, 4:45, 5:00.

As you can see from this list, only four of nine pacers were tapped to meet exact Boston qualifying times. These pacing times are fine for those who simply wish to meet these finish times, but seeing as this is prominently marketed as a Boston qualifier, be mindful that your desired pace may not be offered.

For example, my BQ time is 4:00, but I did not want to finish *AT* 4:00 because that would not be fast enough to meet the cutoff. For me, the optimal pacer would have been 3:57 or 3:58. Without one, my next option would have been a 3:55, but that pace was not offered at all. This meant that in order to stay ahead of the bare minimum, I would have needed to stay with the 3:50 pacer, considerably faster than anything I would normally be able to keep up with.

This may just be a matter of pacer availability, but having more pacers would have been helpful (for example, more BQ-time pacers and fewer slower pace times).

#2: GPS: Do not rely on your GPS watch to keep track of you while you run in the tunnel. If your GPS watch has the ability to track you via shoepod or you can mark the miles manually on it while in the tunnel, do so. Make sure you start your watch when you start the race, and verify, before you turn around the corner and head into the tunnel, that it’s found the GPS satellites and that it’s working.

Even then, expect your GPS mileage to be considerably off. This course is heavily shaded, with lots of turns around mountainsides.

The only TRUE thing you should rely on, is your TIME ELAPSED stat. If seconds matter in your finish time, wear a pace band (or write the times on your arm) that shows mile markers with total time passed. This is the best way to rely on whether you are on track.

#3: The TUNNEL: This course is not technically difficult, but the tunnel is disorienting, and it will be very hard for you to keep track of your pace. If at all possible, find other runners (or a pacer) going around your pace, and stick with them through the tunnel. The darkness of the tunnel could cause your pace to vary.

You are given the option to check your flashlight in with a separate gear bag at the end of the tunnel. Should you choose to check your light here, you can put it in your bag in the dark while you run, and volunteers will catch your bag as you toss it to them–but my recommendation is to you wear a headlamp and keep it on your head after the tunnel so you don’t have to stop to drop off your bag.

Also, aid station #1 is at this same location. It’s immediately outside the tunnel, so if you aren’t expecting this, it’s easy to miss your chance at getting some water. Just be ready; the tables are to your right.

#4: “GRADUAL DOWNHILL COURSE”

The race describes it as a “fast downhill course” and with the combo of prompt notification to the BAA of race results, this course is designed for the BQ runner in mind. That said, this downhill course is deceptive.

Yes, it’s a wonderful gradual decline. The course is never technical, the downhill never steep. There is maybe a 20-yard stretch that’s a very slight rolling uphill, but everything else outside the tunnel is a downhill.

But.

The course isn’t paved. While unpaved and compact gravel means less wear on your joints, it also means you need to be mindful where you step so you don’t take a gravely misstep.

You also can’t afford to stop to take pebbles out of your shoes, so gaiters are a must. The race website recommends Dirty Girl Gaiters; while I like them, I prefer UltraGam gaiters from Etsy. They offer a wider range of prices, and their down-facing hook is much easier to remove than the up-facing hook Dirty Girl uses.

The gravel takes a toll on you. That, with the added extra speed of a downhill course, means you MUST train for hills. This course is gradual, but still. Train for the downhills–your quads will get a definite workout.

TIPS — Based on my experience, here are my personal suggestions:

– Bring your own water to help augment what’s offered at the aid stations.

– Bring your own fuel if you want something other than Clif Shot Energy Gels.

– Wear a headlamp for the tunnel, then leave it on your head and don’t bother checking it in so you can avoid slowing down your pace if you’re trying to meet a finish time goal.

– Wear a pacing wristband or write down key mile splits on your arm; do not rely on your GPS to track you after the tunnel correctly.

– Wear a pair of gaiters around your ankles to avoid pebbles from getting into your shoes.

GENERAL THOUGHTS

This race is all it’s cracked up to be. It’s both a trail race, but not technical–and also fast. That downhill course is deceptive, though; definitely train for it. I wound up with a severe charley horse on my left calf that almost incapacitated me in the last five miles of the race. I stopped a few times to massage it out and was able to keep running, but at a much slower pace. I was fortunate to have enough of a cushion from earlier in the race that I was still able to make my BQ time, but my finish time was considerably slower than had I not had a calf that seized up on me.

