Mindy Schroeder's Staging Area

This was the inaugural Encinitas Half Marathon and I think the race producers will want to rethink describing the course as “mostly flat” with “rolling hills.” I felt like I was always running up hill! Granted, I had an Achilles injury that I’ve been rehabbing and couldn’t get the training in I wanted, but I found this course to much harder than I anticipated.

The first three miles there is no ocean view as the course takes you through the small business along coast highway. Heading into the 4th mile you finally reach the Self Realization Fellowship at Swamis and from here on out it’s along the coast. I enjoyed watching the surfers as I ran the race. I also really appreciated the numerous water and aid stations. I never felt like it was too long between them. And, since I didn’t hydrate well before the race, it turns out that I needed them a lot! The SWAG was fairly typical – but they didn’t have a gear bag(goodies came in a burlap sack). At the end there was a great souvenir mug, but I didn’t stick around to get it since I had to be somewhere after the race. I feel sad about that now!

Given that this was a first time race, I was impressed to see so many participants. Organizers told me they were expecting 5,000 people.

Parking was difficult. We had to park fairly far away even though we got there a half hour ahead of time. I recommend taking an Uber, Lyft, Cab, etc.

I will do this race again, but I wouldn’t say it’s my favorite. My hope for future years is that they attract more people to cheer on the runners since that’s a huge motivation for me! I hope that they also organize a shuttle to the start due to the parking probelm.

I’ve been running this race for several years now. It has a special place in my heart. I ran it the first time in memory of my Dad and had a very emotional experience. Since then, I’ve just loved the SD Half. The people who run add special touches – like notes in your swag bag when they know you’re doing it for a special reason, or legacy shirts that make you feel like you matter. The signage is really good. The run along downtown, the harbor, and through the military base is great. But the hill up Washington – well, that just kills me every time. I recommend it, but prepared for that one tough spot! This is a runners, race in my opinion, because it’s only a half and because the time limit is strict.