Jen Desideri's Staging Area

This was my 2nd year running this event, and I did the 5K. It’s a great local option for a fun Dia de Los Muertos themed run. Nice post-race festivities. The medal was STUNNING this year: beautiful, colorful and well designed. Sign up early as the prices nearly double if you wait (I signed up when it was around $45 and it was near $90 on race day). Great event!

Great local race company and fun night race. Was in town for the weekend and found this cute Friday night 5K to do. Some glow in the dark swag offered to runners (glow sticks and the like). Beautiful medal.

This race was part of a 3 race series, fun for the locals. Race organizers seem like great people. Enjoyed the event and would recommend.

I chose this race as a good Oregon option that was as close as I can get to California so it was drivable (Medford is close’ish to the border). I was excited about this race, had heard good things, but left disappointed…

To begin, the mile markers were off by 0.15 from the very beginning. Their 1 mile = 0.85 on my watch, 3 = 2.85, 10 = 9.85, etc. Seeing that Mile 1 be off and continue to be off completely wrecked my motivation, the last thing I needed was another short half marathon (see my entry on the San Francisco Half). So, I spent a lot of time walking, texting, studying their course map on my phone, etc. and continued to lose motivation.

The course itself was OK. It is a point to point which can be logistically challenging but it worked out fine. It stated at a vineyard near Talent and you run a short out and back heading south before turning around and heading back north back to Medford, almost entirely on a walking/bike path. Scenery wise it was nice, though nothing spectacular.

I won’t say for certain if the course was short, but what I will say is that at Mile 11 there is a park and I may have accidentally went off course by about 0.10 mile and had to turn around…

Aside from that, the medal was the same one they gave to all distances. It says The Rogue Marathon. The ribbon also says The Rogue Marathon. There is NOTHING to distinguish the bling from other distances. Not really cool.

I doubt I would do this race again. I didn’t hate it, but it wasn’t an experience that I enjoyed.

I am really surprised to read the negative reviews from years past. Based on my experience, the race organizers have really stepped up to correct previous years’ problems. Here was my experience:

The race expo was great, but as it was outside it was HOT and I didn’t want to linger too long. But it was nice to be able to check out the Pearl Street Mall area and wander around.

The shirt was awesome, beautiful design… but too big on me. Headsweats makes the shirt and the smallest size for women was a small, which was HUGE ON ME, and I’m not a teeny tiny person. An XS would have been appreciated because no way can I wear this beautiful shirt without me feeling like I’m swimming in a potato sack. What a bummer.

The medal is GORGEOUS.

The course itself was just kinda OK. It was a loop which I like, and some parts had some nice mountain scenery. Others were just running on country roads.

The on-course cheer support was awesome, so many people came out to support! Aid stations were plentiful with at least a half dozen porta potties at each aid station. The start line had HUNDREDS of potties, situated on every block heading to the start, so there was definitely no lacking there. Much appreciated!

I doubled this with Colorado Springs Half the day before and was very happy with both events. I definitely recommend this event. I came from sea level to run it so the altitude was a factor for me but I enjoyed the morning and was happy with my performance. A great choice for Colorado!

I have participated in the Mermaid San Francisco 10-Mile race 4X now. It’s a great option if you want to do a race that runs across the Golden Gate Bridge and back. (There are a few half marathons that also do this.)

The organization is top-notch. I love how they allow you to CHOOSE your swag – don’t want the shirt, medal or necklace? Choose none of them, save money. I always go for the medal as it’s always beautiful and I often opt out of the shirt, to my regret (as the shirts are fab). Many female participants and always inclusive and welcoming.

The race also offers a 5K and 10K, though those don’t cross the bridge. Lots of walkers and runners getting started. It’s wonderful to see so many excited participants.

I definitely recommend this event.

This was my 3rd half in 3 days in 3 states. I didn’t “need” Rhode Island, but I was in the area so why not! 😉

Sounds like we got lucky with the weather this year, as I felt it was perfect. 60s, some nice breezes from the water. The course was nice with some areas with gorgeous water views. Some hills to challenge you but this was mostly a flat and fast course and it seems like a lot of fast people run it because my 2:23 finish had me near the lowest 25% of finishers (not usually where I end up). I heard they’re very strict with a 3 hour time limit, maybe that is why.

The medal was GORGEOUS but the shirt was kinda disappointing as it’s a cotton blend which means it’s useless. Post race party was nice, we received a cup of clam chowder as one of the post-race food items!

I would run this race again if I was local. Nice choice for Rhode Island.

Disclaimer: I participated in the Friday half marathon, which had a total of 39 finishers – this event also has a Saturday half, which gets the majority of runners. With that said…

This race was more or a less a trail run, although not single track and not technical. However, miles 2-12 was on a snowmobiling path, which made for a very rocky run. (Miles 1 and 13 were the out and back portion on a normal road.) I AM NOT a trail runner, I generally hate trail running, but this was a nice enough course and I enjoyed the run (for a trail…) 🙂

The scenery was beautiful, since we were in the woods. There were a couple areas that were not marked with a sign telling us which way to go, but in general if you follow the rule of “always go straight unless a sign tells you to turn” it wasn’t so bad. I would, however, suggest to the race director to have a sign at EVERY POSSIBLE place where there are options. I saw no wildlife, thank goodness! (I don’t need to run into bears or moose, thanks anyway)

For the Friday event, water stations were set up, but there were no people. We were warned about this, given the small Friday event. No problem. There was water and cups ready.

