I will preface this review by saying that I’m not the biggest fan of trail runs. I was traveling to San Francisco and wanted to get a run in and … MORE
I will preface this review by saying that I’m not the biggest fan of trail runs. I was traveling to San Francisco and wanted to get a run in and stumbled upon this one. I overlooked the fact that it was a trail run but was not too concerned when I discovered it as it had a 3 1/2 hour cut off time. That gave me more than enough time to run a half marathon. The actual course was beautiful albeit very challenging. There really is no aid offered the entire time with the exception of two areas that have water that you can fill up a water bottle that you have to carry and bring. My real frustration came towards the end of the race as I should have been nearing the finish line but instead I found out I had several miles to go. Due to it being on a trail there was no indication of how far you had gone or mile markers. The race ended up being 15 miles. In addition, the volunteers/directors of the race began taking down the ribbons that directed you where to turn, while runners were still on the course. I was about a mile out from the finish when I passed a volunteer who is taking down ribbons. I asked what they were doing and they said the course cut off was coming up. There were still a handful of runners behind me that were then at the mercy of the trails to just hopefully find their way back out. When I cross the finish line it was lackluster and had a few things to offer but very little. I could not get out of there fast enough. The race needs to be better about protecting their runners. It was a warm day and not having ample fluids out there or monitoring the course is ridiculous. Otherwise be sure to warn runners that the course cut off is a hard cut off and that it will take you far longer than expected. It took me over an hour longer than it normally does to run a half marathon, but the course was actually 15 miles. Would not recommend.
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Steer Clear
I will preface this review by saying that I’m not the biggest fan of trail runs. I was traveling to San Francisco and wanted to get a run in and … MORE
I will preface this review by saying that I’m not the biggest fan of trail runs. I was traveling to San Francisco and wanted to get a run in and stumbled upon this one. I overlooked the fact that it was a trail run but was not too concerned when I discovered it as it had a 3 1/2 hour cut off time. That gave me more than enough time to run a half marathon. The actual course was beautiful albeit very challenging. There really is no aid offered the entire time with the exception of two areas that have water that you can fill up a water bottle that you have to carry and bring. My real frustration came towards the end of the race as I should have been nearing the finish line but instead I found out I had several miles to go. Due to it being on a trail there was no indication of how far you had gone or mile markers. The race ended up being 15 miles. In addition, the volunteers/directors of the race began taking down the ribbons that directed you where to turn, while runners were still on the course. I was about a mile out from the finish when I passed a volunteer who is taking down ribbons. I asked what they were doing and they said the course cut off was coming up. There were still a handful of runners behind me that were then at the mercy of the trails to just hopefully find their way back out. When I cross the finish line it was lackluster and had a few things to offer but very little. I could not get out of there fast enough. The race needs to be better about protecting their runners. It was a warm day and not having ample fluids out there or monitoring the course is ridiculous. Otherwise be sure to warn runners that the course cut off is a hard cut off and that it will take you far longer than expected. It took me over an hour longer than it normally does to run a half marathon, but the course was actually 15 miles. Would not recommend.
Small, Simple, Beautiful, Well Organized
Because I'm catching up after being remiss for a while, this Rave will be more brief than this event deserves. Urban Coyote's Oakland Redwoods 5K, 10K, and Half Marathon is … MORE
Because I’m catching up after being remiss for a while, this Rave will be more brief than this event deserves. Urban Coyote’s Oakland Redwoods 5K, 10K, and Half Marathon is run in Reinhardt Redwood Regional Park. The park is nestled in the hills east of Oakland, well out of the city, and absolutely beautiful.
Because the event is small, timing is “gun start” and chip-timed finish. The 5K, which I did, started on a different trail than did the other two distance and was an out-and-back that was the return leg for the other distances. The first part was an access road for several picnic areas (meadows and groves), but soon went up into the redwood forest. The course was uphill outbound, with some short rolling hills, and then back down the same way.
The race Tee was nice, except Urban Coyote doesn’t do my size, XXL. There was no finisher’s medal. These are reflections of where Urban Coyote is, as a business, and if they grow XXL Tees and finisher’s medals may come. All in all, I would consider doing more Urban Coyote events, as they suit my capabilities and schedule.