Marin Moonlight Run
Novato, CA
- 10K, 5K
- Road (Paved), Trail (Unpaved)
- Official race website
What would be more fun than a beautiful Indian summer evening race under the full moon along the trails of the San Francisco Bay in Marin County? We don’t know either! A portion of the proceeds will benefit Marin Youth Financial Assistance Programs. You bring the flashlights or headlamps and … MORE
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Friday the 13th Full Moon!
These folks are friendly. I appreciate that. Small races have the advantage of race directors who say hello as you show up and then again when you finish. The venue … MORE
These folks are friendly. I appreciate that. Small races have the advantage of race directors who say hello as you show up and then again when you finish.
The venue is a former military airport that was turned into a mixed use industrial park with a planned community of upscale apartments and houses all around, and, for some reason (it’s good!), a remaining area that is undeveloped, with what seems to be a marsh and then something growing (not corn, not sure what).
The organizers plan for the full moon of course. I was thinking, geez, how lucky is that, and then I realized, no, they must arrange everything looking at the almanac. They call everyone out to see the moonrise. Boy, was it big. That alone made it an experience. There was no need for artificial lighting though they give you glowsticks. (I’ve done other night races that require it.)
So the surface is partly paved, partly dirt, partly gravel. It is all safe. For a race after the sun has set, that has to be one of the least scary in terms of falling or there being some sort of problem with the path. On the second of the two loops, i.e., not the same loop twice but a different loop like a figure eight, there is a bit in sort of wilderness, but it would be a problem only if you are very scared of the dark or think actively about Ichabod Crane and the headless horseman (I admit it: I’m still mildly scared of the dark, as a 52 year old).
I recommend the race highly.
Cheated in the dark
I ran another night race. This is my second. It also was in Marin County, a town called Novato, which took quite a bit of time to travel to through … MORE
I ran another night race. This is my second. It also was in Marin County, a town called Novato, which took quite a bit of time to travel to through traffic. Unlike the earlier event, which went through woods and had hills, this was on a paved path around a marsh. The crowd was enthusiastic, with families enjoying the evening. There were many parents with kids walking the 5k.
Night races have a totally different vibe to them. I suppose that’s hardwired, the circadian rhythms that all animals have inside them. They are exciting yet mellow, somehow not what you’re body expects you to be doing at that hour.
They gave out glow sticks. I put one in my pocket, thinking, I don’t really need this. Sure enough, it fell out. Then I felt bad I hadn’t saved it securely for another occasion. I suppose that means I am, in fact, OCD.
I signed up for this to train a bit more before the half marathon 36 hours later. I need to beat my friend Tseming, who was 3-1/2 minutes faster than me on the same course a year earlier. So this was a final bit of preparation. I’m glad I did it, because it set the tone for a weekend of exertion.
The moon rose a moment before the start. The race organizer joked about how he had arranged for the sight.
I cheated. It was a mistake. When I finished, I said, “Is that it?” My phone clocked it as 5.25 miles, or almost 1 mile short.
I asked the guy cutting up the watermelon what the turnaround sign looked like. He said he wasn’t in charge. I had assumed, and I said this, that because he was holding a big knife that he was the race director. He pointed me to the right guy. A woman who overheard our conversation, with whom I was alternating the lead as between the two of us, said it was her fault — she thought she hadn’t done the full distance either, and she had turned just before me when she didn’t see anyone ahead, and she became nervous. Anyway, after consulting with the race director, I realized indeed I had turned after a fluorescent traffic cone probably not quite a half mile too early, following the woman. The always warn you: don’t assume the person in front of you knows where they are going.
It was decent time though, a sub-11 minute mile pace. I’m ready for the next half marathon.