rc.oktoberun Half Marathon and 5K
Redwood City, CA
- Half Marathon, 5K
- Road (Paved), Trail (Unpaved)
- Official race website
The rc.oktoberun is open to runners of all levels. From competitive runners on our USA Track & Field certified half marathon, to a 5K fun run perfect for kids and their families. The rc.oktoberun half marathon course is flat, partly off-road, and perfect for a personal record. Beginning in booming … MORE
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Well-organized local race
***LOCATION*** Redwood City, CA ***DATE*** Late October (Sunday, Oct 28, 2018 this year) ***PRICE*** $35 + $3.70 processing fee = $38.70. It was $50 on race day but I don't … MORE
***LOCATION***
Redwood City, CA
***DATE***
Late October (Sunday, Oct 28, 2018 this year)
***PRICE***
$35 + $3.70 processing fee = $38.70. It was $50 on race day but I don’t remember if it was ever cheaper (I signed up maybe a month out?). The half was $95 on race day so maybe, I dunno, $75ish if you registered early? Not too terrible for a half.
***DEADLINES/SELLOUT FACTOR***
Race day registration was available for both distances.
***FIELD SIZE***
Half Marathon – 272
5K – 458
***STAGING/PARKING/ETC***
The race was staged on Bradford between Jefferson St. & Main St. Bib/shirt pickup were inside the Redwood City School District building which was right there. Also right at the start/finish was a small gear check table & a few porta potties. I arrived early so there were no lines then, but they got kind of long 10-15 minutes before the race.
One of the great things about Redwood City is that there is a TON of both garage and street parking downtown that is free on Sundays, a lot of it within a block or two of the staging site. I arrived at the venue at about 6:30am for the 7:30/7:45am race and basically had my pick of spots in the first garage less than two blocks from the start.
***THE COURSE***
This course was completely flat with the exception of one overpass (up and back down again, going out & coming back so you do it twice) & one very short but VERY steep little jump up onto a footbridge (and then back down on the way back). The whole thing was concrete except for maybe a quarter mile stretch on packed dirt/rocks which was not too bad as long as you watched your footing. Not too many turns. There was one water station at the turnaround which was more than sufficient.
I think everyone I talked to about it clocked 3.04-3.06, so it’s possible it was a bit short if you were running good tangents. Though there was also a downtown section with taller buildings so it’s also possible that there was more GPS error than normal there. In any case I don’t think it was way way off.
***SWAG***
A reasonably attractive cardinal-red logo tech shirt, which I didn’t take, because I keep just giving away my race shirts within a year or two anyway.
***IF YOU DECIDE TO RUN***
Logistically this is a super easy race. Race day bib pickup, plenty of easy free extremely close parking, AND they still have a gear check right at the finish line.
The half started at 7:30am and the 5K started at 7:45am, so although you will have to arrive when it’s still dark you have a better chance of cool temperatures (which was nice on this particular day because it was VERY humid and sunny for the Bay Area).
I’ve been to some terribly organized charity races but this one seemed very organized and with it. As long as you don’t care a lot about a bunch of swag or rock bands or whatever it’s a great local option.
***OVERALL ASSESSMENT***
I’d for sure consider running this 5K again if the scheduling worked well for me. There are so many other half marathons that I really like this time of year that I don’t know if I would pick this one over those, but I WOULD consider it as say a supported long workout thanks to the price, easy logistics, & the fact that it’s pretty close to home.
pr at my hometown race!
i ran the oktoberun 5k in 2014 and 2015, but unfortunately was unable to participate last year (2016). i was so happy that i was able to fit this into … MORE
i ran the oktoberun 5k in 2014 and 2015, but unfortunately was unable to participate last year (2016). i was so happy that i was able to fit this into my schedule for 2017, and more importantly, run the half marathon course, since this was one i had my eye on for a couple of years.
as always, the race begins & ends in downtown rwc, by the rcef (redwood city education foundation). despite a major heatwave, aka indian summer in late october, the temps actually cooled down by the morning of the race, and it was 51 & sunny, with little humidity just before the start. heck, i was COLD, for the first time in over a week, wearing gloves and a warm jacket during my warmup.
