Kaiser Permanente Thrive Half Marathon & 5K
San Diego, CA
- Half Marathon, Half Marathon Relay, 5K
- Road (Paved)
- Official race website
More than just a race, the Kaiser Permanente Thrive Half Marathon, 5K & Relay is an invitation for the entire San Diego community to “Thrive” together—staying active, eating healthy, living well, and giving back. All courses start and finish at Ski Beach in Mission Bay, offering fast, flat stretches with … MORE
Local Historical Weather (Nov 14):
| 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | |
| H (°F) | 69 | 70 | 76 | 68 | 84 |
| L (°F) | 63 | 48 | 50 | 49 | 56 |
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Amazing Race Around Mission Bay
Running along beaches is always a good idea. Positives: The course was well marked, and roads were blocked off enough that I wasn't nervous about getting run over. The aid … MORE
Running along beaches is always a good idea.
Positives:
The course was well marked, and roads were blocked off enough that I wasn’t nervous about getting run over.
The aid station volunteers were ready and eager to hand out water/electrolyte drinks.
The scenery was amazing, especially since you’re running at sunrise!
The shirts and medals are a great quality, and I love the long-sleeve for half marathon runners.
Check-in was smooth and easy. (I think we went around a slow time in the early afternoon.)
The live music at the finish line was great.
They had good options for food/drinks at the finish line. I grabbed a Coke, banana, water bottle, and protein bar. There were more options than that, so there really is a good variety!
It’s for a great cause!
Things that could be improved:
Check-in is way out of the way for people coming from out of town. We flew in and paid well over $70 for Uber rides because it’s not close to where the race is. If we’d known how much it would cost us to get there, we would have adjusted our plans and picked up the morning of. The race posts everywhere that it’s strongly discouraged to check in the morning of the race, so we were scared off from doing so. We’ll definitely do it morning-of next time. It would be nice for packet pick-up to be closer to the race location for out-of-towners.
The swag bag isn’t amazing, but I wasn’t too upset by that. There were four ads/coupons, a sample of DryWater, and a thing of sunscreen. The sunscreen was 5 ounces, so we couldn’t take them on our flight home (only had carry-on bags), but the people at the front desk at our hotel were excited when we gave the sunscreens to them haha.
Something to note is that they don’t give you any bag for your drop bag. People had to squeeze everything into their tiny plastic bag from check-in if they didn’t bring their own. Not a huge deal, but something to be aware of.
Flat and Pretty
Nice mostly flat race around Mission Bay. Quieter race, but a great one if you are looking for something lowkey. Very easy with plenty of parking, and a fun after … MORE
Nice mostly flat race around Mission Bay. Quieter race, but a great one if you are looking for something lowkey. Very easy with plenty of parking, and a fun after party going on in a great part of town.
Some of the course markings were not super clear, I didn’t have a problem but I heard some other people mentioning it. Also, there was a bike race going on that overlapped some of the course, so that was a little chaotic. Still, a great race.
Beautiful Course on Mission Bay
This race was larger than I expected it to be, and production did staggered starts after the initial countdown. Walkers and 5K runners were on the course before the faster … MORE
This race was larger than I expected it to be, and production did staggered starts after the initial countdown. Walkers and 5K runners were on the course before the faster pace groups for the half marathon, which made for a lot of annoying dodging of people.
Aid stations were great and well volunteered. They had water and Gatorade. After the race, there was a little bit of variety for snacks, but mainly a banana and granola bars. Overall, it was fun! I’m glad I ran this race.
They're not lying about the scenery
Lots of really pretty views to distract from pain. A little hilly, but nothing that was completely demoralizing. Stations including gatorade were a little sparse, but serviceable. A little disappointed … MORE
Lots of really pretty views to distract from pain. A little hilly, but nothing that was completely demoralizing.
Stations including gatorade were a little sparse, but serviceable. A little disappointed by the small amount at the final table (where I felt I needed it most), tucked away and un-offered by any volunteers. Forced me to loop back and run with 2 cups. Otherwise, it was organized fairly well if you read the pre-race info. The pre-start shuttle from the parking lot was nice; I would have appreciated a post-race shuttle as well, given that my legs were giving out and it was rather distant.
