A thoroughly enjoyable course! 1.5 miles of paved road (downhill with a bit of "rolling" for the last half mile) 9.1-ish miles of a mixture of wide trail and single … MORE
A thoroughly enjoyable course!
1.5 miles of paved road (downhill with a bit of “rolling” for the last half mile)
9.1-ish miles of a mixture of wide trail and single track with lots of water crossings. Most of it flat or uphill except some downhill near the end. Followed by more uphill 😉
2.5 miles of bombing downhill on pavement.
An absolutely beautiful course. So green out there after our monstrous rains. Hills near the end of the trail portion were — challenging to see the least, which is exactly what I wanted.
HOWEVER…..
There were multiple creek crossings where racers paused to rock hop across them to keep their feet dry. Fair enough; I simply passed them by and ran through the water. But there were crossings where dozens of racers stood in line due to the narrowness of the trail, which made it very uncomfortable for me to squeeze my way through and run through the water, apologizing as I went.
Folks, this is a trail race! You are supposed to run through the water! Embrace wet feet, and appreciate the fact you aren’t running another paved race course.
I know a few of you got mad at me (I could hear you complain as I passed you). But
a small jagged rock splashed its way between my heel and my shoe orthotic at one crossing I ran through, which caused a hellish blister to form and which took almost a month to heal. So, yeah.
Truly Amazing! (But just one thing...)
A thoroughly enjoyable course! 1.5 miles of paved road (downhill with a bit of "rolling" for the last half mile) 9.1-ish miles of a mixture of wide trail and single … MORE
A thoroughly enjoyable course!
1.5 miles of paved road (downhill with a bit of “rolling” for the last half mile)
9.1-ish miles of a mixture of wide trail and single track with lots of water crossings. Most of it flat or uphill except some downhill near the end. Followed by more uphill 😉
2.5 miles of bombing downhill on pavement.
An absolutely beautiful course. So green out there after our monstrous rains. Hills near the end of the trail portion were — challenging to see the least, which is exactly what I wanted.
HOWEVER…..
There were multiple creek crossings where racers paused to rock hop across them to keep their feet dry. Fair enough; I simply passed them by and ran through the water. But there were crossings where dozens of racers stood in line due to the narrowness of the trail, which made it very uncomfortable for me to squeeze my way through and run through the water, apologizing as I went.
Folks, this is a trail race! You are supposed to run through the water! Embrace wet feet, and appreciate the fact you aren’t running another paved race course.
I know a few of you got mad at me (I could hear you complain as I passed you). But
a small jagged rock splashed its way between my heel and my shoe orthotic at one crossing I ran through, which caused a hellish blister to form and which took almost a month to heal. So, yeah.
Awesome, Truely a "Great Race"
I love this race! It's local, well organized, very family friendly, great races. I have done all distances they offer, the half marathon is mostly trail with hills, beautiful scenery. … MORE
I love this race! It’s local, well organized, very family friendly, great races. I have done all distances they offer, the half marathon is mostly trail with hills, beautiful scenery. The 10K is nice, part nature, part neighborhood, with a few steep hills in the middle. The 5K is super fast! The 1 mile is fun, also as a family run for the kids, strollers, dogs… And all races are on the same day, with the same finish line, and it all works out perfectly! And of course we all run for the free pancakes afterwards, and the free burrito, free coffee, free snacks… Great finish line area with music and food, vendors. I recommend this race to anyone, beginner or pro, it’s so much fun!
Review in 10k race
Will write full review in the Great Race 10k. I ran both as the 15k combo. If I ran this again, I'd register for both separately, not as the combo. … MORE
Will write full review in the Great Race 10k. I ran both as the 15k combo. If I ran this again, I’d register for both separately, not as the combo. Details when I complete the 10k review. Course is pretty easy, a bit of incline after .75m or so, but lots plenty of downhill. NOT the same route as the 10k after the first mile or so. 1st AG
Review in progress
Terrific organization. Really tough course (more of that PR thing organizers do to get you to register: they show a course elevation that is a fantasy) but super-well done and … MORE
Terrific organization. Really tough course (more of that PR thing organizers do to get you to register: they show a course elevation that is a fantasy) but super-well done and a good challenge. 3rd AG I’m waiting to write a full review until a question/concern I emailed them about it answered. In the meantime, I highly recommend this race. Will be back in a couple days with details.
Amazing views
Great local race. Terrific views on Santa Monica mountains. Awesome post race party. The course is hilly and may be challenging for new runners. MORE
Great local race. Terrific views on Santa Monica mountains. Awesome post race party. The course is hilly and may be challenging for new runners.