I’ve never raced with a cramp that bad before, and I suspect it was due to an angry piriformis (pain in the glute for me) and my leg compensating for this with a slightly altered gait, and pushing for a faster-than-normal pace because the downhill course let me push myself. Add to that, that I was probably dehydrated, and I consider myself fortunate that I still BQed.

If I run this race in the future, I will know a lot about what to expect. Without the charley horse, I’m sure I would’ve finished at least a few minutes faster.

All in all, though, this is a wonderful and unusual race. The tunnel is a real experience, and different from anything I’ve run before. The volunteers were all friendly and supportive, without exception. Things were low-key but run very smoothly.

I would definitely recommend this course. If you’re trying to find a small certified Boston qualifier that’s fast point-to-point course with a gentle downhill, definitely give this a consideration.

On the other end of the finish clock, this is also a very hiker-friendly race. With the early start option and the gradual downhill, you can really enjoy the scenery and you should be able to make the cutoff time as long as you keep moving at a reasonable clip.

I’m not going to kid you here; this is a very simple race with a pretty low-tech operation. You get no timing chip or timing mat, and — GASP — you get no finisher’s medal! That’s a rarity these days, when every dinky little race offers some kind of bling.

But the race organizer is very good at communicating exactly what you’re getting with this race; it’s pretty plain with nothing fancy… but, in turn, you get to enjoy some of the BEST views in the entire Bay Area!

PRE-RACE DETAILS

Your race registration fee includes round-trip ferry transportation from Tiburon to Angel Island and back (your race bib serves as your “ticket”). Not only that; they reserve a ferry just for race participants before the race, and you get access to the island well before the public shows up.

Bib pick-up is offered only on race day, starting an hour before the ferry leaves. There’s no issue with crowding though; for the 2016 race there were only about 100 people between the 5-mile and half-marathon races.

When you pick up your bib, you also get your race shirt. The shirts we got were from Greenlayer (who prints a lot of race shirts). It was a single-color silk screen but I was pretty happy that they went with a nice shirt. This one will get regular rotation in my workout wardrobe.

The race organizer and all the volunteers actually ride the ferry out with you. What this means is that it takes them 15-20 minutes to physically set up the start line. Again, nothing fancy here, but the start is in the open picnic area near the visitor center at Ayala Cove.

They didn’t have an official gear drop; they just told us we could leave our bags on nearby picnic tables. We left our bag on a table our friends were already using, since I felt bad just hogging up picnic tables when we weren’t going to be there for a while. Since they don’t have a lot of spare volunteers, they don’t have anyone minding your gear bag, so if you’re the type to get paranoid about people stealing your bag, make sure not to leave valuables in it.

THE COURSE

Both the 5-mile and half marathon races start next to the picnic tables near the visitor center at Ayala Coven then go up the bike path. The path opens up onto Perimeter Road, which both races turn left onto. About 3/4 mile up the road, the 5-milers head up onto North Ridge Trail. I believe the course then takes Sunset Trail (not sure, since the race webpage has a map of the trails without all the trails labeled, and I didn’t do the 5-miler).

The half-marathoners continue on Perimeter Road all the way around the island, back to the start line area, then head back up the bike path. Instead of turning left on Perimeter Road, the half-marathoners cross the street here to head up Sunset Trail going in the opposite direction of the 5-milers, and this is where the trail portion of the race starts.

The half course then goes onto Fire Road, which appears to be the main unpaved trail that goes around the island (above Perimeter Road).

For the half participants, Perimeter Road is 5.5 miles, and the unpaved trail portion is 7.5 miles. Perimeter Road is a big paved street on which there are cyclists, tour trams, and Segway tourists (yes, I’m not kidding; when they passed me, I raised up my hands and yelled, “YOU’RE CHEATING!” — which got a chuckle from them).

Essentially, the half race is half paved, half trail. The paved portion isn’t all that great, except that there’s a ton of benches, and the view is breathtakingly spectacular. Did I mention that the view is great? As you go around Perimeter Road, you are treated to a 360-degree view of the entire Bay Area, and it is a REAL treat. Sutro Tower? Check. Golden Gate Bridge? Yep. Treasure Island and the Bay Bridge? Check check. Oh hey! The Pink Triangle they just installed earlier in the morning for Pride Weekend is also right up there by Sutro Tower!

