Nicole Thome's Staging Area

Ventura Marathon and Lexus LaceUp series combined for this newly improved course! It takes elements of the old LaceUp course and the finish party area of the Ventura event. Overall, very nicely done! I really enjoyed this course. It is significantly downhill and I guess everyone’s opinions of what qualifies as “downhill” is different but even for the half marathon, the beginning portion of this race is mostly downhill. It is gentle but it’s there. If you want a screaming downhill course, choose one of the Revel races.

Unfortunately, the race started almost 30 min late (said due to road closures not being set which IMO, is the race’s fault). 🙁 AND, it was VERY COLD! Uncomfortably cold. With a 4:30 shuttle (up there before 5 am), that is almost TWO HOURS of waiting. I hope this race adds additional shuttle options (not just 4:30 and 5:30) AND provides space blankets and/or hot cocoa or coffee (if that works for your race plan) but … something to help runners stay warm. I’m not a wuss but it was super uncomfortable and despite how much I liked the course, it would borderline make me not want to do this one again if they don’t improve the start area.

The finish area makes up for it, mostly. Great spread of food plus Sierra Nevada beer and nice beer garden with a good band right by the pier. Nice!

This is a fun run. Period! Lots of Cinco de Mayo costumes, lots of families, lots of walkers. Beer, tacos, mariachi band. You get it. 🙂

Sure, you can ‘race’ this but don’t get mad at all the people walking on the “wrong side” after you turn around and you have to dodge them. It’s a fun run. I mean, read the name of the race, lol!

I think this race should have higher ratings than it does. I’ve done it three years and always have a great time!

Granted, last year it started about a half hour late (maybe issues with the timing system??) which was a bummer cause everyone was ready to go. But otherwise, no complaints. I always have a blast at Tacos & Beer 5k!

This is a small, women’s oriented run with a nice shirt and medal and super cute mermaid necklace! I think I saw maybe a half dozen men running (though they are more than welcome!)

The course is fairly simple. Easy and flat. First part is Fiesta Island (not very ‘party’, ha!) … it’s actually pretty desolate though it is all along the water. Then it runs thru the park, past the finish area and thru some neighborhoods. I did notice toward the end the mile markers were quite off and the course was 0.3 short on my watch (typically courses are a bit over since no one runs perfect tangent; very rare for a course to be short).

Overall, this is a nice race. Not frills as far as swag or food though the necklace is a nice touch.

First, I’ll address the elephant in the room of why I gave this race ONE STAR overall — the FAQ for this race clearly says no bikes on course. Unfortunately, there were several bikes on the course pacing marathoners and more unfortunately, they were not following standard etiquette. At all. But that is rather beside the point since bikes were not supposed to be on the course. The bike pacer for the lead female marathoner was yelling at people to get out of the way, acting like her runner owned it and the rest of us were mere peons with no right to be there. News flash lady! I paid my $90 to run on this road and NO, you will not tell me to move over and to keep moving over until I’m on the other side of the cones. Get real.

In a field of 121 runners, do they really need a bike pacer ? Again, let’s not forget the fact that bikes were against the rules.

My disappointment is that the I emailed the race that day and have yet to receive a response.

Overall, the course is really nice. Very scenic. Moderately challenging. Nice variety. There are several sections that run thru orange groves on loose gravel and some wide trail sections. I wouldn’t go so far as to say wear trail shoes, as it is a road race for most of it, but the gravel sections accounted for a couple miles. Wearing a more stable shoe would be helpful.

Small field of runners so if you are looking to place, it’s a good opportunity.

Long sleeve shirt and medal was nice.

What a beautiful course! Rolling hills pretty much the whole way (punctuated by a few short steeps) … the ocean views and pretty homes make this course very enjoyable.

Not an ideal race for a beginning runner but for those looking for a challenge, this is a nice race. Plus, it’s a small field. Only a 1000 runners or so.

I didn’t go to Expo; picked up bib that morning (at no additional cost, which I appreciate, especially for a Saturday race. Friday pick ups can be tough for people with … ya know, JOBS! ) 🙂

Nice beer garden and food truck (free breakfast) were a nice perk! Shirt and medal are nicely done though not super special (5k and 10k medals are the same as half though; would be nice if they rewarded half marathoners with a bigger medal — kind of a pet peeve of mine).