The medals (for all the events) were OUTSTANDING. Beautiful! The swag was cool too, we received a long sleeve flannel shirt that I have been wearing quite a bit as it’s soft and cozy.

I chose this race as my New York race and doubled it with Vermont the next day, otherwise I probably wouldn’t have come out from California for this one… but if I lived local I’d run many of this race organization’s events as they’re top-notch. So, recommend!

Some mediocre reviews from past races but I am thinking this race got revitalized this year because I have nothing but positive things to say about it.

For a San Francisco race it’s one of the flattest you’ll find, starting right outside the ballpark (Oracle Park, as of this writing), running along the Embarcadero, through Fisherman’s Wharf to Crissy Field and on the outskirts of the Presidio to just short of the Golden Gate Bridge, turning around and going back to finish inside the ballpark. Today the bridge was shrouded in fog but on a clear day the views could be outstanding. (Plus side, we were given lovely cool foggy weather from Miles 3-9 because of it.)

The medal was stunningly gorgeous and big. The shirt was a disappointment because it was unisex (immediately goes in the garbage), the bobblehead was a fun swag addition. Aid stations were plentiful and well stocked.

I live in San Francisco so this was an easy one to get to, can’t speak for out of towners and stuff like parking or transit. A little over 1200 half marathon finishers today. Oh and unlike the San Francisco event 3 weeks ago, the course was a PERFECTLY measured half marathon! 🙂

In a word, this race is HELL. But sooo much fun and a great challenge, if you’re into seeing how well you can do at a race in the Central Valley in August that has a starting temperature of (normally) high 60s (this year was 73) and can easily climb to 85-90 degrees when the race concludes. Add to that roughly 720 feet of total elevation climbed with two MASSIVE hills to do that have zero shade, and you WILL feel like a badass when you complete this race!

The course is mostly on closed roads, maybe a few random cars having to get by. Given the temperatures, there were 10 aid stations with water, Gatorade, and some had cooling towels and sponges to dowse you with water, and a couple water guns! One aid station had a ton of various snacks. Always great volunteers come out to support this race.

This year was my 6th time doing this race. The race organization is top notch. The medals and swag are always incredible. The race director is super cool and creates a fun post race atmosphere with ample shade in the park for relaxing and enjoying the GOOD free food that is always a part of the event. This year there were berry/granola bowls with fresh fruit but in years past there were burritos, pancakes, stuff like that. Either way, always better than a generic granola bar and banana!

I would recommend this race to anyone wanting to challenge themselves to a half marathon that is different.

I really don’t understand the hype behind this race. This was my first time running this event despite living 50 miles away because I always avoided it due to the outrageous price tag (this race always had a starting price of around $140-150 BEFORE INFLATIONARY TIMES and now starts at $165).

The wine country scenery is, of course, stunningly gorgeous but for the money I expected something more epic and I definitely expected better swag considering this was a 20th anniversary event. Instead, we got a pretty plain shirt (hot pink with some white text) and a REALLY blah medal for being a 20th anniversary commemoration. (Earlier in the year when they had done their medal reveal SO MANY people even commented on the blah’ness of the medal but they didn’t really listen to feedback.)

The insanely expensive price DOES include complete road closures (which I know can be pricey) and a very large post-race wine tasting event. But I don’t really drink and didn’t participate in the wine event. I would maybe do this race again IF they split out the cost of the wine tasting and made it optional (for example, $110 for the race, $50 as an add-on for the wine tasting) the way many other wine-themed half marathons do. But for $160 there is no way this race (to me) is worth the price. I’ve done many other wine-country half marathons in the $85 range… much more reasonable.

There are positives: exceptional aid station support, with plenty of water/electrolytes, porta potties and gels… and along the way there was even a misting station for some much needed relief from the warm temps. The finish line area was fun and the announcers were great. The shuttle busses were very efficient.

Glad I participated but likely not adding this one to my calendar each year.

Quite possibly one of the worst half marathons I have done. Total disregard for any half marathoner finishing over 2:30, which IS NOT SLOW. Ran this race the last 2 years and in both years the aid stations were shutting down long before the “3 hour cutoff,” (which isn’t published anywhere on their website by the way, it’s just a verbal understanding once you get there) and the finish line announcer didn’t even realize people were still on course. They had pacers for the half, but only up to 2:20…they deliberately declined any pace of 2:30 and up (I know because the pacing organization told us so). A 2:30 is NOT SLOW. As for the medal, in 2023 they gave out a generic “13.1” medal that one can buy in bulk at Walmart. I would not recommend this race, in particular because of their lack of friendliness toward 2:30+ finishers despite advertising a 3 hour cutoff.