Karen Be's Staging Area

Although I have run Surf City Perfect 10 in the past, I put myself as a first timer as the race has been rebranded and I have never run at night. This race had SO many negatives from previous years.
The movie from Beach Blvd to Main street made parking for packet pick up more difficult. There is so much street parking near beach Blvd. The protesters at the pier were not a welcome sight (although I can’t blame the race organizers for that).
I did not like the one for all start. Too crowded. and the 10 mile leaders had to fight traffic when they hit the 10K turn around and again at the 5K turn around.
Black shirts for a night run. Who’s bright idea was that? I would guesstimate 50% of the participants wear the race shirt. Black at night is just dumb.
Running next to the camping was disconcerting. Every time a car used the surface road at the campground, the headlights would blind you.
The “festival” did not stay open until 9. I finished the race around 8:30 and a vast majority of the vendors had already disappeared or were dismantling.
And the biggest disappointment was the medal. The signature medal-where did it go? The design is nice. But the size is about 1/3 of what it has been in past years. I’ve raced at smaller events and received bigger medals.
If this were my first Surf City race, I probably would not run another one. As it is, I may not either way. Go back to the old format and bigger medals.

Running over the Arthur Ravenel Jr Bridge was breathtaking. The run was relatively flat (with the exception of bridge). The run through town was a few degrees hotter due to the number of bodies packed into the narrow streets and the tall buildings. The Finish Line Festival was a joke-too many bodies packed like sardines in a very small space. Bus transportation was AWESOME. Nice medal and t-shirt. Recommend you run this race at least once.

The race is out and back along PCH. There is so much to see from the Bolsa Chica Wetlands on the way out to waves crashing on the beach on the way back. I enjoyed the bands playing “Beach Themed” songs. And then there is the medal. I ran this race specifically to earn the Surf Board Bottle Opener Medal. The course is relatively flat and easy to run or walk. I would recommend this race to anyone (especially if you are training for a half or full marathon.

I HATE hills and wasn’t sure about the hill around miles 4. Although I didn’t run completely up the hill, I did run farther than I thought I was going to. The technical T is the best race shirt I have. I really like the classic surfboard on the back and the fact that there is NO advertising. I worried about parking as I was running the 1/2 and our start time was more than an hour after the full, but with satellite parking and shuttles it was a breeze. And the finishers medal is HUGE. With the stand, I can keep it on my desk at work for everyone to see. I ran this race the day after I turned 59. And with leap year this year, I can run the race again on my last day of being 59. Looking forward to running Surf City in 2017.