Only other con is … my two friends who ran 5k picked up a REALLY NICE Lexus LaceUp water bottle at what they were calling the “Hydration Station” (post race). Guess those went pretty quick cause there were none left for half marathoners. Kind of a bummer that those who PAY MORE for a race don’t get the same swag opportunities. Either have enough for everyone or don’t do it at all, right ??

Overall though, this course is beautiful and definitely worth doing. Lexus LaceUp series does a nice job with the things that are most important.

From the perspective of someone who isn’t necessarily into Disney and said I probably would never do a RunDisney event, I have to say … I LOVED this experience!

Caveat: I ran this as a pacer (otherwise, I would never pay what they charge for a half marathon). But I’m so glad I was able to participate since running thru the parks and especially around home plate at Angel Stadium was a fantastic experience.

The corrals were super organized, timely and entertaining. The entire course was exceptionally support and there was cheering and support pretty much the whole way. And lots of costumes. Lots!

Overall, a totally SUPER experience! I would consider doing the 10k on my own dime just to run thru the parks again. 🙂

Long Beach has been around a long time. This race knows what it’s doing. Granted, I kinda don’t like all the “combo challenges” they’ve added in the last couple of years cause it’s made it too crowded. But … as a legacy runner (6 years), this is one of the better big race events in Socal.

Note: first of all, I don’t understand why people review the weather. What does the race have to do with that!? Can the race director help it if it’s hot?? Sorry, but I don’t get all the reviews about the weather.

What they CAN do something about is make sure there is adequate hydration along the course –which I think for the most part they do EXCEPT they need one more along the beach path. That stretch is only 3 miles but it’s directly into the sun in the middle section of the race and it ‘feels’ so darn hot that yes … they should provide more another water station or even a MISTER station at the end of the beach path would be AWESOME!!

I love this course. I think it’s got a nice variety of things to see, not flat but not super challenging. Crowd support is good. Post race beer garden is GREAT! Yes, it’s a big race and yes parking is hectic and traffic can be too but … I have done this for SIX YEARS and every year I pretty much drive right in. Just go early. It’s not that hard. 🙂

I reviewed this race in 2014 as a first timer. I still think this is one of the ‘funner’ races around as far as the beach party day before and overall atmosphere at the end. They have added a lot of fun swag, too — you get a high quality bag, shirt AND hat — all of that is awesome plus they always have a fun medal! Post-race food here is always excellent too … lots of fresh fruit.

My only complaint with this race is the course itself. Yes, it’s flat and fast but after the first few miles (thru neighborhood), it’s nothing but and out (for maaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaany miles) and back. It used to go out to the harbor which made for a nice diversion. Even though it starts at the pier, that is the only water view you’ll get.

Overall, really nicely done race that has a lot going for it except a very boring course.

This was my first time running Mountains 2 Beach (but my 28th half marathon).  If I had to sum up my experience in one word I’d say:  underwhelmed.  

Don’t get me wrong, the race is very well done. Nicely organized.  No real complaints.  But, as far as the half goes, it isn’t scenic. Not really. There are about 2 miles of bike trail that are nice.  There’s also a lot of industrial views, chain link fence and pothole-ridden Ventura Ave (out and back) — that street is awful, I mean downright dangerous how torn up it is.  I know that isn’t the race’s fault but they do choose the streets it runs on.  

Apparently, they changed the start area of the Half this year so it doesn’t go up as high as it used to.   It never went all the way to Ojai like the marathon course but sounds like they took a lot of the downhill fun out of it.  

Overall, I’d call this “High School to Beach” cause there’s nothing Mountains about it.  Boo.  Again, no real complaints about the race.  It was just kinda ‘meh.’

Fiesta!!!! That’s what this race is … it’s a big party. The post-race stuff is actually really well organized — each runner/walker gets two tacos and a beer. Mariachi band, fun times!

