Marin Triathlon
San Rafael, CA
- Olympic/International, Sprint
- Triathlon
- Official race website
Join at picturesque McNears Beach, with a course full of beautiful views of the Bay, Golden Gate Bridge, China Camp State Park and more. The Marin Endurance Festival continues its tradition as one of the Bay Area’s longest standing endurance sporting events. With the courses’ connection to the natural landscape … MORE
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It's a 10K followed by a 10K hike
At least, that was the case for me because I am bad with hill training. It was first time I was running on legit trails but they were marked very … MORE
At least, that was the case for me because I am bad with hill training. It was first time I was running on legit trails but they were marked very well. The view was great and the day turned out to be perfect for the race too.
Worthy of a Dog Tag =.="
There are a few races that are in my bottom of the barrel To-Run list. This is one of them. I shall explain why in a few moment. But let … MORE
There are a few races that are in my bottom of the barrel To-Run list. This is one of them. I shall explain why in a few moment. But let me try to recap some of the pros of this race, then some of the critiques.
Scenic Course:
Marin County Half Marathon is located in San Rafael, CA where runners will run through part of the China Camp State Park. In the course of running through the state park, runners get to enjoy a spectacular view of the San Francisco Bay. The scenery is breathtaking.
Race Support:
This is a community event, which means many locals come and cheer on the runners. You get shuttles to accommodate the parking issue at start lines. It’s not easy to find parking here.
Backward Logic:
It’s a 50:50 trail/road race with a 1200 ft elevation climb. For most races, the inclines are either during the 1st half of the race or simply series of rolling hills, which allows runners to recover during the downhill stretch. This race devise its backward logic, by having a 3+ miles of downhill in the beginning of the course, leaving majority of the inclines happen during the second half of the race. Not to mention, the downhill portion is along the road, while the uphill is along the trail. This may not be a poor strategy, except most inexperienced runners may end up running too fast during the downhill portion and jeopardized their quads for running back uphill to finish now. With less to say, It’s not a beginner-friendly course.
Collection pooper:
As an amateur competitive runner, I run to collect race souvenirs, finisher medals and T-shirt. To my utmost disappointment, this race sucks in both production.
Starting with tech tee at the bib pickup, all participants of all races (5k, 10k and half marathon) can get a decent backpack and a free shirt. Yay for backpack, but Nay for tech tee. Not only was the design generic, the sizes were supposed to be “unisex”. I generally wear men small. so naturally I grab a small shirt. But when I try the shirt on after the race, it was super uncomfortable and especially tight around the shoulder. It’s a women cut, not unisex as the shirt claims. I ended up donating the shirt to the charity.
Okay, the shirt ain’t fit, that’s not a biggie. I have tons of race shirts, I don’t really care to have an extra one or not. But my heart broke when I came through the finish line only to find a generic key-chain-sized medal just like a dog tag passing out to everyone finishing their races. That’s slightly demeaning when half marathon participants have to pay $75+ for the race. I feel like they should have been more thoughtful for people who made the effort to run the extra miles in the race.
So if you are here for a challenge and a good view of the SF Bay, this is a great run for you. But if you are here to collect another finisher medal, this race is a complete downer. Just find a different race.