Raymond Jacobson's Staging Area

Things have changed since I ran this race the first time in 2016. I’m not entirely complaining because some of the changes had to happen, and some of the perks that used to exist I never took advantage of the first time. But the following things made the event seem like it lost a bit of its former luster:

1) When I ran it four years ago, it was the Napa Valley MARATHON. Now it is the Napa Valley Marathon and Half Marathon. I happen to love a good half marathon, and I’m sure it made good business sense for the organizers to incorporate the half marathon distance into the event, and the starting time and place for the Half were well planned to avoid congestion on the course. But something about the event now feels less purely devoted to marathoners. We even all got the same shirt and medal.
2) Headphones/earbuds are allowed. Previously, they could get you DQ’d. This one probably had to happen, but I liked the no headphones policy. It forced people to actually engage in the race and not just zone out to their tunes.
3) There are pacers. Again, maybe this one had to happen, but when I ran it before, there were no pacers allowed, which meant you had to do the work yourself. I thought that was pretty old school bad-ass.
4) There’s no longer an option to place personalized drinks at the aid stations. This is a perk I never took advantage of, and probably wouldn’t have this time around, but I thought it was cool that Napa used to allow any runner, not just the elites, to place personalized drinks at the aid stations of their choosing.
5) No showers at the end. Again, I didn’t opt for this the first time and probably wouldn’t have this time. I really just wanted to get back to the hotel. But I thought it was cool that runners could shower in the Vintage High gym if they chose.

All of the above were fairly minor annoyances, so on to my two biggest complaints:

1) The bus schedule got us to the starting line 45 minutes prior to the race start. Not enough time to use the porta potties more than once. The marathon start-time has been moved back from 7:00 to 7:30, which is fine, but my memory of the previous bus schedule was that we arrived at the starting line in Calistoga at least an hour prior. Which brings me to my biggest complaint,
2) Not enough porta potties at the starting line. I do not remember this being a problem 4 years ago. This year, I disembarked from the bus as soon as it arrived and spent the next 30 minutes in line for the potty. That didn’t leave a whole lot of time for warm-up, gear check, and general mental preparation. I’m guessing there were maybe 100 outhouses for over 2000 runners. Perhaps the organizers are trying to force more people into paying for the VIP tent.

All that said, you cannot beat the scenery on this course, it has surprisingly good spectator support considering the limited access points, and the volunteers who roam the course on bicycle are amazing cheerleaders. This race definitely has strong community support. You feel like you’re welcome there from the moment you arrive at the small, but runner-friendly, expo to the time you are recuperating with hot soup and bread after the finish. While I didn’t run my personal best, I was proud that I finally managed an even split in a marathon, and the nature of this course is conducive to even- or negative-splits. I would still recommend this race to any first-time or repeat marathoner.

You run this race for the scenery and the serenity, not for the swag and perks. This is obviously not a big-city race, so don’t expect many spectators cheering you on, and if you rely on a GPS watch, you might as well leave it at home because you probably won’t have a signal. Don’t expect pacers either. Also, this is one of the few races that still prohibits headphones/earbuds (okay, more like strongly discourages them, and they will get you DQ’d if you’re a top competitor). There is no expo, per se, but rather a packet pick-up with a couple of tables for local vendors. That being said, the aid stations are plentiful and well-placed, and the vibe is friendly and encouraging, so you’re not exactly on your own.

Lodging: Unless you want to tent- or RV-camp, your best bets are Garberville 25 miles to the south or Eureka 40 miles to the north.

Pre-race: I recommend picking up your bib the day before, even if it means more driving. Race-day pickup is available, but you’ll want to get there early. Take Exit 667 on race morning. Do not take Exit 663 even if the exit is open, because the way to the starting line will be blocked and you’ll have to turn around and go the opposite direction on 101 for a few miles before you right yourself back to the north. Even if you already picked up your bib, still arrive early, because parking takes time. Volunteers did their best to guide people into an unmarked dirt-lot parking by the Eel River, even though some drivers ignored their directions and made their own spots, but the whole process took time, and you’ll still have to walk to the start line.

Gear check: None to speak of, so it’s best to leave your gear in your car. I kept being told there was a white pick-up where bags could be dropped, but it was unclear which white pick-up was being referred to, so that led to a little bit of stress in the final minutes before the race.

Scenery: Stunningly beautiful. You’ll want to look around and appreciate it. Even if temperatures are warmer than ideal, you’ll be almost entirely under the canopy of the trees, so it will feel much cooler. There was only a short stretch in the town of Weott that was exposed–you’ll encounter this stretch both out and back–but it couldn’t have represented more than a mile total. The only time I didn’t appreciate the beauty of the course was in the last few miles when it’s hard to appreciate anything other than the pain.

Course difficulty: There were gentle rollers throughout, but no real hills until a short steep overpass just past Mile 25. You’ll actually run up the other side of this overpass around Mile 14, but it won’t faze you much. When you hit it again at Mile 25, it feels like a mountain. My calves began cramping near the top, and this was the closest I’ve come to walking in any of the marathons I’ve run. For me, the most difficult part of this course was the double out-and-back layout. The first half is out-and-back to the west, and the second half is out-and-back to the south. There are not many courses like this, and while I initially thought that the course design would break the race into handy little fourths, I actually found it mentally tough to embark on that second out, all the while wondering why it was taking so long to reach the turnaround, and then retrace my footsteps. For me, a point-to-point course seems psychologically more feasible.