the haffie started at 730, and they were more or less on time, starting just a minute or two after the official start time, but i appreciated that they were verifying that traffic was clear on the course before officially sounding the horn!
since it was a cool, non-humid, non-windy day, with the sun only partially risen, i was able to quickly get into a good rhythm and stride and hit my target pace. there were plenty of water stations along the course, and they also had a halfway check point along the haffie course, to ensure that the half marathoners didn’t get lost or skip parts of the official course. i saw many volunteers on the course, directing traffic to ensure that all of us made the correct turns to stay on course until the very end. there were also some orange cones lining parts of the course.
since i was able to stay focused and patient, i maintained very even splits for the first 10 miles, and had enough energy to push the pace in the last 5k and and sprint across the finish line. did i mention i passed quite a few runners in the final 5k? great feeling, it was. i didn’t fully accept it until i crossed the finish line, but i ended up pr’ing, by a minute, and running 6 minutes faster than my previous half marathon last year.
although this was a certified usa track & field half marathon course, the actual distance ran (according to my garmin) was a tad bit long…i got 13.25mi, which is .14mi longer than the official course time. it inflated my finish time about about a minute, but it wasn’t a big deal, i pr’d anyway!
at the finish line festival, i was greeted with kona water, bananas, noosa yoghurt, kind bars, beanitos bean chips, snack factory apple sticks, and bobo’s oat bar bites…this was quite the spread, and i was quite impressed by these offerings (as were the other runners).
sat october 28th, 2017 was a magical day for me, and now i can say that i ran my personal best half marathon in my home town!
great event, superb organization, flat course, friendly volunteers, delicious & healthy food & beverages at the finish line…what more could i ask for?
Flat, well-organized local race
I hovered between 3 and 4 shoes, and ultimately went with 4 because it's a local charity race that has easy logistics. I ran this as the 2:20 pace group … MORE
I hovered between 3 and 4 shoes, and ultimately went with 4 because it’s a local charity race that has easy logistics.
I ran this as the 2:20 pace group leader with the Trivalley Running Club. This is a small charity race that benefits Redwood City schools. This year, there were ~350 finishers in the half marathon.
The course is USATF-certified, and starts and ends in downtown Redwood City. The course crosses Hwy 101 and runs along the Bay Trail. There’s a mix of paved roads, sidewalk, and fine gravel. It’s almost completely flat, except for one overpass and one pedestrian bridge. It’s also very exposed, which could be really hot in sunny conditions.
Parking: The organizers encouraged parking at the county garage (free), about 2 blocks away, but that was full by 7:00 a.m. I parked on Middlefield Road at a smart meter, which allowed me to pay in advance. (Meters start running at 10:00 a.m., but since I had to run an addition 7 miles after the race, I thought it was better safe than sorry. It was only 25 cents/hour.)
Aid stations: 4 aid stations about 1.5-2 miles apart on the way out, which you hit again on the way back. Water and Gatorade only; no gels or fruit.
Bathrooms: About 10 porta potties at the start – there was a really, really long line, suggesting that perhaps there could’ve been more? There were toilets along the course, preceded by “toilets ahead” signs which I thought was a thoughtful touch.
Swag: A generic medal, a t-shirt (which I never got), and a virtual goodie bag. The virtual goodie bag was geared more towards Redwood City residents and didn’t have any deals that interested me. No race photographers, but TVRC member Peter was on the course taking pictures of the pacers. Since this is a charity race, I don’t think many people expected that much swag.
Post-race food/drink: Cups of water and Gatorade at the finish, along with coffee cake, bagels, and fruit. There were about 4-5 tents set up as a modest post-race expo.
Misc.: What I liked about this race: it’s a small, community event that benefits local schools. There were a lot of thoughtful touches, like signs for bathrooms and water ahead, and even signs for Gatorade and water at each aid station. For a small event, they took runners’ interests seriously by obtaining USATF certification and having properly-placed mile markers. Race logistics were super easy. What I didn’t like: the course was really boring and ugly in parts. Running along the 101 and through some of the industrial parks was a bummer. I was glad it was overcast at least.
If you are looking to PR at this race: Be aware that even though the course is flat, there are a number of potential pitfalls, such as mixed surfaces (hello, gravel), mind-numbing scenery, no shade, and GPS inaccuracy (may have been due to cloud cover?). However, it’s very well supported and USATF certified, so if you’re looking for a time qualifier, this might be a perfect course for you.