As long as the weather’s clear on race day, you are in for a treat! Take lots of photo stops and take selfies to your heart’s content along Perimeter Road.

When you get back to the start line after the paved portion, you get to your first aid station. And by that, I don’t mean a “first aid” station where you see a medic. This is your first and only aid station. But they have some solid snacks (banana bread–yum!), as well as water and power drink.

WARNING: Bring your own bottle to stay hydrated, because the first loop is 5.5 miles, but the second is 7.5 of no aid station, no water faucet. You are out on your own out there, so carry your own water.

Once you head up into the trails, it becomes a real trail race. Nothing too technical here, although most of it is single track. And once the ferries start running, you will encounter a lot of hikers. The hikers I passed though, were all VERY friendly and nice. Some of them even applauded and cheered me on as I ran past.

GENERAL THOUGHTS

I’m really glad I finally had a chance to run around Angel Island. But now that I have a sense of the trails here, I think I could just do this on my own without signing up for a race. The shirt is nice, but this particular race has minimal support. There WERE definite benefits. Watermelon slices at the aid station were great, the shirt was nice, and the reserved ferry for racers was a big plus. I’ll just have to decide if that’s worth the registration fee.

That said, this race is worth doing, at least once. The views are spectacular, and doing this as a race is a great excuse! And all the hikers will make room for you to pass because you’re there wearing a race bib. Win!

One word of caution: If you are a slower runner or a hiker/walker, I am going to strongly encourage you to sign up for the 5-miler instead of the half. That Perimeter Road is really boring if you have to walk it (and the course doesn’t veer off of it, so you won’t have time to go visit all the interesting structures like the immigration center), AND because it’s paved, it gets pretty warm. Worse, you have to keep watching out for the tour trams.

If you do the 5-miler, you get to go right up to the trails, and in my opinion, that’s where it’s far more interesting. And you get PLENTY of time to finish the 5-mile race while the half folks are still out running.

There’s one other reason I recommend the 5-miler for the slower folks. If you are a slower half marathon participant, you risk coming back to the finish area… and the finish line might be gone!

I was scheduled for a long run this weekend, so after I finished the race, I went back out and ran Perimeter Road again. As I was coming back from running the additional 5.5 miles, I happened to come upon a lady who was on the last bike path portion of the course, still wearing a race bib. I asked her if she was finishing the half, and she said she was. So I told her we could finish up together! As I was running down towards the finish line, I saw…. no finish line. I raised my hands and said, “We got a finisher here!!! Finisher here!!!” hoping to catch the attention of the official race folks who must surely still be sticking around (right)… but nobody around the picnic tables looked up. Hmm…

So it turns out, all the race folks had packed up and left! Fortunately for this person, she had her cell phone, and her friend was waiting for her at the cafe by the ferry stop, so all was well.

I looked at my watch and saw that she finished at about 3 hours 50 minutes. That’s slow, but I know plenty of folks who do walk/run intervals who finish about that time. So I was a little surprised that there was no one left, since the instructions never mentioned a cut-off time. I’m also glad she hadn’t fallen and gotten hurt or something… maybe a race director can tell me if this is considered normal? I didn’t know races left runners on the course.

So if you’re on the slower side, sign up for the 5-miler. You get to enjoy the best views and will get back in plenty of time to enjoy the watermelon slices and banana bread!

…and take lots of pictures!!!

If you’re looking for a challenging but scenic trail race, the Wildcat Half may be for you. The course quickly starts with an uphill that serves as a little appetizer of what’s to come. Outside of a short segment on an unmaintained paved road, the rest is a combination of unpaved and single track trails.

You find two substantial uphills on this course, and they will feel like they go on forever. Fortunately with a little patience and willingness to walk up the toughest portions, you’ll get through them just fine.

There is also a small water crossing, but it’s over a narrow brook and you can easily step on a rock to cross, without getting wet.

Near mile 10 is a steep downhill segment to watch out for, if you’re timid about unpaved downhills like me. If you are, just head to the edge of the trail and walk down the grassier sections to avoid slipping.

The uphills may be challenging, but you will be rewarded with some beautiful views. You get to cross a few cattle guards (if you don’t like stepping over them, there are side gates you can use), and you’ll get to see some cattle on the hills.