They changed the course last year so it’s out and back now instead of two loops so while that was an improvement … slower runners/walkers were creeping WAY over into the lane of faster runners coming back which (and by no means I am a super fast, haha) was pretty annoying. Can’t say this is the races fault but they did set up the cones to give the out WAY more room than the back and yet participants still took up more than their lane. Annoying.

My main complaint with this race is that packet pick up isn’t convenient, parking is HORRIBLE (do yourself a HUGE favor and park in one of the neighborhoods and walk in, that’s what I did this year) but biggest complaint is that …. if you use one of their Groupon/Living Social/whatever it is deals, they will not assign you a bib number in advance.

Both years I’ve done that deal and neither year was my bib number assigned to my name on the results; this year it was like pulling teeth to get it corrected. Consider that fair warning.

But as far as the race and atmosphere goes, it’s a ton of fun! And a really nice medal too!

Seal Beach does an awesome job putting on a community run that is welcoming to runners, walkers, families, dogs, you name it!

I’ve run this one, I think 4 times now but finally did the 5k instead of 10k which I have to admit, is the better course. The 10k goes way out to Westminster Bl and runs along the non-scenic riverbed. The 5k is entirely in the neighborhood so it’s a lot more about the community/crowd support.

Though the course can be crowded if you queue up right, you can run this one pretty quickly (unlike many community races that are so full of walkers, strollers, etc that you can’t really run your pace).

One of my favorite community runs by far!

It’s not everyday you get to run across the 4th longest suspension bridge in CA so … this is a “must do” if you are in SoCal! It’s definitely a fun experience running out and back across the Vincent Thomas Bridge (which is 100% closed to runners!)

Overall, there’s nothing too spectacular to report about this race other than the experience of doing it. The Bridge is pretty steep and you are running it out/back so it’s definitely a good challenge. The used to not give medals, now they do. Not a lot of frills (I don’t even think there’s anything other than water at the end??) but it’s definitely a worthwhile experience to say you’ve “conquered the bridge!”

This review is for the 1st half. This race is run like a well-oiled machine.  I have zero complaints as far as organization goes.  Everything was well-marked; emails leading up to the race were ‘just right’ (not too many but just enough to give all the pertinent details).  I stayed the night before near Embarcadero Center.  Super easy walk to the start line the next morning.  

Complaints about the start time?  Eh, if anyone has issue starting at 5:30 – 6 am, they shouldn’t be running races.  This is ideal running weather.  No, there wasn’t a ton of crowd support at 6 am but I’ll sacrifice crowd support for cool weather.  

The first half is the more challenging of the two — the Golden Gate Bridge itself isn’t a challenge, the grade is gradual. There are quite a few challenging hills (one leading up to it and several after the 10 mile mark) so be prepared and train for the hills. This is San Francisco after all!  

The Expo was HUGE and vendors were plentiful.  It wasn’t all that different from any other Expo I’ve been to except the sheer size of it.   I don’t really shop at these things; all I really care about is getting my race packet so … for me, the Expo was fine.  

Loved the long sleeve tech with course map on the back!

The finish area is yes, very huge and crowded.  I didn’t stay long so I don’t have much to say other than I wish they would have given a baggie for our post-run food.  I was carrying 5 different things as I was waiting in line for a shuttle and it was awkward.   Shuttle/bus took about 40 mins to get back to starting area — this isn’t anything the race can do anything about but — just putting it out there for those who want to know for planning purposes.  I had to rush back to check out of my hotel.  

Overall, I LOVED this race … the challenge of the hills and scenery were fantastic!   I’d highly recommend it.

Edited to say: Complaints about the Bridge being crowded, sure … yes, it is.  I get it.   But, does any really expect the Golden Gate Bridge to be closed to traffic? I mean, c’mon!  It’s the only way for people in Marin County to get to SF without adding an hour to their drive and go all the way around across the Bay Bridge.  Just not realistic.  So, yes …it’s a few miles of crowded runners.  There are races I run for time and there are races I run for the experience of it.   This one is for the experience of it.

