Alameda Running Festival
Alameda, CA
- Half Marathon, 10K, 5K, Kids Run
- Road (Paved)
- Official race website
The Alameda Running Festival will start and finish in the Alameda Point and highlight several beautiful areas around the island. The event will benefit Alameda Meals on Wheels and the Alameda Education Foundation. The Half Marathon will show off 13.1 miles of unique scenery around the island of Alameda. The … MORE
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Great views, great production
The race organizer, Steve Ashbaker, is an old friend of mine, so this may not be an entirely unbiased review. But I thought this event went off without a hitch. … MORE
The race organizer, Steve Ashbaker, is an old friend of mine, so this may not be an entirely unbiased review. But I thought this event went off without a hitch. I missed the expo and chose to pick up my bib at the starting line, but there were a plethora of friendly volunteers well over an hour prior to start-time. The course starts at the old Alameda Naval Air Station and spans the island from east to west so that you get great views of the Port of Oakland, downtown Oakland, the Bay, and San Francisco. And even though I’m not a big fan of turnarounds, the out-and-back portion to the USS Hornet was worth the 180 degrees. Great showcase of Alameda!
Flat course that is well organized
From BIB pickup to end of race festivities the event is well done. Course goes around old Alameda Naval base and get to go by the USS Hornet. Burritos at … MORE
From BIB pickup to end of race festivities the event is well done. Course goes around old Alameda Naval base and get to go by the USS Hornet. Burritos at the end and good amount of booths as well as beer 🙂
Island Time Forgot
Hi, folks. I am approaching 100 half marathons despite a one year break due to a health challenge. I had a 2:17 PR in the 13.1 distance before; this is … MORE
Hi, folks. I am approaching 100 half marathons despite a one year break due to a health challenge. I had a 2:17 PR in the 13.1 distance before; this is my best finish since coming back (with about, I think 8 or 9 outings). So I am happy about that.
Let me start with the best aspect. The pacer for 2:40 was just great. She learned names and shouted them for encouragement. I am a run-walker. It was thanks to her help I did as well as I did. So I am grateful. Not easy to do that job. What a nice gal.
For those who aren’t from the Bay Area, Alameda is an island on the Oakland side. They say time forgot it, because it has a quaint 1950s vibe and half the buildings match (the other half are more modern). It’s an idealized suburb. You see a bit of that. I would say for a race through a town, it’s pretty good. You also see old shipyards. That’s interesting too — some haven’t been repurposed yet. There is the USS Hornet, a war ship that is a museum, at one of the turnarounds. I’ve run through cities and forests, but you don’t usually run through a town. Unless you are a grouch, the varied scenery should be worthwhile. (There is a weird parking lot of abandoned cars. I think it is an actual site for demolition derby type action.)
The other thing that was just great: parking. I arrived early. I did that two years ago. I parked one block from the start line, legally. That is about as close as was possible, and it made it so convenient.
They also changed the route. I don’t think it was because of me or anything. I had a minor complaint. That’s not even the right word. It was an observation about my own human failing. Maybe 2% of races have this feature, presumably to ensure the distance is correct, where you are coming toward the finish line, then it turns out you turn and you have to do another half mile, within sight of the celebration, and when you can hear it. It’s just a moment when I feel, oh, geez, I’m not done, and I’m crushed for that moment. Anyway, they didn’t have that doubling back. So I liked it better.
For some reason, they had a real nice gift: a glass carafe. I gave it to my wife.
Post Race was awesome
Running route through West end of Alameda. Bib pickup was easy simply went to the race site the day before. The only negative was initial lack of info but once … MORE
Running route through West end of Alameda. Bib pickup was easy simply went to the race site the day before. The only negative was initial lack of info but once we found a link we got all the details. As I was part of a 4 person relay and it followed the 1/2 marathon course the biggest negative was in having to get everyone to their spot on the course. There was no shuttle service and the transition distances points were uneven. However afterwards was a treat with breakfast burritos, chips, energy bars, and seemingly endless supply of beer for those who wanted it. Additional vendor booths to walk around and socialize. Great time once you were done!
New PR!
The best thing about this race was that I got a new 10K PR - YAY! The course: It was just ok. Since it was in Alameda I was hoping … MORE
The best thing about this race was that I got a new 10K PR – YAY!
The course: It was just ok. Since it was in Alameda I was hoping more of the course would be along the water. There was a small section along the water front, and the rest of the race was not pretty at all. We round around through warehouses. However it was flat which helped. I’m also curious because according to Strava their mile markers were off, and the distance was 6.1. (Which if accurate, would have contributed to the PR).
There was a little festival after the run which was decent size, although I did not stick around so can’t really comment. Nicely organized. I forgot to pick up my shirt so no comment on that, but the medal was really cool!
organized, flat course, pricey
The course is very flat with less then 1000 entries and has pacers though which is great. great food and a band afterwards. I actually did both the 5k and … MORE
The course is very flat with less then 1000 entries and has pacers though which is great. great food and a band afterwards. I actually did both the 5k and 1/2. very well organized but strange I had to pay 10$ extra to get my bib mailed when there are so few entries and i could have signed up that morning. Only their 2nd year though so probably just getting to know how to run a race.
