I was really looking forward to my first trail half marathon. I knew it would be a very challenging race. The half marathon route had an elevation gain of 1,800+ … MORE
I was really looking forward to my first trail half marathon. I knew it would be a very challenging race. The half marathon route had an elevation gain of 1,800+ feet. I spent the month prior to the race focusing on elevation gain training. On race day morning as I was standing in line to pick up my bib, 30 minutes before the race was to start an announcement was made that the forest service had advised the night before that the half marathon route was not allowed and half marathoners would be running the 10k route twice instead. While the 10k route was fun and I enjoyed running on the trail with different terrain (dirt, rocks, sands, asphalt, wood bridges), the total elevation gain was 800 feet and I crossed the finish line at 12.17 miles. I was disappointed that distance was not a true half marathon as well as not being able to utilize the time I spent training for the anticipated elevation gain.
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Route changed on short notice
I was really looking forward to my first trail half marathon. I knew it would be a very challenging race. The half marathon route had an elevation gain of 1,800+ … MORE
I was really looking forward to my first trail half marathon. I knew it would be a very challenging race. The half marathon route had an elevation gain of 1,800+ feet. I spent the month prior to the race focusing on elevation gain training. On race day morning as I was standing in line to pick up my bib, 30 minutes before the race was to start an announcement was made that the forest service had advised the night before that the half marathon route was not allowed and half marathoners would be running the 10k route twice instead. While the 10k route was fun and I enjoyed running on the trail with different terrain (dirt, rocks, sands, asphalt, wood bridges), the total elevation gain was 800 feet and I crossed the finish line at 12.17 miles. I was disappointed that distance was not a true half marathon as well as not being able to utilize the time I spent training for the anticipated elevation gain.
Short and Sweet
One week ago I ran the Long Beach 13.1. This was a super nice distance to keep my legs in motion. The course is beautiful, some smooth hills, nothing gruesome. … MORE
One week ago I ran the Long Beach 13.1. This was a super nice distance to keep my legs in motion. The course is beautiful, some smooth hills, nothing gruesome. Enjoyed running along all the easy going runners. Will see you again next year.
Fabulous
5k production was smooth, well labeled, easy to follow. I ran slow, kept my cool, and earned a well crafted medal. I will definitely sign up for other races and … MORE
5k production was smooth, well labeled, easy to follow. I ran slow, kept my cool, and earned a well crafted medal. I will definitely sign up for other races and enjoy the smooth production.
10K? What 10K?
When I give $55 to a race organizer, I expect certain things for my money. Number one: I expect to run the correct distance. My Garmin showed 5.54 miles (~9K), … MORE
When I give $55 to a race organizer, I expect certain things for my money. Number one: I expect to run the correct distance. My Garmin showed 5.54 miles (~9K), meaning this race was measured a full kilometer short! I know there is a margin of error in GPS watch tracking, but there is NO way it could be up to two-thirds of a mile short. If anything, GPS watches tend to show runners over the official race distance, since runners don’t run the shortest possible route. Also, this is the link (https://www.mapmyrun.com/routes/view/1026737613) to the official route provided by Pasadena Running Company…notice how even they only show it to be 6.01 miles.
If you go based on time, supposedly I beat my 10K PR by two seconds. But that PR, from two years ago, was on a flat course and after three months of half marathon training, during my fastest year ever.
It’s also the little things that can make a race and make you feel like the race organizers really care about your experience. Is my race’s distance shown on the bib, medal, or shirt? No, no, and no, in this case. Is the race shirt something I would wear while running or working out? No again (100% cotton). Looking at the bib, medal, and shirt, it’s like my 10K didn’t exist. Which actually is true, since it was a 9K.
The “trail” part in the name is a bit of a misnomer as well. At least a third was on paved road.
Packet pickup and race execution were fine. But I won’t be back to give my money to a race company that can’t even come close to measuring correctly.