Volunteered for this event. Will definitely do this again. Great weather and had a great time.read more

This is my second time running the Urban Cow half marathon. It's my favorite race in Sacramento…read more The course if relatively flat so it's a great race to PR. The weather in October also makes great weather to run in. The course is at William Land Park through the neighborhoods to downtown. The turn around point is in Old Sacramento with the relay trade off by the Crocker Art Musuem. Water station is every 2 miles. There is water and Gatorade at every station. Gatorade is the powder mixture. I did notice that some of stations had very bland Gatorade while others had really potent ones. There is plenty of neighborhood parking that is in close proximity to the race line. Packet pick up is at Fleet Feet in downtown Sac. I registered early so I got a tote and a tech vneck shirt. Race packet pick up goodies were really scarce. This year was a bag of instant coffee. Random much? Post-race food is limited as well. This year only had chocolate milk, donut holes, Larabars, and strawberries. This race is really decked out in the cow theme. Even the medals are cowbells!

The 3rd Annual Polar Run and dunk - 2014. A 5k Run around Eagle Lakes resort followed by a ''dunk''…read morein the lake. What a fun way to start the New Year! Included in the registration is a T-Shirt and post race party complete with Champagne toast and various other Hot Drinks, Bonfire to warm up and party with Music and awards ceremony. * Personal experience: * Woohooo! First Runner over the finishing line! Uh yeah... rocked it. Coming off a severe Knee injury I am pretty darn pleased with my result, a long way off my PR but 3 months of no Running really damages your time. The event was fun. For the most part the course was well marked out with the exception of one part where I went off track and had to double back on myself. Thanx to the guy behind me that shouted me in the right direction! The course was gravel and mud with a few inclines and declines but nothing major and the views of the lakes was beautiful. Shame my Asthma was playing up and I was concentrating too hard on my breathing to appreciate it more. This was a timed event but there seemed to be a few problems with timing as instead of chips on the back of each bib it was all done by stopwatch and the ''official'' times given did not match what my Garmin told me. Hubby who was waiting for me at the finishing line said that one of the stopwatches broke meaning time was added. Boo. Post race there was Champagne, Cider, Tea and Coffee with Cookies and Orange slices for Runners and a bonfire to warm up after the optional lake ''dunk''. Happy 2014 everybody!

My second running of the Donut Dash, this time Donut Dash X. Compared to my first time…read moreparticipating (6 donut holes), I am SO glad that I chose the 3 donut option before it sold out! You get glazed donuts from Marie's. Another option is to eat nothing at all and just run. For those with GF needs, the race site has it all answered in the FAQs section. A 4-miler timed race that starts in Land Park and goes 2 miles to Marie's Donuts and 2 miles back. Packet pickup at Fleet Feet Sac was convenient and allowed friends to pickup race packets for them (T-shirt and bib number, stickers/temporary tattoos) too. E-mail updates from the race organizer were frequent and informative, especially regarding the weather (the rain stopped that morning!). There was also an Orangetheory Fitness challenge which was to run the competitive division race of 4 miles, 4 donuts in less than 44 minutes for a special medal. Props to Orangetheory Fitness Natomas coach Avery W. for placing in the top 3 males for this challenge! Family-friendly (strollers, kids, dogs but no scooters allowed) and for runners/walkers alike. You can eat your donuts at the halfway point or take them with you back to the finish. Finishers get a squishy donut medal on a Mikuni lanyard. Race photos taken by volunteers are free on the event's Facebook page but not indexed. All race proceeds go toward Sacramento area children's hospitals. Lots of post-race booths. Look out for the return of the summer's Mikuni Scoop Scoot run to Vic's Ice Cream, also organized by Donut Dash folks!

I did my first Donut Dash two years ago when I first heard about it via advertisement…read more It is fun fun!! What would not be fun about it.......Donuts from one of the best donut shops in Sacramento, Maries.....Donut Medal when you finish.....Donuts for your dogs....Chocolate Milk......T-shirt.....Fun event to do by yourself or with all your family and friends.....Best of all the money goes to a great cause....Sutter Children's Program! All my family and friends want me to remind them when registration comes up.....