This was my 17th half marathon but my first time running this one …I must say, I was pleasantly surprised!  This was a bit of a last minute decision  — I decided on Sunday — went to Roadrunner Sports in Laguna Hills and registered for the race (they offer same day registration too but … I didn’t want to deal with it that morning).   Totally easy, painless registration and packet pick up.  Tech shirt AND a hat as a bonus.  

Lately, I’ve been avoiding community or holiday “fun run” races — simply because I’m not a fan of dodging kids, strollers, dogs (and I love dogs!) on the course.  Knowing that the 5k, 10k and half marathon all started together, I braced myself for what was going to be a crowded start.   Yes, you have walkers 4-wide starting in the 9 min mile (( sigh )) …. it’s unavoidable at any race it seems.  But, the course was actually wide enough and I didn’t find the dodging and weaving to be all that bad!  

So yes, it’s definitely a family-friendly community ‘fun run’ 5k … be prepared for that if you’re running the half or 10k and want to be ‘competitive.’   It would be kinda nice if the race organizers staggered the race starts but … this isn’t a review of what we wish/want for … it’s a review for what the race IS so ……. moving on.

If considering this as your first half marathon, it’s not what I’d call an easy course.  I mean, given that the word HILLS is in the city name … you can expect a few.  That being said, there are also some really nice groovy downhills you can cruise. What goes up must come down, right?  As for the “hill” at mile 13 … yes, a little cruel to have any sort of hill the last mile but honestly, it’s a BLIP right at the end … and you’ve got people lining both sides cheering you on while you’re pretty much running on adrenaline.  It’s a short incline right before the last turn, not a big deal.  

Overall, love the community spirit and patrioticism of this event!   I didn’t participate in the Beer Garden (cost $10); would be nice if FREE like most but … oh well.    Busses back to parking lot were plentiful and so was parking at Laguna Hills mall.   Very nicely done event!

This review is for the Surf City 10 (miles, that is!) There’s also a 5k and 10k. If you’ve wanted to run (or have run) the Surf City Half Marathon in Feb, the 10 miler is basically the same course without the detour up/back Seapoint thru the neighborhood. This course is 100% on PCH. It’s a nice run, flat and enjoyable. Not as crowded as the half marathon, either. I love that it starts at 7 am, too.

Packet pick up was easy as can be; I was out in 5 mins. It’s at the community center across from Edison HS. Bottle opener, surfboard medal is as good/better than many of the medals I’ve earned from bigger races. Support was good throughout the course, there were a few bands and plenty of snacks and water at the end.

Nothing extraordinary about this race but really nothing to complain about either!

Oh, and don’t pay to park. Just go a few blocks up Main St and consider it a warm up/recovery walk. There’s a ton of parking on the street. No meters. Very easy. Just a tip!

This review is for the half marathon (long overdue but better late than never). For a 2nd year race, this event is VERY good! Seriously, many race organizers could take a lesson from Ventura. Super job!

Since this is a fairly small race (less than 2,000 people), everything is pretty scaled down. Well, almost everything.

Expo …. outside by the pier. Beautiful area. Not much of an Expo but a really fun vibe … a couple of beer vendors and a band with a lot of people dancing and having a great time.

Parking …. both at Expo and race morning was pretty easy. Event advertised a lot of parking at the nearby Fairground. For the Expo, I was able to park pretty easily on the street by the pier. Race morning, my strategy is always the same — I park a few blocks away. I consider it race warm-up / recovery walk. No issues with traffic that way. In this case, I parked at the Courthouse. It was practically empty and free.

Course …. first of all, I’m ALWAYS a fan of races that start/finish in the same spot. Shuttles suck. This is a very simple out/back course that runs mostly along the coastline … some neighborhood areas at the beginning and end …. and a really pretty section along the Harbor. Only drawback was the few miles around the turnaround point mid-way … that section was pretty non-scenic and boring … especially since there was little crowd support at that end.

The course map says this race has a elevation of 49.64 ft. I don’t know where that 50 ft was cause this course is as flat as a pancake (and frankly, 50′ is a blip). Considering the field of runners is small, this is a GOOD RACE to PR! (which was my hope but I was running on a bit of a bum knee so … that wasn’t in the cards for me)

Post race …. as other reviews have stated, WOW! The food was great. TONS of fresh fruit, bagels, etc. I’ve never seen a food spread quite like this one. Very well done.