My first half marathon
I ran the 2014 Oktober half marathon which was my first ever half marathon. It was a great starter half marathon, however, I should have prepared more for the heat. … MORE
I ran the 2014 Oktober half marathon which was my first ever half marathon. It was a great starter half marathon, however, I should have prepared more for the heat. I was coastal running for my training but redwood city was about 10 degrees hotter that day. The swag was okay but I was hoping for more foods and goodies, but I understand this is a charity race for the redwood city school district. I ran the 2015 Oktober half marathon with my husband and it was our pregnancy announcement run as well. I enjoyed the 2015 race because there were plenty of porta potties on the way (about 1 every 2 miles) and the weather that year was not as scorching as 2014. They gave out technical shirts both years which are not my favorite since I like to keep adding cotton shirts to my race shirt quilt that I’m sewing. There is not much incline in this race. The start of the race changed from 2014-2015 and started in the city near Kaiser Hospital in 2015. We are planning to run the Oktober run 2016 and make this our “Annual Family Half Marathon”
family-friendly fun run in redwood city!
i participated in last year's edition of this family-friendly event and was eager to sign up once again. for reasons that are unknown to me, the organizers decided to move … MORE
i participated in last year’s edition of this family-friendly event and was eager to sign up once again. for reasons that are unknown to me, the organizers decided to move the race from the last weekend in september to the 4th weekend in october this year.
just like last year, they offered the same 2 distances for participants to run:
half marathon (13.1 miles)
5k (3.1 miles)
i chose the 5k since i wanted to see if i could beat last year’s 5k time.
the pros:
+MEDIUM-SIZED event with about 1500 participants between the 2 events (up from 1200+ last year)
+FAIR REGISTRATION PRICES only $30 for 5k since i signed up during the early bird period. $60 for the half marathon.
+BIB AND TSHIRT pickup on wed, thurs, and fri before the race at various locations along the peninsula
+DRI-FIT SHIRT with the “OktobeRun” logo. this year’s shirt was a bright orange colour, very timely for the weekend before halloween. although i preferred last year’s long sleeve version, this year’s short sleeve had a nicer design.
+FREE PARKING in downtown rwc’s parking lots (all day) and along the streets (if you leave before 10am, when meters go into effect)
+LOTS of PORTA-POTTIES at the start line, in several different clumps to avoid congestion. i didn’t have to wait more than a few minutes before it was my turn!
+FLAT course with just a couple of short inclines.
+CLEAR MILE MARKER signage at every mile, also clear signage for the 5k turnaround so that we would not run longer than the specified distance!
+STAGGERED start times, 7.30am for the half and 7.45am for the 5k to avoid congestion along the course
+VARIETY OF POST-RACE REFRESHMENTS, which included assorted bagels, bananas, coffee cake, NESTLE chocolate milk, and KIND STRONG bars. water and electrolyte drink to sip on after finishing.
+CUPS of water available at the finish. props to the organizers for not giving out bottled water and using recyclable paper cups to help save the environment!
+LOTS OF FRIENDLY VOLUNTEERS assisting with bib pickup and registration pre-race, manning the aid stations on the course, directing runners, and handing out refreshments after the finish line.
+VERY SHORT DRIVE from home, only b/c i live in rwc….about a 4 minute drive to a street parking spot from home!
the cons:
-the 5k was a bit too long as my garmin read 3.18 miles instead of 3.1 or 3.11 miles, which is the official correct distance for a 5k race. i could have shaved about 30 seconds off my time had the course been the correct distance.
-while the half marathon finishers received medals at the end, there were no medals for the 5k finishers. it would have been nice to have even a small medal as a 5k runner, and i certainly wouldn’t mind paying a few extra $$ to have a medal for this distance (hint, hint to race organizers for next year)
my results:
i was actually pretty happy about my finish time, a personal best pace, and finishing 10th female, and 3rd in my age group. my reward? a customized fleet feet sports glass. thank you fleet feet for sponsoring this event and providing some cool prizes to the top finishers! and thank you to the other sponsors and race organizers for putting on such a great event!
overall, i think this was a very well-organized local event and i enjoyed running in my hometown, something that i don’t get to do often since rwc doesn’t host that many races. i’m looking forward to running this event again and will definitely sign up for the half next time since it runs along a bigger portion of the bay and is much more scenic!
