Craft Classic Half Marathon & 5K San Diego
San Diego, CA
- Half Marathon, 5K
- Road (Paved)
- Official race website
Indulge in two of San Diego’s true loves: Running and Craft Beer! San Diego Craft Classic Half Marathon and 5K offers participants a challenging course with rolling hills. Your reward is a finish line leading straight into the craft beer garden at Green Flash Brewing. All participants will receive a … MORE
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Hello hills. Earn that beer.
Fun course, with a 3 hour time limit. Free parking about 3/4 mile from the start. Finishes at Green Flash Brewery. (First beer is free!) Free shuttles back to parking. … MORE
Fun course, with a 3 hour time limit.
Free parking about 3/4 mile from the start. Finishes at Green Flash Brewery. (First beer is free!) Free shuttles back to parking.
First part of the course (along hwy 56) is slightly downhill, but the hills are lurking. Last third of the race has some good up and down hills.
Good course support. Race starts early enough to avoid the heat.
If you miss the cut times, you are advanced, not swept. (If you get the bump, let them take you to the top of the first hill – not mid hill like a friend did.)
Nice post race celebration, with good food available for purchase at the brewery.
Free race photos too.
I’ll be back!!!
HILLS! and a challenge medal series!
The course has changed a bit from the year before. A few hills seem to have been taken out. Still a really hard, challenging but fun race. Get there early … MORE
The course has changed a bit from the year before. A few hills seem to have been taken out. Still a really hard, challenging but fun race.
Get there early as you have to park at the finish and shuttle to the start. They offer gear check so you don’t have to get rid of your jacket.
The race ends at a brewery so one beer per bib and more inside if you’d like to pay for it.
Do this race and the SD Holiday 1/2 in December to earn a challenge medal.
Difficult but totally fun
This course stated it was up hill and it was! The first half of the race is the second half of the San Diego Holiday 1/2. The second half of … MORE
This course stated it was up hill and it was! The first half of the race is the second half of the San Diego Holiday 1/2. The second half of the race is all uphill! That being said I would still do this race next year. It was totally fun and a great challenge. Great swag and finish line.
Fun, small summertime race.
Fun race, good swag--Nice shirt and medal, and a pint glass to boot! The beerfest afterward was cool. Not super tough, but there were some challenging hills over the last … MORE
Fun race, good swag–Nice shirt and medal, and a pint glass to boot! The beerfest afterward was cool. Not super tough, but there were some challenging hills over the last three miles. I think this was the first time for this event, and it showed. The race started 10 minutes late. Some aid stations were undermanned and I had to pass a couple by because they were essentially pouring cups for each runner who stopped. But they had Nuun and each station, and I think two or three Clif shot stations, which is a lot for a half.
The Perfect Event
For an inaugural event, this race was almost flawless. I registered early on when it was announced and had a discount code, so I got a steal of a deal. … MORE
For an inaugural event, this race was almost flawless. I registered early on when it was announced and had a discount code, so I got a steal of a deal. Even if I had to register last minute, it would’ve been worth it.
Packet pickup was in the parking of lot of Road Runner Sports (the title sponsor along with Green Flash Brewing and Adidas). It was quick and painless and took less than 10 minutes. I got my bib and free pint glass outside, then had to go inside the store to get my t-shirt and free sunglasses. I got an XL shirt, which was HUGE. Luckily I was able to swap after the race. The sunglasses were really nice and I’ll actually wear them every day. They actually retail for $25. The race shirt says “On a Beer Run” on the front with three small sponsor logos on the back.
Race morning came EARLY. They told everyone that latest you could be in line to catch a shuttle from the finish line at Green Flash to the start was 0500 (race started at 0630). I’m pretty sure plenty of people got there later than that, but I was on time and at the start area with an hour and change to kill. I did expect a little more out of the start. Team RWB was the race charity, but they didn’t even do the national anthem beforehand. The race started a few minutes late, I think it was around 0640. The weather was ideal for running, low 60’s, clouds, light breeze. The first few miles were mostly downhill with a few small inclines. Mile 7 was a gradual uphill, but you are rewarded with a decent downhill shortly after. At mile 10 is the “King of the Mountain” hill challenge portion. It’s 1.1 miles of STEEP uphill, almost 300 feet of gain to be exact. After that is another sharp downhill that leads to yet another hill that finishes with a right turn and a 1/4 mile flat stretch to the finish. I wasn’t concerned with time as this was a marathon training run, I just took it easy and enjoyed the event. Course support was good, but limited during the first few miles since access to the bike path is difficult. They had water and Nuun at each stop and had Clif Gels around mile 7 or 8. In race medics were also everywhere!
At the finish you got your medal, which looks like a tap handle and has a bottle opener on the back. There was water, nuun, bagel pieces, fruit, and lara bars. Most importantly, 4 beer tents with each having 2 different Green Flash brews. You could either get four 4oz tastings, two 8oz tastings, or one 16oz pour. They also had temp tattoos and sunglasses to give away. There were plenty of people giving their tickets away (thanks strangers!) There was some confusion with getting your ID checked and moving on to the beer tents, but the wait wasn’t too bad. There was also a picture station with a podium made with beer boxes and it had props such as a giant keg, beer glass, and bottle of beer. The Green Flash tasting room was open as well with a good 16 Green Flash beers on tap and 8 or so more from Alpine Brewing (Green Flash kegs and bottles their beer for them). I had one more there and got a growler to take back home. Oh, they also had special Snapchat filters too!
All in all, this was the most “bang for the buck” I’ve ever received for my registration fee. I hope they do this again next year, because I’ll definitely make this my San Diego “go to” race.