Beat the Blerch – Sacramento, CA
Sacramento, CA
- Marathon, Half Marathon, 10K
- Road (Paved)
- Official race website
Local Historical Weather (Nov 14):
| 2015 | 2014 | 2013 | 2012 | 2011 | |
| H (°F) | 65 | 66 | 67 | 70 | 66 |
| L (°F) | 38 | 52 | 49 | 43 | 48 |
Find Nearby Lodging (hotel, rental, etc.):
Best Swag & Pretty Fun
COUCHES for you to rest throughout the course, silly Blerches that chase you, Yetis that pose for photo ops, etc.! They also serve delicious cake along the course and bacon … MORE
COUCHES for you to rest throughout the course, silly Blerches that chase you, Yetis that pose for photo ops, etc.! They also serve delicious cake along the course and bacon covered marshmallows drizzled with chocolate syrup before the run. Awesome swag! Long sleeve, moisture wicking shirts (gender specific YAY), cute stickers, tattoos, sweat band, etc. Also was so fun to meet The Oatmeal (Matt Inman) the day before to get his autograph, cartoon drawn by him, photo, etc. and see him in costume during the run. One of my favorite runs!
Nice fun run
I particpated in the 5k option. There were plenty of food and hydration stations on the course. The finishing on the baseball field was cool. I thought the food tables … MORE
I particpated in the 5k option. There were plenty of food and hydration stations on the course. The finishing on the baseball field was cool. I thought the food tables post race was a messy cluster but was pretty good selection of food and snacks. I also liked that we got to relax in the bleachers before heading so we wernt forced to stand around and eat or sit on the floor post race. Did it with a friend, her first race. They provided a fun atmosphere. Photo ops with blerchs, children’s area, meet and greet. Cool merch. Lastly a pretty sweet, large medal for those that like the bling.
Very scenic, fun race w/ lots of snacks!
This was the first year the Beat the Blerch race came to Sacramento, CA and 4 running distances were available (5k, 10k, half, and full). Race: This was my 3rd … MORE
This was the first year the Beat the Blerch race came to Sacramento, CA and 4 running distances were available (5k, 10k, half, and full).
Race:
This was my 3rd half marathon ever and thought everything was very well done, especially for its inaugural year. The course was very scenic and took you by the river, across bridges (3x), through downtown, through parks, and a bike trail, with the finish in Raley Field. No loops in the course and relatively flat overall, just some minor slopes.
Meeting “The Oatmeal”:
I picked up my bib packet Friday at REI and got him to sign both my bib and the “Terrible Reasons why I run long distances” book. He would alternate between taking pictures or refusing pictures. If you didn’t get a picture, he seemed to try to compensate by drawing an extra doodle for you :). He happened to be refusing photos by the time i reached him but got a cool horse drawing! After the half on race day, I waited in-line to meet him again to get him to sign my medal ribbon and got a picture this time!
Organization:
Thought everything was very well organized starting with bib pick up. Plenty of signs to direct people and there were staff/volunteers in blerch costumes ready to field questions/concerns.
Race day parking was easy as well (LOVE the FREE parking btw!) at Raley Field. The parking was literally right by the start line too!
Plenty of signs, cones, sticker markers on ground, and appropriate mile markers throughout the course. Aid stations were fantastic with electrolytes, water, cake, nutella, couches, and other goodies.
The Bling:
Fantastic Blerch medal. Especially like how the medal ribbons (along with the bib and race shirts) were personalized according to which distance you ran. Thought it was also a nice touch that each medal had plastic wrap around the metal portion to protect (I’ve had other medals get dinged when they clank against each other in the boxes).
Areas for Improvement:
(1) Free photos were advertised as part of registration, but I did not see many photographers at all. Saw some start line photograhers and at the finish line, but didn’t really see any throughout the course or in the finish area after we got our medals.
(2) The snacks and drinks right at the finish line was crazy. At the time I finished, it looked like the water table (the very first table runners get to after crossing the finish line) was the bottleneck – cups kept running out and it took time to fill cups/water bottles with the water dispensers. Every other race I have done gave out bottled water or bottled powerade at the finish line, which really speeds up the process.
(3) Not really an issue for me as I typically run the whole race without needing a bathroom, but I noticed there were almost no bathroom opportunities throughout the course.
Overall though, this was a very fun and unique race. I would still highly recommend to others!
Believe in the Blerch
Four race distances offered: Full Marathon, Half Marathon, 10K, and 5K. Packet Pickup at REI (Arden) took at least 45 minutes, in order to pickup you needed the QR code … MORE
Four race distances offered: Full Marathon, Half Marathon, 10K, and 5K. Packet Pickup at REI (Arden) took at least 45 minutes, in order to pickup you needed the QR code from your Eventbrite registration. Got a long sleeved technical shirt, headband, temporary tattoos, stickers, magnets, etc. featuring the Blerch. Volunteers dressed as the Blerch were also giving out candy to runners in line. People also got autographs and photos with The Oatmeal himself. Free parking at Raley Field, staggered race wave start times (Full at 8am, Half at 9am, 10K at 10am, 5K at 10:30am). Prior to race start we could avail of the actual real stadium restrooms (much nicer than portables if you know what I mean), and plop on the strategically placed couches/recliners and pose for a photo with the Bigfoot (Sasquatch?) and a Blerch, with huge jars of Nutella as props. Volunteers dressed in Blerch costumes also were distributing chocolate+bacon covered marshmallows at the start. Waves were about 3 minutes apart. Aid stations did have couches, water, electrolytes, green-frosted cake squares on popsicle sticks, Nutella sandwiches, etc. The course was well marked and blocked off by Sac PD. Finish line was in the stadium on the dirt track portion, not on the field itself. Medal is a commendable coaster size/weight, different colors depending on race distance (Black for Full Marathon, Yellow for Half Marathon, Green for 10K, and Orange for 5K). A Change of Pace (the race timing group out of Davis) had laptops available where you could immediately look up your race results, which was great. Race photos free. Crossing the Tower Bridge was fun, nice views of the Capitol, and the river of course.
Great new event with a few glitches
I ran this race as a 'solid long run', so not racing but not out to take photos of the views either and it served its purpose admirably. It's a … MORE
I ran this race as a ‘solid long run’, so not racing but not out to take photos of the views either and it served its purpose admirably. It’s a really FUN race with wonderful atmosphere, lots of costumed runners, cake and sofas at aid stations…I really enjoyed the event. The course is flat and pretty PR-worthy except a short (but horrid) stretch on wooden boards at the end. The staging area was excellent with plenty of free parking and many toilets. The end was a tad chaotic but not dreadful and there was cake at the finish line. My main issue with the race is that it was short – 12.8 miles. All four distances (5, 10, 1/2, full) were short which is pretty dreadful especially for the poor marathoners. If they can get that distance issue sorted for the next year, it would be a race I wholeheartedly recommend!
Couches, Nutella and Cake...Oh My!
The races began and ended at a baseball stadium, which made for good parking, good viewing and good sporting vibes. There was plenty room for all the hubbub surrounding this … MORE
The races began and ended at a baseball stadium, which made for good parking, good viewing and good sporting vibes. There was plenty room for all the hubbub surrounding this event. Because there were 4 distances in this event, the prior-day packet pick up was very busy. And if you picked up your packet on race day, you handed over 5 bucks. There was lotsa merch for sale and the Blerch creator was signing autographs. Refreshments included bananas, potato chips, Nutella sandwiches, Clif Bars and white cake with green icing.