A well-organized, local, charity race
Course description: The course for the 2015 OktobeRun was out-and-back, about 85% the same as in 2014. Instead of in the Port of Redwood City, the start/finish area was a … MORE
Course description:
The course for the 2015 OktobeRun was out-and-back, about 85% the same as in 2014. Instead of in the Port of Redwood City, the start/finish area was a block-long section of a side street in downtown Redwood City, by the school district office building. From there runners of the half marathon and 5K went through a couple of downtown streets to a street that crosses US 101 freeway and has access to the Bay Trail near the marina of the port (about a mile in all). After going around the marina, 5K runners are on the trail for only about half a mile and then return to the finish area.
The half marathon follows the trail for another 5 miles to the turn-around. The scenery is varied – modern condo and townhouse complexes, marsh land (with levees and power distribution towers), house boats along the marina, US 101 (less than 20 feet away, with a chain-link fence between), modern business buildings, San Carlos Airport, open water with bay views (see pix). Some of the course is pleasant, and some … . Between city streets and paved trail, all but about 3 miles of the half marathon course is paved. There is very little shade along the course.
Organization & Production:
I did one of the pre-race packet pick-ups, arriving about the scheduled start time. The volunteers were still setting up, but with that, checking in several others ahead of me, and then getting my bib and T-shirt, it took 15 minutes or less. Pretty smooth and efficient!
The start/finish area had race-day registration and packet pick-up, sponsors’ tables, the timing people’s tables, and about a dozen portacans (one handicapped). The latter seemed adequate – lines, but not too long (the lines trailed into the area where runners were waiting to start). It got a bit snug just before the half marathon start, though there was more room at the very back for more starters. The sound system was not audible and intelligible at the back.
The number of aid stations was appropriate for a race with a good number of participants who don’t do races very often. Like last year, the stations had water, Gatorade, and helpful volunteers. The course marking was a bit better than last year, with chalk arrows at every turn or curve or transition, and helpful and encouraging volunteers directing runners at such points. Getting lost would have taken considerable effort. This year the Tri-Valley Running Club provided pacers for runners wanting to finish with a particular time.
I was the last half marathon runner/walker to finish. While few other runners were about, there were plenty of volunteers to cheer, give out medals, and such.
Swag & Goodies:
T-shirt – ‘roid-rage pumpkin orange, short-sleeved, tech type. The front has “5th Annual”, race name, logo, location, and date. The back has sponsors’ logos. VERY. Nice (see pix). Volunteers were (apparently) given similar, purple, T-shirts – very visible and a nice race memento.
Bib – race name and logo (no date), color-coded for and has the distance, runner’s name, and bib number. Also very nice
Finisher’s medal – Crown trophy “Titan Insert Medal” https://www.crowntrophy.com/medalshome/insertmedals/89-titan-insert; 4”, stars around the edge, plastic-coated printed paper insert with race name, date, and “FINISHER”. Plain black ribbon (see pic).
Magnetic sticker – given to half marathon finishers, a “13.1” white oval magnet with the race name/logo and date. I don’t know of any other race that does something similar – very nice!
Finish area goodies – Very decent. I was offered water soon after receiving my finisher’s medal, and the food table had orange wedges, cut up bananas, bagels, and coffee cake from a sponsor. I was the last finisher, and there was more than plenty available.
My Results & Opinion of the Race:
There is a lot to like in this race. When it comes to organization, the OktobeRun is well done, start to finish, and almost entirely with volunteer people. The only professional aspect of the organization I recognized was the race timing – A Change of Pace Foundation – which totally makes sense, and ACOPF does it well. Some of the course is very pleasant. Most of the swag – T-shirt, bib, and “13.1” magnet – is excellent.
Some of the course is kind of meh. BUT, Redwood City Education Foundation had to make a choice (years ago, obviously). Situated where Redwood City is, RCEF had to choose between using the Bay Trail and using trails in nearby, hilly, parks. The park trails would be nice, but not very friendly to the families and more casual runners who are the largest proportion of the people RCEF needs to participate. RCEF wants this race to be a family-friendly event, and for that the relatively flat Bay Trail is the right choice.