Those are the “pros” … now to the “cons”:
Though the food was great … there was ZERO monitoring of who was taking the food. And the finish chute was non-existent. The finish line dumped right into the crowd of waiting friends and family. And those folks had no qualms about taking food, either. And with how crowded it was at the end, it also made getting to the food a bit of a chore. I emailed the Race Director after this race and he said that is something the are going to fix this year. They need a finish chute that gives the runners some space.

Other than that, if you like race photos … again because this race is still very young … they didn’t have MarathonFoto or anything like that. And though the photos were “free” … good luck searching thru thousands of them to find YOUR photos. They said it was sorted by finish time but …. to this day, I was never able to find a single photo of mine (and my bib was clearly in the right spot).

Overall, major thumb’s up to Ventura Marathon! With a few minor tweaks, I could give this 5-stars. I’m definitely a fan, though.

This was my 9th half but first time doing SD Half Marathon.  Overall, I enjoyed this race!

Pros:
* No shuttles to start line, etc.  I’m always a fan of races that start/end in the same place.  
* Parking was easy — parked a couple blocks from start.  Paid $7 when I left.  No complaints there.
*  WAVE start — as in, they actually DO start in timed waves.  It was very organized. I started in Wave 5 (about 9 mins after gun time) — though I heard that later waves had to wait much longer than anticipated, I honestly thought it was super organized and went quickly.
* Variety on the course — this race give you downtown, water view and parks along the course.  It’s most flat until “the hill” — yep, the mile 9 Washington St hill.  It’s at least 3/4-mile and it’s a doozy of an incline.  
* Very well-marked water/ fuel stations and mile markers — each station also had an indication of how far until the next one.  I carry my own fuel but I do like to supplement my own with additional water (it was hot on this particular race day).  I didn’t have any of the water station issues that have been mentioned in other reviews.  
* Plenty of crowd support and lots of HS bands along the way, too.
* Big, blingy medal — me likey!
* Post race – big party downtown after the race! Fun atmosphere.  

Cons:
*  Post-race food was pretty sad.  A Zico, banana and a mini-Clif. I appreciate seeing a little something salty there … but no luck.   The stuff does come in a re-usable commemorative bag so … that was a ‘pro’ despite this being in the ‘con’ column.
* Yet another PINK shirt!  Why are races so intent on giving us ladies pink shirts?  It’s my third bright pink shirt in the last year.  Sigh ……
* I had my bib/packet mailed for $30.  Kinda steep!  
* My only complaint about the course is the section thru the rental car parking lot (AFC does this too!)   C’mon, not one but TWO races in San Diego have to put runners thru the same gross parking lot with rental car shuttles spouting fumes at you as you’re running along side.   Please race organizers, figure this out!  The construction area following it wasn’t much better.  Luckily, these two drawbacks were *maybe* 1.5 miles but still ….. it sucked.
* Lastly, though I didn’t get stopped at any trolley crossings … I did get stopped at both vehicle crossings on Harbor Island Dr.  This is the only race I’ve done that requires racers to stop … hello?  It’s a timed race!  Kind of a bummer.

Overall, SD Half is a really nicely done race with a good course offering nice variety! And the post-race atmosphere downtown is great!

This was my 8th half and final race for the “Beach Cities Challenge” (woo hoo!)

I have to say, I’m kind of ambivalent about Surf City. Having done several smaller but equally scenic half marathons, I’m now partial to the less crowded races (except Long Beach, my personal fav!)

Pros:
* It’s an out-and-back course — I’m always a fan of races that start/end in the same place.

* Scenic course — with exception of miles 3 – 5, this whole course is run along PCH. Even saw some dolphins around mile 11. =)

* Course is relatively flat — a couple of minor grades but nothing major. This course felt more downhill than any half I’ve done. Highest point is less than 100′ above sea level. If you’re looking to PR, this is a good race to do!

* The MEDAL — Surf City medal is a wooden surfboard … very unique!
* Finish line chute — this chute has plenty of room and doesn’t allow spectators over the rails. Plenty of good stuff in the finishing bag, too!

