Mermaid Run East Bay (CA)
Fremont, CA
- 18 Miler, 18 Mile Relay, Half Marathon, 10K, 5K, Kids Run
- Road (Paved), Trail (Unpaved)
- Official race website
Kick off spring with an annual Mermaid classic fun run that features a 5k, 10k, half marathon, or Sirena18 mile run or walk. The course is virtually flat as it follows a mix of dirt and paved trails. Enjoy the fresh air and positive vibes. Mermaids receive a stylish race … MORE
Local Historical Weather (May 13):
| 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | |
| H (°F) | 95 | 73 | 68 | 66 | 71 |
| L (°F) | 56 | 48 | 48 | 51 | 53 |
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My first Mermaid Series run
This was my first T9 Mermaid Series race and it was lots of fun. The race was very well organized. Lots of free parking, well marked course, pretty scenery, friendly … MORE
This was my first T9 Mermaid Series race and it was lots of fun. The race was very well organized. Lots of free parking, well marked course, pretty scenery, friendly staff, good post-race snacks, nice swag (medal and a necklace). The race shirt was a cute cut and nice quality too. I loved that one of the vendors was giving away air plants at their booth – very unique. Also they had a fun game to try to win a prize by tossing a ping pong ball into a T9 bra – pretty funny. They also had a staff member taking photos with cute signs against their backdrop. They took the photos on your own phone so that was great – no waiting. Overall my daughter and I had a great morning at the race. I will definitely participate in more T9 runs in the future.
Not as flat as expected
My second women themed race this year (not intentional; race calendar worked out this way coincidentally). Men can participate but they are not eligible for category awards. Signed up for … MORE
My second women themed race this year (not intentional; race calendar worked out this way coincidentally). Men can participate but they are not eligible for category awards. Signed up for a half hoping to PR but failed miserably (to be discussed later):
Bib pickup: locations to pick up the packet prior to the race are not convenient for me personally. They only had three options (pickup at Title Nine in Berkeley, Palo Alto, and Los Gatos) for pickup prior to race day. Luckily they offered race morning pickup which was what I opted for. I have to admit it was a little bit stressful in the morning because I wasn’t sure if there was going to be a line going into Quarry Lake so I arrived an hour before race start, but luckily the process was seamless. Parking was free for participants and $5 for spectators.
Course: Mix of dirt and paved trails. Personally I am not a fan of dirt roads as it felt like I could slip any minute during my run. Slowed me down quite a bit at this race as I tried to be vigilant. There were also some inclines on this course which wasn’t expected as I was under the impression that it was supposed to be pancake flat (note to self: expect the worst and you will never be disappointed).
Aid Stations: Water and electrolyte at all stations. At the latter stations there were granola bars, gels, cookies, and chocolate. The offerings were pretty good considering the reasonably priced entry fee.
Crowd Support: Virtually none. This is a small local race with less than 200 people running for the half. It can be difficult to motivate yourself to run faster when you are running alone 90% of the time.
Goodies: Nice heather purple shirt, but wasn’t too impressed with the necklace and the generic medal. Would be nice if they print the distance ran on the swags. Oh and you also get a tote bag and a T9 magazine. As for post race food you get strawberries, cuties, bananas, and a bagel. I heard you can get a post-race massage too but I didn’t stick around too long after the race to look into that.
Final Thoughts: There was a tent with race merchandise for sale. Upon closer look you realized that they were selling prior year race shirts. Maybe this is the reason why distances and race years are not printed on the shirts so they can milk this as long as possible?
Overall I like the mermaid running community as the fellow runners and organizers were extremely supportive. My performance was terrible though because of the partial dirt course and lack of motivation during the run, but given the other positive aspects of this race as outlined above I might run it again (probably not the half but other distances).
Multiple distances available
Half Marathon Time: 1:37:21 1st in Age group (by 12 minutes!) 3rd overall (Men and Women) Thank you Yelp for the free entry!! This event was kinda big for me … MORE
Half Marathon Time: 1:37:21
1st in Age group (by 12 minutes!)
3rd overall (Men and Women)
Thank you Yelp for the free entry!!
This event was kinda big for me after Surgery 2 weeks before and what an event to be my first real workout after somewhat recovering. I found the event well organized and bib pick up on the morning of the event a huge bonus. There were a few vendors still setting up and offering free samples – Luna Bars, Sanbazon Acai drinks and little samples of Acai Bowls.