The finisher’s medal … with 2015 OktobeRun I have 26 finisher’s medals, and it is probably my least favorite. It’s an off-the-shelf medallion with a plastic-coated printed paper insert. This race is, however, a charity fund-raiser, and I have since learned that this sort of medal is common for such races. Money for things like T-shirts and finisher’s medals should be used carefully.
I was very happy to have finished (unlike last year), with my finish time, and with my race experience “out there” on the course. Would I do the OktobeRun again? Probably, but probably not in 2016. That said, I didn’t anticipate, last year, doing the OktobeRun in 2015. It wasn’t my first choice when planning 2015, but when several circumstances made the OktobeRun my choice, I was totally fine with that (the date change to late October was nice – less likelihood of hot weather). So it’s not impossible that I’ll do the OktobeRun again next year.
Addendum: My original review had made critical remarks about the quality of the finisher’s medal. One (should) keep learning, and I have since learned that such medals are common in smallish charity races. So I have edited this review, offer, here, my apologies for criticizing without knowledge, and have bumped up my Swag rating from 2 to 3 shoes. I anticipate doing more such races in 2016.
well organized local race in RWC!
i had seen ads for this event in years past, but always had a conflict so could not participate until this year. still being somewhat new to rwc, i was … MORE
i had seen ads for this event in years past, but always had a conflict so could not participate until this year. still being somewhat new to rwc, i was eager to participate a race in my hometown since there aren’t too many of these!
for this event, participants had 2 distances to choose from:
half marathon (13.1 miles)
5k (3.1 miles)
i chose the 5k since i knew that i wouldn’t have enough time to train for the half.
the pros:
+MEDIUM-SIZED event with about 1200 participants between the 2 events
+FAIR REGISTRATION PRICES only $30 for 5k since i signed up during the early bird period. $60 for the half marathon.
+BIB AND TSHIRT pickup the weekend before and the day before at various locations along the peninsula
+LONG SLEEVE DRI-FIT SHIRT with the “OktobeRun” logo. i appreciated that they had both men’s/unisex fit and women’s cut available.
+FREE PARKING by the yacht club and other office complex parking lots which were a quarter mile from the start line
+FLAT course, i don’t think there was a single incline in the 5k course
+CLEAR MILE MARKER signage at every mile, also clear signage for the 5k turnaround so that we would not run longer than the specified distance!
+ACCURATE distance, at least for the 5k, since i got 3.1 miles on my garmin! kudos to the organizers for getting it right!
+STAGGERED start times, 8am for the half and 8:15am for the 5k to avoid congestion
+SEPARATE non-overlapping courses for the 2 distances so there was never any confusion or question of which course we were on
+VARIETY OF POST-RACE REFRESHMENTS, which included bagels, orange slices, bananas, coffee cake, NESTLE chocolate milk, KIND bars, and QUAKER granola bars.
+CUPS of waterr available at the finish. props to the organizers for not giving out bottled water and using recyclable paper cups!
+LOTS OF FRIENDLY VOLUNTEERS assisting with bib pickup and registration pre-race, manning the aid stations on the course, and handing out refreshments at the finish line.
+VERY SHORT DRIVE from home, only b/c i live in rwc….i don’t think i’ve ever been able to say that it took me 6 minutes to drive to the start!
the cons:
-i only saw one restroom structure near the start, and the line for the women’s room was quite long. i later saw that there were only 2 stalls inside. certainly not enough for a race of this size.
-5k course was not that interesting except for a small portion that ran alongside the bay (i’m told the half course was much more scenic)
-there was a runner with a stroller at the very front and partway into the race, it was a bit difficult for me to pass this runner. strollers should always be near the back so that faster runners, and runners without strollers, may be able to pass freely
-while the half marathon finishers received a medal at the end, there were no medals for the 5k finishers. it would have been nice to have even a small medal as a 5k runner, and i certainly wouldn’t mind paying a few extra $$ to have a medal for this distance (hint, hint to race organizers for next year)
since i had been traveling, i hadn’t had the time to properly train for this event, so i did it just for fun. to my surprise, i ended up finishing 10th female, and 3rd in my age group, so i walked away with a customized fleet feet sports glass. thank you fleet feet for sponsoring this event and providing some cool prizes to the top finishers! and thank you to the other sponsors and race organizers for putting on such a great event!
overall, i think this was a very well-organized local event and i enjoyed running along the port of redwood city, a place that i’d never even been to until this past weekend! i’m looking forward to running this event again and will definitely sign up for the half since it runs along a bigger portion of the bay!
