Drove up morning of race from Murrieta and picked up packet. Commute, parking, and bib pickup were easy peasy. Gear check next to packet pickup tent. Race started in time … MORE
Drove up morning of race from Murrieta and picked up packet. Commute, parking, and bib pickup were easy peasy. Gear check next to packet pickup tent. Race started in time and was a little crowded for the first mile. Ran up the hill to the Citrus State Historic Park, then a short steep downhill toward the orchards. Dirt path through approx 2-3 miles through the orchards which was really neat. Course support was good, and so was crowd support. Perfect weather for running a half, and the swag was above average with a long sleeve tech shirt and awesome citrus-themed medal. Finish line party was ok, but the Mexican food line was super long. I heard it was good though. I left early, but I heard they had live music. I recommend this course if you are in the area! My favorite was seeing the sun rise while running through the orchards.
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Sunrise run through the orchards
Drove up morning of race from Murrieta and picked up packet. Commute, parking, and bib pickup were easy peasy. Gear check next to packet pickup tent. Race started in time … MORE
Drove up morning of race from Murrieta and picked up packet. Commute, parking, and bib pickup were easy peasy. Gear check next to packet pickup tent. Race started in time and was a little crowded for the first mile. Ran up the hill to the Citrus State Historic Park, then a short steep downhill toward the orchards. Dirt path through approx 2-3 miles through the orchards which was really neat. Course support was good, and so was crowd support. Perfect weather for running a half, and the swag was above average with a long sleeve tech shirt and awesome citrus-themed medal. Finish line party was ok, but the Mexican food line was super long. I heard it was good though. I left early, but I heard they had live music. I recommend this course if you are in the area! My favorite was seeing the sun rise while running through the orchards.
A truly beautiful course
I've run the 5k and 10k routes for this race in the past, but this was my first year running the half marathon course. The half marathon route is beautiful! … MORE
I’ve run the 5k and 10k routes for this race in the past, but this was my first year running the half marathon course. The half marathon route is beautiful! I love running through the orange groves in the crisp morning air. The route was a bit challenging at times – some parts were dirt and/or loose gravel. There was a lot of uphill sections as well. But the scenery was a welcomed distraction. Post race activities were fun as well. I enjoyed Wick’s Brewery as well as the several other vendors. I am looking forward to running the half marathon again next year.
Great route through orange groves
This is nice route through the orange groves with a few hills. The weather was ideal - cloudy and cool. I missed a PR by 15 seconds. However, improvements need … MORE
This is nice route through the orange groves with a few hills. The weather was ideal – cloudy and cool. I missed a PR by 15 seconds. However, improvements need to be made to parking – participants were being turned away because there was no parking available. The race was delayed to accommodate runners who had to find parking elsewhere.
A great way to start the new year!
This year I really enjoyed the live band at the halfway marker! Great swag, awesome medal and fresh orange juice at the finish party including live music! Loved it! MORE
This year I really enjoyed the live band at the halfway marker! Great swag, awesome medal and fresh orange juice at the finish party including live music! Loved it!
Orange groves a plenty !
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, … MORE
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.