Tiburon Half Marathon
Tiburon, CA
- Half Marathon, 10K, 5K
- Road (Paved)
- Official race website
2020 EVENT WILL BE VIRTUAL ONLY. *** The spectacular, unique “lollipop” course of the Tiburon Half Marathon provides natural beauty and breathtaking bay views, with a boutique style emphasis on each participant. Starting and finishing in Tiburon and traversing the Strawberry Peninsula, you will be rewarded with stunning views of … MORE
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Very beautiful scenery
I really enjoyed the scenery in this race and was glad that I chose the 10K run since you get to see a lot more scenery than on the 5K … MORE
I really enjoyed the scenery in this race and was glad that I chose the 10K run since you get to see a lot more scenery than on the 5K runner course. The course was mostly flat (though the elevation occasionally changes) which sometimes made it feel even longer while I was running. I did enjoy the race though and we got to see the sunrise too which was beautiful. I just wish the shirt was a different color instead of white and that the medals or lanyards for them said which distance you ran (the medals were nice though). The swag we got at the packet pickup pretty good too (had a tote bag, two drinks and other products inside to try). I had fun at this race and definitely want to run it again next year.
Tough hills, great scenery
This was a nicely organized race and I really enjoyed the course. Gorgeous view of Angel Island and the Golden Gate Bridge at the start, then some nice running along … MORE
This was a nicely organized race and I really enjoyed the course. Gorgeous view of Angel Island and the Golden Gate Bridge at the start, then some nice running along Richardson Bay. Like a lot of elevation charts, this one did not quite do the course justice. There are some tough, severe hills in the middle miles, in particular a short, steep climb at Mile 4, a longer climb at Mile 6, and a steady climb around Mile 8 that curved around and kept going after you thought it would be over. I was very happy with my time considering the difficulty of the course. The field of runners seemed faster than some other half marathons I’ve run. The medal is a honker, and the long-sleeve technical shirt was nice. Post-race festivities were not huge, but well hosted by Whole Foods.
My only complaint is that, like a lot of other races, this course will have you overlapping with the slower 5K and 10K runners, so you’ll have to do some dodging and calling out, “On your left!” in the last 3 miles. Seems like rearranging start times could have alleviated this. Maybe have the 5K and 10K start first, or at least immediately following the start of the Half, and not a half-hour later.
Hilly but scenic race
I ran the Tiburon Half as the 2:20 pacer with the TriValley Runners. Cost: My entry was comped, since I was pacing, but registration was $110 close to race day. … MORE
I ran the Tiburon Half as the 2:20 pacer with the TriValley Runners.
Cost: My entry was comped, since I was pacing, but registration was $110 close to race day. The race was oversold, but the field was still quite small.
Course: Starts and ends in downtown Tiburon. It was more scenic than I expected. About a third of the race is run along the water, and the rest is in residential areas. ~500 feet of elevation gain, according to my Garmin. Not a great course to PR, unless you’re used to hills.
Parking: There’s lots of free street parking around the start/finish area (Tiburon Blvd. & Beach Rd.), but also a few paid lots ($5/day).
Aid stations: There were a lot of aid stations! They all had water and electrolyte (I think it was lemon lime Gatorade). They were handing out Hammer Gels at several aid stations (I want to say at 3 or 4 of them). However, the spacing of the aid stations was random. Some of them were clustered really close together, and then there would be a longer stretch without one. This wouldn’t be a problem, except there was no information about aid stations on their website.
Bathrooms: Two long rows of porta potties at the start/finish area with a some along the way in the first few miles. I didn’t see any bathrooms for a large portion of the race (though, to be fair, I wasn’t looking).
Swag: This race was oversold, so the pacers did not get t-shirts (which said “Finisher” on them – kind of bad luck to hand them out pre-race?). The medals were pretty standard, but on the boring side. For those finishing the Tri-City Challenge, they got an additional medal and a fleece vest. Each finisher also got a nice Whole Foods tote bag with lots of free samples of decent things, like a Honey Stinger Waffle, an Rx bar, and 2 bottles of water (well, one is actually pHenoOH – “Intelligent Alkaline Hydration Beverage”).
Post-race food/drink: there was bottled water and kombucha at the Whole Foods tent, and a TON of samples to try from other tents. Since I still had 4 more miles to run after the race, I just grabbed some water and fruit.
Misc.: I really can’t complain about race day execution for the Tiburon Half. The volunteers were great, the finish area was nice, and the course was very well-marked. The one criticism I have about organization is the race website. It has some of the most basic information, but the start/finish location was not obvious. Also, as I mentioned above, the aid station information was no where to be found. I’m also a bit disappointed that the course came up short, and I wasn’t even racing this. If they can fix these things, I think this could be a really great event!
Some nice views, not worth the entry fee
''Embrace the Bay''. Beautiful views of the Bay Area as we Run 13.1 miles. I had a good time Running this as a pacer with my girlfriend for her first … MORE
”Embrace the Bay”. Beautiful views of the Bay Area as we Run 13.1 miles.
I had a good time Running this as a pacer with my girlfriend for her first Half Marathon (for her Birthday!) and diverted away from my usual going it solo, it’s much more fun with friends.
Let’s break this event down:
+ Easy sign up
+ Nice bunch of Volunteers
+ Tech TShirt for all finishers+ Beautiful views
+Really nice lady pacing the 2:45 who we chatted with after the event and gave me information on the company she paces for so I can do some in future. Yay!
– Charged $10 just to get mailed the bib as ”no race day packet pick up” but then TShirts must be collected day of? Lame.
– ”Virtual goody bag”. Never received anything.
– Post Run food was poor. Dried out plain Bagels, Red Vines, Orange Slices and Banana’s (at least there was one good thing!) I didn’t see the HINT water they were supposed to either.
– Same medal for 5k and Half Marathon runners. I think if you’re Running 10 miles more you deserve a different medal especially when you pay more to enter too.
– Supposed to get free photo’s but were charging $25 for ONE!