Good organization; OK views; Weather
Course description: The OktobeRun is run in the Redwood City, CA area (guess in what month!). The 2014 start/finish area was at the Port of Redwood City (run in conjunction … MORE
Course description:
The OktobeRun is run in the Redwood City, CA area (guess in what month!). The 2014 start/finish area was at the Port of Redwood City (run in conjunction with the Redwood City Port Festival). The 2015 start/finish area will be at a school district office in downtown Redwood City. Most of its flat out-and-back course is along the Bay Trail, which mostly follows the shore of that part of San Francisco Bay. The Bay views are very pleasant. Parts of the trail go between the US Highway 101 freeway and a variety of business buildings and the San Carlos Airport. Those those views are less pleasant, and “feature” freeway traffic noise. The 2014 course had VERY little shade (I’m writing in June, 2015, and have not seen the first and last mile or so). Weather permitting, the course should be pretty good for doing a PR.
Organization & Production:
The OktobeRun is a fund-raiser for Redwood City schools, organized and run entirely by volunteers. That makes me feel badly about my 3-Shoe rating! Much that led to my low rating are things the organizers are “stuck” with: area geography (a park trail course would be more scenic, but also hilly, limiting the number of participants and less family-friendly); working in conjunction with another event; weather. I think the organizers selected and set up about as good a start/finish area and course as were available to them.
For being organized entirely by volunteers and only in its 4th running, race organization was somewhere between very good and excellent. I arrived before most of the volunteers. Most of the signage directing racers to parking and the start/finish area was not up yet (probably could not be done the night before). Being early is my habit for an event in an unfamiliar area, so I’ll take all the “blame” for that. There were a good number of porta-potties, though 100-200 yards away from the start/finish area and not very visible from the start/finish area. The placement was probably due to the Port Festival. A directing sign or two would have been helpful. There was one turn where the course was not marked and I went 40 or 50 yards off course. A nearby aid station volunteer quickly got me back on course. Aid stations were appropriate in location and number, and had water and Gatorade (basic but easily adequate; the race benefits a charity, and if I want a snack I can bring it; in other words, I’m fine with what they did). The stations were well stocked even late in the race. The volunteers at the aid stations were very helpful and encouraging. Organizing volunteers is like herding cats, so this is a sign of both good organization and good people volunteering. I’ll take excellent volunteers over elaborate aid station spreads any/every time!
Swag & Goodies:
There were plenty of after race goodies and activities in the finish area (quite well done for being set up in a business parking lot!), plus the nearby Port Festival (it will be less close in 2015, but on the same weekend). The race T-shirt is simple, but VERY nice (see pic). It is black and long-sleeved, humorously inappropriate for 2014’s very warm race day, so I didn’t wear it in the race. Evidently a previous year’s race weather was chilly. But being black and long-sleeved, and its simple elegance make it one of the favorite race T-shirts I have. I didn’t receive a finisher’s medal, but from what I saw it also was very nice. A perk for half marathon finishers is a magnetic “13.1” oval car sticker with the OktobeRun logo (I hope they have these again in 2015!).
My Results & Opinion of the Race:
Would I do the OktobeRun again? My race experience was less than pleasant: heat and lack of shade; dropping out of the race at the Mile 10 aid station due to being too aggressive (mea goofa!) and both calves cramping early (before Mile 3!); the partly less than pretty course. On the up-side, I got a ride back to the finish area, and the volunteers at that aid station were very helpful! The organizers could not control these less pleasant things; some were my poor judgment and luck. On the other hand, the venue, course and weather are part of any race experience. All in all, I would consider doing the OktobeRun again. “Beating” the only half marathon course, so far, that has “beat” me is some incentive. And it really is well organized. It isn’t on my must-do list, however due to a change of plans I am considering doing it again in 2015.