Overall Rating
Overall Rating (193 Reviews)
4.1
(193 Ratings)  (193 Reviews)
DIFFICULTY
2.4
SCENERY
4.1
PRODUCTION
3.9
SWAG
3.5
The Kaiser Permanente San Francisco Half Marathon® is a runner’s favorite for its scenery and value. A fast and certified course through San Francisco’s scenic Golden Gate Park, the race has been selected as Road Race of the Year by the Road Runners Club of America several times. The 5K, … MORE
Local Historical Weather (Feb 02):
  2024 2023 2022 2021 2020
 
H (°F)  58  59  62  60  62
L (°F)  49  39  48  52  51
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Recent reviews

    Cancelled 30 minutes before the race. No refunds, no deferrals. These race organizers just don't want to get sued. They don't actually care about people's safety. MORE

    Cancelled 30 minutes before the race. No refunds, no deferrals. These race organizers just don’t want to get sued. They don’t actually care about people’s safety.

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    Race was rerouted, then half marathon was diverted to 10K, then the whole event was cancelled 30 minutes before the scheduled start. Hundreds of runners and families were already there … MORE

    Race was rerouted, then half marathon was diverted to 10K, then the whole event was cancelled 30 minutes before the scheduled start. Hundreds of runners and families were already there warming up. Only correspondence was through email. Terrible organizers and horrible decision makers.

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    atielkin FIRST-TIMER '24

    The org is disputing people’s valid credit card charge backs after they canceled the race less than 30 minutes before the start. The weather was forecast to be bad a … MORE

    The org is disputing people’s valid credit card charge backs after they canceled the race less than 30 minutes before the start. The weather was forecast to be bad a week before. No options to defer or refund, even for people who bought race insurance. Shady. No apologies from org. They also blocked all comments on recent posts because of all the negative feedback.

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    jaydeee REPEAT RUNNER '24

    Just a really disappointing event. I understand weather happens but the race management response to everything was just inexcusable. Wasn’t going to leave a review but getting their follow up … MORE

    Just a really disappointing event. I understand weather happens but the race management response to everything was just inexcusable. Wasn’t going to leave a review but getting their follow up email 2 days later with no apology saying you understood the risks when you signed up is just crazy to me. I had paid for a refundable registration as well and that was denied. Read the other reviews to see what happened this year but in addition to being out the race & refundable $ also hotels Ubers etc. could’ve been canceled three days before. will not be participating next year maybe surf city instead.

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    emhboyd REPEAT RUNNER '24

    Echoing many reviewers below, beyond this being a disappointing experience this was horribly mismanaged overall. Race cancelled shortly before the start putting all participants/volunteers in harms way, unclear communication, lack … MORE

    Echoing many reviewers below, beyond this being a disappointing experience this was horribly mismanaged overall. Race cancelled shortly before the start putting all participants/volunteers in harms way, unclear communication, lack of any empathy or refunds even for those with insurance purchased. No offer to defer to next year at the bare minimum.

    Comments off on instagram posts says it all. First sold out race – quick way to ensure none of those participants return.

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    scottgoblue314 REPEAT RUNNER '24

    This would have been my third time running this race, but the organizers botched their response to severe weather conditions so badly that I won't be back. While local authorities … MORE

    This would have been my third time running this race, but the organizers botched their response to severe weather conditions so badly that I won’t be back.

    While local authorities were begging people to stay home days in advance, Kaiser Half first tried to change the course start/finish locations in an email that didn’t reach all participants. Then less than 2 hours before the start time, they announced (again, email only) that the Half was cancelled but the 10k and 5k would proceed. And less than *30 minutes* before the start, a full cancellation email went out.

    Hundreds of runners were already in place. Others were at the original start line, alone. Any competent person who cared about runner safety would have cancelled the event the moment local authorities told them to change the course. The last blow was organizers waiting 2+ days to reach out with no apology for endangering people, butna callous reminder that everything was nonrundable. Keep your shirt, I won’t be back.

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    aadyotb REPEAT RUNNER '24

    due to weather, the race was cancelled 30min before the start of the event, with no rescheduling and no refunds. I ran this race 2022 and 2023, but will never MORE

    due to weather, the race was cancelled 30min before the start of the event, with no rescheduling and no refunds. I ran this race 2022 and 2023, but will never be back.

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    nguyenpaulman FIRST-TIMER '24

    Not only did they cancel 30 minutes prior to the race starting, but the insurance is DENYING my claim! VERY SHADY! I'm also very salty, never will I buy anything … MORE

    Not only did they cancel 30 minutes prior to the race starting, but the insurance is DENYING my claim! VERY SHADY! I’m also very salty, never will I buy anything related to these people!

