Star City San Bruno Mountain Half Marathon
San Bruno, CA
- Half Marathon, 5K
- Trail (Unpaved)
- Official race website
The Excelsior Running Club is proud to present the annual Star City San Bruno Mountain Half Marathon! Sure to become one of the top trail half marathons in the country, the race boasts spectacular views of the Pacific, Bay and San Francisco. Plus, a portion of your registration fee will go … MORE
Local Historical Weather (Oct 03):
| 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | |
| H (°F) | 68 | 88 | 74 | 70 | 84 |
| L (°F) | 60 | 61 | 54 | 56 | 57 |
Find Nearby Lodging (hotel, rental, etc.):
One big climb
I recommend the Star City Half Marathon. I rate it within the top five (of more than 175 halves to date) for the difficulty, due to the vertical gain up San … MORE
I recommend the Star City Half Marathon. I rate it within the top five (of more than 175 halves to date) for the difficulty, due to the vertical gain up San Bruno Mountain (the others being the Double Dipsea, Mt. Montara, and Mt. Diablo, all in the San Francisco Bay Area; and Colorado races up Kendall Mountain, though I did shorter distances out there). My watches clocked this at about 2500 feet, give or take, which is considerable; I have done 3200 feet before, and that is about the maximum I would consider. This is in the village of Brisbane, nicknamed “Star City.” It is just fifteen minutes from home. They arrange for parking in nearby lots. The field is sparse, maybe 150.
Almost all the challenge of this race is the initial ascent. You head upward after one block, initially through an older residential neighborhood, then into the woods. Scaling the slope, which was blustery, I was reminded of when I was a in law school in Ann Arbor and a driver in a Yugo was blown off the Mackinac bridge to her death. I thought I would never make it. I was not the only one struggling.
I consume maybe one gel in a typical race. I had four on this occasion, including a vanilla flavored one which was vile but which I squeezed the last out of for the energy boost. I prefer the solid versions of the same sustenance, the chews.
The rest of the route was okay, with a long descent, some of it treacherous; a section through an area with a solar system model “to scale,” which means the planets are spread out vast distances; another section through a new subdivision development; and a final mile along a dirt road behind warehouses. The views are spectacular. I am spoiled running in San Francisco. You become accustomed to vistas suitable for a “destination race.” I didn’t even stop to look, which makes me a bad human being.
I got the volunteer at the end to laugh with me. This is how important context is to communication, since the literal words were hostile. At maybe mile 12.5, so minutes from the finish line, the path came to a fork, with one branch leading onward directly and another branch ascending a steep but short paved hill. The volunteer directed me up the latter. I said, oh, man, I don’t like you. It was obvious that was a joke about the final climb.
I was the last male, sixteen minutes ahead of the last female.
Much harder than you might think
This is a little race in the sense of a limited field. It is a big race in terms of vertical gain. I'm a little off in my assessment. I … MORE
This is a little race in the sense of a limited field. It is a big race in terms of vertical gain. I’m a little off in my assessment. I am approaching 100 half marathons, run in 5 years, but I had a serious health problem and had to take a year off, and I’m much slower as I try to make a comeback.
Anyway, this is comparable to Mt. Montara or the Dipsea. I had not realized that. It is one big, steep hill at the beginning. The views are great. The end is through a suburban development and then along a path behind some sort of warehouse, but by then I was beat and didn’t care.
They do this in conjunction with a local music festival. You get free admission and a hamburger or pulled pork sandwich from the Lions or Rotary (can’t recall). So that is a bonus.
I recommend this race. You just need to take it seriously.
I think I was the fourth from last, and the second to last male. I might have been fifth from last. But you get the idea.