What I didn’t like (some of the pros are also cons):
* This is a crowded race — prepare to contend with about 17,000 people. They do not enforce corrals. I highly recommend starting in a corral ahead of your intended pace. I’m a mid-pack runner and there were still a LOT of walkers who should have been several corrals back.

* Even though it’s an out-and-back course, there are still shuttles to contend with since parking is all over the place. Unless you have someone dropping off/picking up. But then you have to deal with traffic.

* Because SO MUCH of the course is out/back on PCH, the long straights tend to get a little monotonous. Especially the last few miles — which are always tough in any half — but the last 5 miles are literally one long straight. Ugh. It’s almost demoralizing.

* Crowd support — those who say the crowd support is great at Surf City, sorry … it’s not. Guess those runners haven’t done races with really GOOD crowd support cause for this size of this race, this is the WORST I’ve seen. The first few miles were great and after that …. it was really sad.

Since the majority of this course is on PCH in areas that are closed to traffic and no residential, there’s at least 5 miles of this race with little to no crowd support. While the people of HB cannot help that, where there was support … you could tell they are there to support THEIR person. Majority had little to no interest in cheering on the ‘random runner.’

Case in point, in the last mile where crowds are lining the rails, I seriously felt like I was in the Twilight Zone. I saw was a bunch of stoic faces looking on — hardly anyone was clapping or cheering. There was one young woman clapping and cheering for us random runners … and I literally called out at her as I went by “thanks for cheering, it’s only mile 13!” Hahaha! Seriously, you can do better, HB! Take a crowd support lesson from Long Beach! =)

Now that I have my Beach Cities medal, I probably won’t do Surf City again. Good race just not on my ‘favorites’ list. Carlsbad (just a couple weeks before Surf City) has the same type of coastal views (if not better!), fantastic crowd support, tons of parking, about 10,000 fewer people and it’s also fast and flat. I’d choose that race over this one in a heartbeat!

This was my 5th half marathon and first in San Diego. Overall, I’m glad I ran this race! It was smaller than some of the bigger races (6,800 people vs 15,000+) so if you’re looking for a ‘smaller’ well-organized race, this is a good one. It’s also a bit more challenging with the ‘killer hill’ up 6th St at the very end (sick bastard who designed this course,ha!) but the first 5 miles are mostly downhill, really fast and very enjoyable as you run thru the neighborhood of Point Loma (great crowd support, thanks Point Loma!)

The buses from Balboa Park to Cabrillo were on time and plentiful — the only way you could miss a bus is if you forgot to show up. Moderate traffic getting in (took shuttle from hotel) and out at the end of the race but — hey, show me a race that doesn’t have some traffic, right?

The start area is large and there were plenty of stinky Port-o-Potties but … the start was downright weird. No indication whatsoever that the race actually started. I was just chilling, enjoying the pano view from the top of the point and was like “oh, guess it started???” I actually started 15 mins after gun time. No biggie, I rather liked being out of the traffic.

As mentioned, first 5 miles are awesome! The middle of the race, miles 7 – 9, are kind of bleh. Running along Harbor Dr with the airport to the left and cars zooming by isn’t exactly fun or scenic. And yes, that awful detour thru the rental car parking lot. I’m sure they’ll have that figured out by next year so … I won’t hold that against this course (as an aside, I do wish their Website had better course maps). The last 4 miles thru downtown were filled with great support which especially helped on that last dreadful hill. 😉

Seemed to be plenty of water stations; I really appreciated the ‘water mist’ areas along the way too (there were at least two — one at mile 8 and another around mile 10, I believe) and crowd support with water hoses. Apparently there was a lack of ultima drink stations but … I didn’t notice since I don’t drink stuff I don’t train with, anyway.

The finish chute was longer/bigger than any I’ve seen — it’s huge. Definitely not an easy area to find people if you don’t have a plan so … if you plan on meeting friends at the end, designate a place ahead of time.

Overall, this is a good race. I think the complaints people have about crowds or traffic are pretty much true for almost any race so … I’ve seen a LOT worse than AFC Half in that regard. I will do this one again.