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    rundevilrun FIRST-TIMER '24

    We knew the storm was coming by Wednesday. Route was modified on Friday to drop GGP. 1hr prior to the race, half was cancelled to 10k. Only 30mins prior to … MORE

    We knew the storm was coming by Wednesday. Route was modified on Friday to drop GGP. 1hr prior to the race, half was cancelled to 10k. Only 30mins prior to the race, they decided to cancel the race.

    I’m not mad about the weather, I’m not mad about the cancellation. What’s not ok is being completely indecisive about it when the risks and the information was clearly in front of our faces, and making the decision 30minutes before the start gun. So many people were en route, high on caffeine/pre-workouts, already in their gear, some having traveled far to get this done against all odds. The weather forecast didn’t change much since like Friday, and the conditions actually got better than predicted. While the organizers claim to act on “extreme caution”, I wouldn’t call powering through the race despite the forecast and canceling 30mins prior as being extremely cautious – that’s being stubborn, indecisive, and giving into external pressure at the last minute instead of making the right decision at the right time. If the race was canceled the night before, people would’ve been less mad about it. There’s a right way to cancel the race, and this isn’t it.

    Bummer because the original route looked real good. There’s no way I’m going to give it a second chance, nor other races organized by the same organizers. BIG NO.

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    mlexie84 FIRST-TIMER '24

    The race was canceled less than 30 minutes before it was scheduled to start. We had driven an hour from the South Bay only to find out it was for … MORE

    The race was canceled less than 30 minutes before it was scheduled to start. We had driven an hour from the South Bay only to find out it was for nothing. It’s the rainy season in the Bay Area, so be cautious you gonna lose your money in a significant probability. There is no insurance plan or deferral option available.

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    oclandscapemj REPEAT RUNNER '24

    This was my third straight year doing the Kaiser SF Half. It's February, so you can have all sorts of weather- 2022 was great, 2023 was rainy, and this year … MORE

    This was my third straight year doing the Kaiser SF Half. It’s February, so you can have all sorts of weather- 2022 was great, 2023 was rainy, and this year 2024 was very windy with high speed gusts. Did the Blistering Pace race organizers make the right call in cancelling the race? I think so. When running in the park following the cancellation we saw multiple downed trees and several big limbs fell during our run- someone could have gotten hurt.

    Like the other reviewers I fault Blistering Pace for poor communication and planning as weather forecasts were very clear what was coming on Sunday. They were having email issues, as I received all the standard pre-race info, but did not get the emails shown on the website in the couple days before race day. Cancelling the race within 1 hour of start led to confusion and put a lot of people out on the roads in less than ideal conditions.

    As for “Your medal and race shirt will be mailed to you in the coming weeks. We will be in touch with next steps on the status of your entry” there has been no communication from the organizers two days later. The assumption is no refunds will be given. Fine, read the fine print, etc. etc. But, I don’t have to sign up for your race again if you aren’t going to be clear in communicating and gracious with refunds (such as those who purchased insurance). Race organizers can and should purchase insurance for their events in order to protect their financial interests and the reputation of their event. This is especially true of an event with a major sponsor and an event organizer that claims to work on marathon majors.

    There are other SF half marathons including the Zoom Half Marathon in March, the SF Marathon in July and Golden Gate Half Marathon in November- in my next SF race I will give one of these a try instead.

    You can read a great article for race directors about how to cancel a race.: https://www.racedirectorshq.com/read/race-cancellation-56/
    You’ll notice they way this cancellation was done is the antithesis of the recommendations. Also, KTVU has a good segment about runner’s frustrations with the race: https://www.ktvu.com/news/runners-frustrated-with-sf-half-marathon-organizers-after-event-canceled-last-minute

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    tomocean FIRST-TIMER '24

    As everyone else already mentioned, the bad weather canceled this. Stuff happens. But the problem was the complete chaos in making (or not making) decisions and communicating them promptly. And … MORE

    As everyone else already mentioned, the bad weather canceled this. Stuff happens. But the problem was the complete chaos in making (or not making) decisions and communicating them promptly. And then to offer nothing but taking your money at the end is a huge insult. Avoid races organized by these people.
    https://blisteringpace.com/clients

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    jaydeee Feb 06, 2024 at 4:59pm

    Omg they help run the NYC & chi marathons??? What on earth

    Omg they help run the NYC & chi marathons??? What on earth

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    They cancelled the race 28 minutes before it was scheduled to start, while everyone was already there warming up. The storm was in the forecast days in advanced. If safety … MORE

    They cancelled the race 28 minutes before it was scheduled to start, while everyone was already there warming up. The storm was in the forecast days in advanced. If safety was the concern, they would’ve cancelled it the night before instead of causing confused traffic in a storm. No refund and no deferral for next year’s race. Not even a discount. Extremely disappointed in how the organizers handled this.