Expo was a little barebones; I wouldn’t have minded a table to purchase past years’ shirts :). Packet pick up was fine — the followed suit with other local races, and set packet pickup to Road Runner Sports. Fairly central, and makes it easy to stock up on gels and gummies before the race. REI is also across the street, and Walmart is down the road — so there’s ample opportunity to pick up anything you might need pre-race.
Generally, a good time and a solid first HM!
Great for results!
I ran this race in its first 2 years and thought that it was a very gentle course. Well-priced, well-managed, and I even got a PR on my second time MORE
I ran this race in its first 2 years and thought that it was a very gentle course. Well-priced, well-managed, and I even got a PR on my second time here!
A Dream Is A Wish Your Heart Makes
Proceeds from the Kaiser Permanente Thrive Half Marathon & 5K benefit Make-A-Wish San Diego. This is the second year of the race. Per the post-race e-mail, the event successfully raised … MORE
Proceeds from the Kaiser Permanente Thrive Half Marathon & 5K benefit Make-A-Wish San Diego. This is the second year of the race. Per the post-race e-mail, the event successfully raised over $15,000 for the cause.
Packet Pick-Up was on Saturday from 11 am – 4 pm at Road Runner Sports in San Diego. I didn’t realize it only went until 4 and showed up at 4:11. The volunteers and staff were very friendly, conversational and courteous. With huge smiles, they grabbed my bib and shirt, despite the fact that I was late. Free race morning packet pick-up was also an available option.
On race morning, parking was adjacent to the start line in parking lots at National University. I deliriously set my alarm for the wrong time the night before, thus overslept and arrived to the race only 15 minutes before the start. I had no difficulty finding parking and jumping into the starting corrals (big sigh of relief!). The race started right on time.
The course was point-to-point and started inland at the newest Kaiser Permanente San Diego Medical Center and finished in the heart of Mission Bay. The majority of the course consisted of gentle rolling hills with several long stretches of downhill. It was extremely well marked with a plethora of traffic cones designating which lane was for the runners. The traffic control officers at the various intersections did a fantastic job of managing traffic to allow runners the right-of-way. There was a trolley crossing near mile 9. The race worked with the city to time the start of the race around the trolley schedule. Runners averaging faster than 8 minutes per mile were not impacted. Beginning at 8 am the Eastbound and Westbound trollies crossed every 15 minutes. There were timing check points before and after the trolley tracks. Any runner impacted by the trolley had this delay time subtracted from their overall chip time. Per the pre-race e-mail, the anticipated delay was 30 seconds to one minute. There was also an aid station and a volunteer with a loudspeaker at this junction. My run was not impacted by the trolley, but I was very impressed by the forethought the event put into this minor hurdle.
The aid stations were organized and the volunteers were very supportive. The stations were stocked with water and Gatorade. They were placed every 1.5 – 2 miles. To my surprise, none of the aid stations offered energy gels or other fuel. I always carry my own, thus this did not impact me. I have simply become accustomed to seeing it available at other events.
The scenery for the majority of the race was not particularly interesting or memorable. The highlights included running by the SDCCU Stadium and running through Mission Bay for the finish in Ski Beach Park. It was a beautiful foggy day in Mission Bay. Perfect weather for running!
Finish line refreshments included water, bananas, Munk Pack protein cookies (yum!) and Kashi bars. The medals were high quality and very stylish (see the photo I posted). The shirts for the half marathon were long sleeve dri-fit material and featured the name of the race. 5K participants received a similar style short sleeve shirt. There was a small variety of vendors at the finish line festival selling athletic apparel, offering product samples and massage services. There were also multiple Kaiser Permanente sponsored booths promoting health and wellness. There was a separate area for Kaiser Employees, Friends & Family. I was a little envious I could not go in as there were tables, chairs and (I believe) I spotted warm beverages.
Free shuttles transported half marathon participants from the finish line back to the start. Prior to registering, I was unaware that the race offered free race photos. I found this out while reading over the pre-race e-mail. Photos should be available in the next few days.
While the course was not one of the more entertaining half marathon courses in San Diego, I was impressed by the quality and organization behind the event. I will be back next year if my name is not drawn in the New York City Marathon lottery (again).