My Profile
@markofjohnson
Oakland, CA Raving since 2024 Active 1 month, 2 weeks agoAbout Me
My Races
Organize, track & review your races and personal bests here.
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Half Marathon
Marathon
Ultramarathon
(Marathon or Ultra) + Half
Marathon + Ultra
Other
Future Races
Personal Bests (1)
| Race | Distance | Location | Date | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Napa Valley Marathon and Half Marathon | Half Marathon | Calistoga, CA | Mar 1, 2026 | 1:57:50 |
Future Races (0)
| Race | Distance | Location | Date | Paid |
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Past Races (2)
| Race | Distance | Location | Date | Result | My Raves | My Performance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Napa Valley Marathon and Half Marathon | Half Marathon | Calistoga, CA | Mar 1, 2026 | 1:57:50 |
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| Oakland Marathon | Half Marathon | Oakland, CA | Mar 23, 2025 | 2:04:31 |
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Napa Valley Marathon and Half Marathon
Fast route A+ org OK scenery
Napa Valley Marathon and Half Marathon
Fast accurate distance route on excellent road surface (until last half mile in town). Not 100% flat though, gentle rolling hills and because I was giving it all I had … MORE
Fast accurate distance route on excellent road surface (until last half mile in town). Not 100% flat though, gentle rolling hills and because I was giving it all I had to slow down uphill. Fun mid size race, lots of people and a packed start. Running midpack plenty of runners around. Not overcrowded though and didn’t feel any bottlenecking. Aid stations worked well, no big pile ups like some races. Plenty portaloos and real bathrooms at some staging areas. It’s not a city race with tons of crowds but at junctions along the Silverado Trail supporters were there, and good crowd at the finish area in town.
Excellent organization and facilities. Parking with buses worked great. Lots of friendly volunteers and staff taking care of everyone. Finish line zone at a high school with tons of swag, warm cafeteria with delicious free hot soup! OMG that warm room and soup really brought me back. This was the first finish zone I wanted to hang out in for a while A+. I did’t bag check but that seemed to work well (in school gym).
I was expecting fantastic scenery but grey day perfect for running not so great for views, plus its all the same view the whole time – wineries seen from the road, no variation, and you don’t get to go in and visit the wineries of course. On the other hand, I had my head down to grind out a PR so maybe I’m not reliable re the scenery and it’s going to be weather dependent.
If you are going for a PR, or if it’s a first race and you want reliability, this is a top Bay Area race. Otherwise, this is perfectly good but not special.
Oakland Marathon
Hometown whats not to like
Oakland Marathon
I live in Oakland, love to run my town. Half marathon route takes in Lake Merritt, North Oakland neighborhoods in the foothills, Uptown, warehousey Jack London area. The varied city … MORE
I live in Oakland, love to run my town. Half marathon route takes in Lake Merritt, North Oakland neighborhoods in the foothills, Uptown, warehousey Jack London area. The varied city tour is great if you are a local. Both times I ran it, start was delayed, so stay warm and don’t ditch your throw away until your wave actually starts.
I’ve only run the half marathon route. The full marathon route adds running over the Bay Bridge on the pedestrian footpath. I tried the Bay Bridge once in training and I hated the really loud traffic noise, so I think the half is the one to do. The end of the race is a long slog up and down 3rd street but then you sweep back around a bend to the lake to a good finish. When you are up in the neighborhoods in north Oakland the locals are out in their front yards cheering you up and down the hills. There are a few good cheer zones around the course, and the course comes to Lake Merritt a couple of times so your supports can easily see you at least twice. The 5k is around Lake Merritt, 10k ads uptown and warehouses, half marathon adds in the foothill neighborhoods, and then the full marathon adds the Bay Bridge (ugh). So all distances good routes except the full.
Finish zone was crowded. Transportation is def not the easiest, I took rideshare to close to the start then walked in. But I’m used to this part of Oakland. For an out of towner it’s not the easiest race logistically.