The Island Time Forgot
I recommend this race. It has only been staged twice, including this morning’s edition. They do a bunch of distances over two days, and I met a friend of mine … MORE
I recommend this race. It has only been staged twice, including this morning’s edition. They do a bunch of distances over two days, and I met a friend of mine from Dallas, who had a friend of his who had grown up in the area. For a race in the Bay Area, it’s about as flat as it could be. For a race in the East Bay, to a San Francisco based participant, the drive was very easy — with a 7am start time, even after the finish the traffic had not become too bad.
This is the island that time forgot, according to locals. I had been there exactly once before, despite my time in the Bay Area. People who live there love it. I can see why. It’s an actual island, accessible only via tunnel and drawbridge, and there is a boozy commuter ferry into San Francisco. There a a bunch of Victorian houses that rival, if not surpass, anything in the city, and there is a decommissioned naval base that is home to an endangered tern and a bunch of manufacturers of beer and spirits, including absinthe! In terms of views, there was a little bit of the town, a moment with the San Francisco skyline, lots of the repurposed military hangers, and a weird parking lot with a half dozen cars that looked like they had been in a demolition derby and then set on fire. Probably at least three places where someone such as me, into photographing abandoned buildings, would want to take a snapshot — though I did not; in comparison, on SF runs, there are lots of people posing for selfies showing the Golden Gate Bridge in the background.
They served free food and drink at the end. I had a burrito. And a beer. There also were vendors and booths. The fair was actually decent given the crowd (they said 1500, which I think was total for all events).
A criticism that isn’t actually fair, a criticism of me, and praise.
The criticism that isn’t fair is that I went to the wrong place. The instructions said the start was at Bladium health club. That turned out to be true. But the check in was two blocks away. In the dark of 6am, you couldn’t actually see where you were going. It was a moment of confusion. Also Bladium is so big the address is only approximate. I checked what they sent. It was “my bad” as kids say, because the final pre-race note indicated the proper location for check-in as distinguished from the start line. A bonus is I parked one block away, for free, because I was super early (I anticipated, erroneously, that there would be more volume on the Bay Bridge.)
A criticism of me. I wish organizers didn’t do this, but I understand they are trying to be true to the advertised distance. I always am crushed when I am approaching the finish, only to realize you have to make another little loop around it. Let me try to describe it, so you can picture it and then see the psychological effect. This isn’t the only time it has happened. Maybe 5 percent of races have this “problem.” It shows my weakness, because I lose heart. So to be clear: it’s me, not the race organizers. What it is, is: you are heading toward the finish, which can tell by the familiar sights, and if it were straight it would be, say, a quarter mile away. In this instance, you approached three times from different directions, and once you were less than a block away, so you could glimpse the balloon pergola thingie, and you could hear announcements as people ahead of you came through — except you then saw you were coming at it from behind, not in front, so you had a turn and then do 3/4 miles more! Man, that last bit is tough when you were feeling you were done. No doubt there is a term for this emotion.
Finally, praise. The 2:30 pacer was great. I was with the 2:20 pacer for about three miles. That would have been a PR. I did my usual intervals (“fartleks” to those in the know). But I eventually slowed a bit. I told the 2:30 guy he was “my pacer,” and he said he’d shout out when he was catching up. He then did it, and thanks to the desire to beat him, which I expressed, and his encouragement, I finished ahead of him and the whole pack accompanying him. It was 2:27, which is my third-best finish in about 73 or 74 races. I have lost count, and I am have not updated my spreadsheet.
PS Race organizer a super friendly guy.
Compelling local road race
Registration in an Aircraft Carrier. Flat but varied suburban course with good scenery. Flying down the whole length of Grand Street in Alameda for me is the highlight. Free beer … MORE
Registration in an Aircraft Carrier.
Flat but varied suburban course with good scenery.
Flying down the whole length of Grand Street in Alameda for me is the highlight. Free beer and burritos at finish.
Race is well organized. The only down I would say is the local support, but as the race becomes more popular this must surely change. The finish festival with bands beer and burritos makes up!!!
Anchors Away...
This was a flat inaugural road race. Yeeaahh.... It was windy on race day and heavy clouds were above. The course took us through abandoned naval base housing and through … MORE
This was a flat inaugural road race. Yeeaahh…. It was windy on race day and heavy clouds were above. The course took us through abandoned naval base housing and through current thriving neighborhoods. Eventually I was on the shores of Alameda running right toward the USS Hornet and through the former thriving Alameda Naval Base, now a ghost town of metal and rust. As I ran toward the USS Hornet and through the U.S. Naval Base I begin to reminisce about my husband who shipped from these dock out to Viet Nam in 1968 U.S. Navy, Don E. Venerable (1948 – 2004). Course monitors were awesome as they supported every runner even those such as I that were still running in the down pour. I arrived at the finish line soaking wet yet met with happy, enthusiastic volunteers. This was a running festival that offered several distance races: A Family Fun Run, 5k, 10k, and Half Marathon. Fabulous finishers medal.