The run itself started on time with each distance starting 30 minutes apart. The 18 miler started first followed by the Half Marathon then the 10k then 5k. This meant that everyone was coming across the finish line at roughly the same time.
The course itself was nice – some gravel and some pavement and for the first few miles well marked out but after about mile 6 is saw very few signs for the Half Marathon and was questioning whether or not I was still on the right course and not Running the 18 miler. It probably didn’t help that I was front of the pack of runners and when I got to mile 6 saw volunteers still setting up signs..this is mind I think more signage for future years is s must. I was so glad to see the volunteers at 8.5mi and ask ”Is this the turnaround for the Half”.Thank goodness they knew where I was supposed to be going!
Post Race was a little chaotic with medals and necklaces being given out and a huge line for the fenced off food area. Food was basic – Bagels, Banana’s, Orange and Juice.
Awards were given for overall 1st, 2nd and 3rd place in each distance as well as age group awards which took place around 10:15am which was quite some wait after many of the winners finished. For 3rd overall Half I was awarded a plaque and a box of Luna bars with age group win being a hat. Nice awards but kind of wish there were extra medals because it’s all about the bling.
Every finishers also got a medal which was the same for every distance.
Doing this event there is one thing I must stress to other Runners – Please be more courteous to other Runners. There was a part of the course with a turn around and runners to be coming along both directions of the course.. after the turnaround I was keeping as far left as possible but oncoming runners either thought the ”keep left” rules didn’t apply to them or were completely oblivious and were running head on into me. Then some Runners getting made at ME when I shouted to ”please keep left”. Also when someone calls ”On your Left” it means they are coming up behind you and would like to pass (ever seen Captain America?) so please move over. Basic Runner etiquette.
Overall pretty good event and I’ll probably do it again next year.
run like a mermaid at quarry lakes!
this was my 3rd time participating in the mermaid east bay event, and 5th time participating in a mermaid running event. i have generally been pleased with the mermaid events, … MORE
this was my 3rd time participating in the mermaid east bay event, and 5th time participating in a mermaid running event. i have generally been pleased with the mermaid events, and love that they are female-centric with the finishers’ necklaces, tshirts, and post-race goodies.
as with previous years, the weather was pretty ideal for race day, there were 4 distances (5k, 10k, half, 18 mi) which were the same flat courses as past years, a dri fit shirt with unique mermaid logo, and finisher’s necklace at the finish line.
what i really appreciated about this year’s event was the fact that they had a much better organized finish line/finisher’s refreshments area since the finish chute led runners straight to the pavilion where all of the post-race food was. there were volunteers handing out food and a couple of “guards” making sure that only registered runners with a bib were in the finisher’s area. this ensured that those who ran were able to get fed as soon as possible, and those who were there to cheer did not take away food reserved for participants. in previous years, i would end up waiting up to 30 minutes in line to get food, at which time, i would become lightheaded and dizzy from lack of food and water!
also, the race organizers ensured that all participants would be allowed to park at the quarry lakes parking lot for free this year! in previous years, we would have to pay $5 to park here, so it was nice that we could just tell them we were running the mermaid and drive on thru, no searching for cash!
a big round of applause for the race organizers for making certain changes for 2015 and making this a smoother, more enjoyable race for participants and spectators alike.
sirena 18 mile race at quarry lakes
this was my 4th mermaid event, and 2nd time participating in the east bay event in fremont. unfortunately, i enjoyed yesterday's event the least since quality of the event has … MORE
this was my 4th mermaid event, and 2nd time participating in the east bay event in fremont. unfortunately, i enjoyed yesterday’s event the least since quality of the event has declined due to organizational issues for certain aspects of the race.
certainly, this year had the most participants of any mermaid event that i’d been a part of. looking at the official results, over 1800 women (and a few men) crossed the finish line, which was the highest number in all 4 years in fremont. as usual, they had a choice of 4 distances: 5k, 10k, half marathon, and sirena (18 miles).
the same 4 courses along the alameda creek trail were used, and the coloured mile markers were large and very noticeable for each distance. volunteers were plentiful, as were the aid stations with water and electrolyte drink. this year, they actually had timing microchips attached to the back of each runner’s bib, so no disposable chip or other timing pieces to collect at the end, just an electronic reading of your start and end time, which i liked. as a sirena 18 finisher, i was happily surprised to find that the course measurements were pretty much spot on, as my garmin read 18.04 miles once i hit stop at the finish line. i was also pleased with my top 10 overall finish, and 3rd place age group finish, as i walked away with a mermaid hat and box of luna protein bars, in addition to the finisher’s necklace that each finisher receives.