The half course includes four aid stations, all equipped with water, sports drink, jelly beans, M&Ms, and all the other great energy boosters Brazen always provides.

And as with ALL Brazen races, you are rewarded at the end with a wonderful finisher’s medal (that matches your race shirt), and a smorgasbord of wonderful post-race snacks. From cut up fresh fruit (watermelon, orange slices, bananas) to pastries, cookies, chips, to the now-famous It’s-It ice cream sandwiches, you will have no trouble refueling after the race.

Brazen Racing puts on some of the best trail races around, and you can’t go wrong with Wildcat. It traverses the hills of Tilden Park (on the East Bay) — what a great way to spend Saturday morning.

I had heard how great this race was, but never ran it until I had a chance to participate in their “Boston 2 Big Sur” challenge, designed for Boston Marathon finishers to turn around and run this race just days later.

The people who put on the Big Sur series of races really know their stuff. This is a popular destination race that brings people from everywhere (for 2016, every U.S. state except South Dakota, apparently), and it’s easy to understand why. But because of its popularity, race organizers switched to a lottery system for 2016. Fortunately, they have many lottery categories, and you are allowed to apply for every category you qualify for (such as first-timer, local runner, and so on). If you’ve never run this race before, the first-timer lottery is probably a good way to get in; once you’ve run this, you can’t ever apply with that category anymore.

Some notable things about this race:

The expo is in Monterey but the race is not (but this gives you a chance to enjoy sightseeing around Monterey, visit the world famous aquarium, and have some chowder at Fisherman’s Wharf).

The expo isn’t huge, but they do offer quite a bit of race-specific gear. Since ASICS is a major sponsor, most everything is from them, so you know the quality is good. Shirts, jackets, hats, visors, and even socks… they had something for everyone.

The course is northward, along Highway 1, which hugs the twists and turns of the beautiful Big Sur coastline, until it hits Carmel. If you aren’t staying in Carmel, you get to take a shuttle back to the Monterey area.

The marathon is the flagship race but they conduct a marathon relay, 21-mile hike, and 10.9-mile run along the same course on the same day. If you want to travel with friends and family, they might be able to sign up for various distances and also participate in a race that day.

They have to shuttle everybody on buses around 4:00 am. This is early, but the buses have to drive an hour down Highway 1 in the dark and get you there safely. Just try to nap on the bus and you’ll get there in no time.

The starting area is very congested, but wave start (for 2016, they had three waves and you were on an honor system to stand near your general pace) is organized and runners spread out very quickly. They also had official pacers for the race (from Team Clif Bar) and they do a great job of getting you to the finish line in the time that’s on their signs.

The mileage markers on the course are entertaining. Each one is painted with something amusing, and gives you something to look forward to as you run through the course.

The course is somewhat hilly and there is a two-mile uphill segment but those used to trail races will not have any issues with the course. For me, the toughest part was the really strong winds. The course is known for being windy, but this year it was apparently much stronger than usual. I’d look on the side of the course and periodically see people’s hats stuck in the weeds.

The medal is made of ceramic, and in my opinion, is the best in the entire running industry. Where most other races just have metal medals, these ceramic medals are simple, humble, yet beautiful. They’ve been using the same artist for years, and the lady does a beautiful job. If for no other reason, do this race just for the medal. Even better, each of the different distance offerings for this race gets their own specially designed finisher’s medal. Oh, and the Boston 2 Big Sur finishers get a special medal, too. Trust me, I covet that one.

If you do this race as part of the Boston 2 Big Sur challenge, you get access to a hospitality tent after the race. They served some hot food and provided tables and folding chairs… talk about being treated like royalty!

This is an excellent race. The organizers really know what they’re doing.

If you’re looking for a vacation race that offers the challenge of a full marathon distance, where the destination has some great sightseeing opportunities, where the course is unique and memorable, Big Sur is for you!

Note: The same folks also put on a half-marathon in November, called the Big Sur Half Marathon, but the course does not at all overlap the full marathon. The half starts near Fisherman’s Wharf, runs through downtown Monterey and hugs the coastline of Monterey. The half is a fast and flat out-and-back course, and is wonderful in its own right, but don’t mistake this full marathon with the half. (But the half also rewards you with one of their wonderful ceramic medals, so win!)