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    xcorale FIRST-TIMER '24

    These clowns literally cancelled the race 30 minutes before the start. OMG! Completely disorganized and worst of all they aren't offering a refund or a credit towards next year's race!?! … MORE

    These clowns literally cancelled the race 30 minutes before the start. OMG! Completely disorganized and worst of all they aren’t offering a refund or a credit towards next year’s race!?! Hard pass!

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    bayarearacer REPEAT RUNNER '24

    I am really disappointed with Blistering Pace management and would recommend others to avoid any race held by this team in the future. While I think it was the right … MORE

    I am really disappointed with Blistering Pace management and would recommend others to avoid any race held by this team in the future.

    While I think it was the right decision to cancel the event, and I understand why there is no refund option, I am really disappointed by Blistering Pace’s extremely poor communication.

    They cancelled the event 28 minutes before the start time – this was really disruptive to all the racers that had to travel a long way to make it to the event. People spent a lot of time and money into participating in this event. Planning an outdoor event is tough, but the weather forecasts were very clear what was coming on Sunday.

    Cancelling the race less than half an hour before the start led to mass confusion and put a lot of people out on the roads in dangerous conditions.

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    harada.tky FIRST-TIMER '24

    I purchased Refund protection at the time of application. And Refund Protection also includes "bad weather" as a condition. However, operations will be different if the event is canceled by … MORE

    I purchased Refund protection at the time of application. And Refund Protection also includes “bad weather” as a condition. However, operations will be different if the event is canceled by the organizer.
    When I applied to Refundable.me, it was immediately rejected.

    When I contacted the organizer, I was told that there was no refund. It seems that the fee I paid will be treated as a donation. I wonder what Refund Protection was for.
    Refundable.me unilaterally closed my rights and since the ticket has been deactivated I can’t reapply and I have no way to talk to them (no phone or email listed). Perhaps I could have found a way to apply for a refund for holding the event virtually (changing the method of holding it), rather than for the event to be canceled by the organizer. However, with my deactivated Refund Protection, I can no longer make that attempt or talk to them.

    From my perspective, it feels like I was scammed. I would like to wait for further communication from the organizer.

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    heythereracers REPEAT RUNNER '24

    As others have said just disgusting race management. Letting us know 31 minutes before the start time. The weather was better than projected + they sent all the people home … MORE

    As others have said just disgusting race management. Letting us know 31 minutes before the start time. The weather was better than projected + they sent all the people home who promptly had to run through the “dangerous” roads of GGP. I’ll be sticking with the org who runs the sf marathon + giant race. Just so so bad. But they brag about their high score on here! Also did not reimburse even w/purchased refundable entry. Awful

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    augiezwan REPEAT RUNNER '24

    The group that manages this race has no idea what they are doing. If conditions are good they can manage, but if not they are helpless. Highly advise that you … MORE

    The group that manages this race has no idea what they are doing. If conditions are good they can manage, but if not they are helpless. Highly advise that you avoid unless you are certain weather will not be an issue.

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    mig90hidalgo FIRST-TIMER '24

    Get over it people. All races notify you about possible cancelations before you pay and you still choose to register thinking there was no possibility of cancelation (2023 Atmos Rivers). … MORE

    Get over it people. All races notify you about possible cancelations before you pay and you still choose to register thinking there was no possibility of cancelation (2023 Atmos Rivers). It is what it is. Money was spent on both sides. Hope to run this next year!

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    2 members marked this review helpful. Agree?

    scottgoblue314 Feb 06, 2024 at 4:15pm

    Almost like people are mad for reasons other than just a cancellation, what a concept

    Almost like people are mad for reasons other than just a cancellation, what a concept

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    oceangirl Feb 04, 2024 at 10:54am

    Wow you’re easy to please! Overall rating 3 for a race that didn’t happen.

    Wow you’re easy to please! Overall rating 3 for a race that didn’t happen.

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    davidwakai REPEAT RUNNER '24

    Runners understand poor weather is beyond a race's control and accept that organizers may need to adjust, even if inconvenient. But when organizers send multiple mixed messages; dither for 24 … MORE

    Runners understand poor weather is beyond a race’s control and accept that organizers may need to adjust, even if inconvenient. But when organizers send multiple mixed messages; dither for 24 hours on whether to cancel; wait to notify runners until most are en route to the event (even when actual weather conditions are no different than forecasted, in fact better); and hedge on whether they will refund runners, you really have to question the competency and integrity of the event and its sponsors.

    “Management is doing things right; leadership is doing the right things.” Race organizer failed the former, the jury is still out on the latter.

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  1. Races
  2. Kaiser Permanente San Francisco Half Marathon (Kaiser Half)