It took over an hour for me to get to the race. The Richards Blvd S exit was congested and the last…read moremile took about half an hour itself. I've never encountered this problem before at other races. I barely made it to the race on time. Actually, I had a few minutes left to spare since the race started a little late. The race was set to start at 7:00 PM. It wasn't much of a moonlight run for those of us that did the 5K or 10K. The sun was beaming brightly in my face. With the summer heat, there weren't enough water stations. What I loved most about this race were the glow-in-the-dark t-shirts. I would consider doing this race again, if I ever get myself to the half marathon level because the finisher medals were awesome and also glowed-in-the-dark.

I signed up for this event two days before and was actually shocked that it was in the mid-to-low…read more90s at 7pm when we started running! Running in that kind of heat is exhausting! There were about 1500 people for the half marathon (based on bib numbers) - but it seemed like such a huge crowd. The route goes through Davis neighborhoods and on a lot of trails over campuses and parks. A few citizens were friendly enough to stand out front with hoses to spray willing runners (I wish there were more nice people doing that!). Despite the heat and my body not being happy with it, I stuck it out for my worst half marathon time ever. I also met a LOT of nice dogs (I decided to stop for at least two cups of gatorade at every station and pet every dog on the way, plus walking 2 miles with an ankle cramp and stopping twice for toilets - finished in 2:05). The event was run pretty smoothly - they had official timing spots all throughout the route - and there were some great sponsors - Zico was there once again with their awesome coconut water, and I had a great big chunk of the heart of a watermelon at the snack tent (yum!). I kind of wanted to get the ladies cap sleeve blue and white shirt but didn't see it on sale anywhere! I like running later in the day (instead of the usual 7am) and I like warmer temperatures but I'm not sure I'm up for low 90s again, that was exhausting!

It's a good thing I was too lazy to drive to Folsom on Saturday for packet pick-up. I read that it…read morewas a disaster. On race day, the wait was less than a minute. I love the shirt- greenish blue with an owl on it. The start and finish line was at Rodeo Park. Runners cross four bridges (Willow Creek Bridge, Old Railroad Car Bridge, Hazel Avenue Bridge, and Walker Bridge) on the course that circles Lake Natoma. Trolls lurk under the four bridges but I didn't see any when I crossed my bridge. Many runners dress in costume, with the best Halloween outfit earning an award. I'm not sure what the award was or how they determine who has the best outfit. I did the three-person half marathon relay. The relay legs are 3.7 miles, 4.1 miles and 5.3 miles. I lucked out by doing the first leg. Runners in the first leg run through the historic district of Folsom (downhill) and onto a bike trail. While on the bike trail, there was a deer that ran past us. I thought it was a wolf at first. Yes, I have an overactive imagination. My relay exchange point was a little past the first bridge. The course was scenic but I didn't like the small elevation changes. I can't complain too much though, since the person doing the last leg not only has to do the most mileage but they also have to run uphill toward the end of the run. There wasn't a shuttle service for relay runners, so I was a little worried about that. The three of us shuttled each other back and forth. It was easier than I thought it was going to be, and the directions that were given to us were clear. After crossing the finish line, runners can refuel with water, fruits (apples, bananas, oranges), Power Bar Energy Blasts, and a variety of muffins (Entenmann's Little Bites, Otis Spunkmeyer, and Uncle Wally's). I would like to make one suggestion- individual times for each person in the relay!

My first time running this race, and didn't look at the course when I signed up. The last mile is…read morea switchback fight to the finish, with a net elevation gain of about 150 ft. if I'm not mistaken. Not an easy race, but certainly not as hard as the ones in san francisco. This race takes place on Halloween or the Sunday before it I believe. There are four bridges that you cross as you run the race and there are "trolls" and other dressed up people rooting for you as you cross them. It isn't as large as some of the other races in Sacramento (think CIM) but there's still a lot of participants. The crowd support is less than other races due to the fact that most of the race goes along the bike trail and Lake Natoma, not allowing access for people to cheer. I suppose the only thing I didn't like about the race is the fact that the wave start was confusing. The announcer didn't announce the waves and to this day I'm not sure if I started of with the first wave or the second wave. Finishers get a medal and a shirt, and the usual goodies. Overall: pretty race, challenging course, confusing start, nice shirt. I'd run it again.