now for the bad news…
-my race, the sirena 18 mile distance, was supposed to start at 7.30. around 7.27, i heard the gun go off and was perplexed. apparently, they chose to start this distance early, even though it was advertised and announced several times as a 7.30 start. i was still in the midst of tying my running shoes, so i missed the gun start, along with a few other ladies who were equally confused at the early start.
-the last 1/2 – 3/4 of a mile were pretty congested as women for all 4 distances had to go through the same route/finisher’s chute to the finish line. once again, this area was a runner’s hazard as i, and several other faster runners, constantly yelled out “walkers to the right” and “passing through” and “excuse me!” as someone who tries to sprint the last few minutes of a race, it was very frustrating to have to zip zag and expend the little energy i had left after a long race. sadly, most of the walkers, children, and those with strollers just did not understand this courtesy and completely ignored me.
-as soon as i crossed the finish line, with a large crowd of other women, i immediately looked for the bottles of water that we were promised before the race began. i frantically asked around, and several of the volunteers just stood next to the boxes of water, acting completely oblivious and unhelpful. so i had to help myself and grab a bottle out of the box. epic fail on the finish line volunteers part!
-the line for post-race refreshments was disappointing, again, as it was a mile long when i finished, so i didn’t even bother attempting to wait in line. anticipating this potential issue, i had packed my own refreshments to enjoy at my car after the race. i did head to the refreshments table much later, once most participants had left, and was disappointed with the spread, as they only had bagels, bananas, strawberries, and juice boxes. no pancakes this year and no muffins. 🙁
the mermaid series has been one of my perennial favourites in terms of running events, but if quality of the organization continues to decline, i may not sign up next year. hopefully they will take these comments to heart and make some adjustments to their planning for the future.
big and small mermaids at quarry lakes
i love the mermaid events b/c they really cater toward everyone, regardless of ability/experience. for this particular event, there were 4 distances to choose from: 5k, 10k, half marathon (13.1mi), … MORE
i love the mermaid events b/c they really cater toward everyone, regardless of ability/experience. for this particular event, there were 4 distances to choose from: 5k, 10k, half marathon (13.1mi), and sirena (18mi). you could walk, run or stroll in any of these events.
i chose to participate in the half marathon distance since i wanted to train hard and push myself.
the pros:
-mostly flat course in quarry lakes area
-women only (absolutely no men allowed in this race)
-strollers and dogs allowed
-easy parking in lot right next to start/finish area
-staggered start times for each of the 4 events to avoid congestion at the start
-flags to mark each mile for each race distance
what you get:
*packet pick-up @ sunnyvale sports basement the day before
*mermaid run women’s cut tshirt with a cool design
*silver finisher necklaces handed out as soon as you cross the finish line
*lots of post-race food & drinks, including chocolate chip pancakes!!
*cute mermaid branded merchandise for sale at the event (adult, kids and babies’ clothing)
the cons:
-parts of the course were not properly marked, especially when i compared with my garmin device. overall, the course was slightly long, so i actually ran in excess of 13.1 miles.
-water/aid stations were not properly mapped out in the pre-race handouts. since i had studied the aid stations very carefully so that i knew exactly where i could grab water, i was disappointed that some were sooner than anticipated and some were spread out further. there was once stretch on the course where we went several miles without a single aid station (and it was getting quite hot outside). other participants also made the same comment.
-a very long line of hungry women, waiting to get their hot pancakes and syrup 🙂 for this event, i do wish they had separate lines for the different race distances, as those who ran either 13.1 or 18 mi would need to eat more quickly (eat more) than those who ran the 5k/10k. i actually got a bit lightheaded while waiting in the long line for pancakes.
i was quite surprised that i wound up finishing at the top of my age group for the half marathon, as i slowed down quite a bit toward the end (legs and lungs getting tired). they awarded me with a case of zico coconut water and a box of luna protein bars, which was awesome. all of the age group and overall prize winners (for each race distance) were awarded with awesome prize packs from the event sponsors.
overall, this was a terrific event, well-organized and family friendly.