This was my second year in a row running this race, and like last year, the race production was seamless. This is a very well-organized event. The weather was perfect, just like last year, and the spectator support is there from start to finish. Small note: I love running through the start line to the sound of Cake’s “The Distance.”

As always, this is a fast field, so don’t be intimidated by the speedsters, and just run your race. Go easy in the first couple of miles, because it’s a downhill start, and you’ll have a tendency to go out too fast.

My only complaint this year was that there didn’t seem to be a course photographer. I don’t think there was anyone snapping photos along the course, and at the finish, where you ordinarily pose with your medal, there was no one. There was just the option to line up in front of the CIM sign and have your loved one snap photos of you. Hmm. Maybe something fell through with the photography company at the end, or maybe cost-cutting?

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.

I certainly haven’t run them all, but this one has to rank up there. I LOVE this course, not only for its scenery, but also for its hill work in Miles 7-9 that is difficult enough to make it interesting, but not so difficult as to scare off a PR. The post-race festival with wine- and beer-tasting and the live band rocks. Great bling and great runner support. I could not have PR’d without the help of the awesome 1:35 pacer from the Tri-Valley Running Club. I wish I knew that guy’s name. He was a perfect pacer through the uphill and downhill portions, and then pushed us out of the nest like little ducklings and sent us chasing after our best times.

This is the second year my daughter and I have run this Father’s Day race and it’s becoming a fun tradition. In it’s 23rd year, this run is well established with good local sponsorship and a surprisingly fast field of repeat runners. The course is flat as a pancake, but fully half of it is on a gravel trail, which definitely takes a few seconds per mile from your time. Race swag includes coupons to local restaurants and a shirt, but this year’s shirt (a puke-orange cotton blend) was hideous compared to last year’s awesome technical tee. All in all, a great tradition and a truly fun run. Be sure to hang out for the raffle, where they give out some nice prizes. Medals for the top finishers in their categories. I was proud to win 3rd in my division, but even prouder of my daughter, who won 1st in hers.

This race had a nice vibe as it benefited the Concerns of Police Survivors, and there were a lot of people running in honor of fallen officers. I figured my car was fairly safe from break-in with all the cops present. It was a very kid-friendly event, there were lots of beautiful K9s, and the helicopter that flew in at the end of the race was a nice surprise.

As far as the course is concerned, holy confusion. I couldn’t duplicate my route on that course again. There was so much doubling back and intersecting and running cross-direction with other runners, I’m just glad I wasn’t in the lead, or I would have led everyone astray. Volunteers did help direct traffic, but there were a few places where passing other runners in cross-traffic was tight. This was a trail race, but the hills were fairly short and moderate and the footing was good. Don’t hold back too much, as it is fairly fast for a trail race.

This was my first marathon, so I don’t have anything to compare it to, but I can’t imagine a marathon with better runner support. Though I didn’t take advantage of this perk, the race allows any runner–not just elites–to have special drinks placed at the aid stations of their choosing. Aid stations were run like well-oiled machines and bike-mounted race officials roamed the course, not only looking for signs of trouble, but also shouting encouragement. When I crossed the line looking a little loopy, an official took me by the arm and escorted me to the medals and the photographer, all the while asking me how I was doing and keeping me talking and walking. Showers and massages were available post-race. Everything about this race was first-class, reflecting the fact that it is a small, intimate race that has been in existence for 38 years and benefits from fantastic sponsorship and community support. Before the race, I was told by several people that there is not enough spectator access and that there are too many long, lonely stretches of monotonous scenery. I actually found the scenery quite varied and inspiring, and the spectator support was great, from the top of the Silverado Trail where several residents blared the themes from Chariots of Fire and Rocky from driveway loudspeakers, to the middle and late segments, where spectators can access the course from several feeder roads. My family was able to cheer me on at two different points, as well as the finish line. The course is not super difficult, but does not really feel like the net downhill course it is. There are rolling hills throughout. Beware the sneaker hill from mile 19 to 20–it’s not terribly steep, but still takes something out of you. Miles 20 to 23 are your straightest, loneliest stretch, but once you make the turn onto Big Ranch Road, you’re in a residential neighborhood with lots of cheering. When you hit mile 25, you can hear the finish line and it pulls you in. All in all, I am so glad that I chose this to be my first marathon.

Very cool course showcasing the landmarks of Oakland. Packet pickup was better organized than the sister race in Livermore. Could have used a little more volunteer support during the last 5k around Lake Merritt because the course path was a tad confusing in a couple of places and I got momentarily worried that I was following Sunday morning joggers instead of fellow racers. No way to close off the Lake Merritt trail, though. You just have to dodge a few walkers, it’s not that big of a deal. The potholes and uneven pavement mentioned in other reviews were really not that bad if you’re used to trail running. A bit of hill work from about Mile 6 to 7, but not as much as Livermore. I debated giving the “Race Swag” a 5-shoe rating, because the medal and Mason jar and Brita water bottle were all very cool. Only the Virtual Goodie Bag could have been a little better.

This is a combination street and trail run, although the trails are paved. Decent hill from Mile 7.5 to Mile 9. This was my first Half and a lot of fun to run. Well organized, except for packet pick-up which took entirely too long.