4.5 / 5 Great…read moreevent!! Tony and the Fleet Feet crew really did a great event with this event from responding to emails right down to giving me an extra medal for Run buddy and my Running Club VIP tent access. + Nice swag bags with color specific tech shirts for Male / Female + Medals for all finishers + Awards + 2 Wine pours for each finisher + VIP tent with unlimited pours and extra snacks. + Punctual start + Pacers from the Tri Valley Running Club (another I am a member off and almost paced the the event myself) The run itself was a bit of an odd one for me.. the course was all road which I was totally unprepared for but made it great for a new PR. The first mile I had a few wardrobe malfunctions - My hydration vest was bouncing about so I had to re-adjust it and then my Pandora kept cutting out every 60 seconds so I spent a good 10-12 minutes playing with that trying to fix it. I swear the Runners behind me must have thought I was already on the Wine because I was I all over the place! Once adjusted thought and found my ''happy pace'' all was good and I spent about 6 miles right behind another members of Mountain House Running Club. The course marshals and volunteers at the Aid Station were great and full of energy encouraging us all as we paced though. I'm not sure if he was a volunteer but right around the 12:75 mile mark there was one guy who really encouraging me as I sped down the home straight.. not going to lie, I was really feeling the many miles of asphalt (trail runner here) and getting pretty tired so his enthusiastic cheers gave me that last little push I needed to get across that Finish Line. I really am not a road Runner but overall this event was great and I will likely do again.. The whole experience was made better by the fact that I was here with an awesome group of supportive people.

Never pictured myself running 3 miles drenched in mud and lake water...but it happened at the…read moreMerrell's Down and Dirty obstacle race this past weekend at the Folsom Lake State Recreation center. If you drive a Subaru, you get a VIP parking pass which entitles you to park near the race area. I received an email stating that if you drive your Subaru, parking would be free. This was NOT the case and we forked over $12! UGH. I picked up my race packet that morning, which included my bib number, a sample sized Larabar, Merrell's Down and Dirty tech shirt and cap and a trial sized Paul Mitchell shampoo bottle. I noticed several people opted to participate in the brick division, by carrying a backpack of bricks through the courses. Much respect to them! Several others had full blown costumes like superheroes or Halloween themed outfits. This race puts you up to the ultimate challenge - a 3.1 mile test of physical endurance and strength by completing over 10 obstacles. These included climbing over walls, scaling a 24 foot cargo net, jumping over logs, crawling through mud pits, carrying sandbags and trekking through the lake. The biggest challenge was conquering "heartbreak hill" and walking up it was tough! My quads started burning after the first half mile going up the hill and walking down wasn't any easier! Thank goodness they had water stations at every mile. I received a Merrell Down and Dirty Dog tag for completing the course. Photo ops were available right next to the finish line and at the 'Mud hand print' mural. To rinse off, we went through an inflatable Subaru car wash station, but it wasn't effective. A hose station was nearby and people worked in teams to wash the mud off each other. Make sure to bring black plastic garbage bags for the car ride home, towels and extra clothes! A charity group also went around to see if participants wanted to donate their shoes toward homeless families. The race partners with Operation Gratitude, who sends care packages to U.S service members overseas. Thumbs up for this race! A few battlewounds - scrapes on my knees and splinters from the cargo net rope (Mental note to wear gloves next time) but was well worth it for a great cause and fun time!

I do several mud runs a year, and this one was one of the best. It would have been a little better…read moreif they wet the parking area to reduce the dust storms, but the obstacle course was great, and well planned out. I plan on doing this one again when it rolls around. Next time I'll be sure to bring my little one.

Okay at best. Charged $20 for parking. Lame. Not worth the price. Not organized well.read more