Independence Day on Coronado is jam-packed with fun! Not only is there the Independence Day Parade…read moreand the Art in the Park, not only is there the annual Rough Water Swim and the Concert in the Park, and not only is there the Adrian Empire Demo (2015 schedule) and fireworks, but there is the Crown City Classic 12K/5K! And since so much is going on, there are many flocking to Coronado Beach for the day's festivities. Arriving early--and I mean early--is well-advised. The Crown City Classic emails possible parking locations; but, again, it'll be busy. We arrived before 6am to pick-up our bibs and shirts, but it still wasn't early enough to get free parking. It had already been claimed. However, The Marriott's parking lot was available. Of course, there was a fee ($11 for the first two hours), but that's life. Besides, parking at The Marriott placed runners directly next to the race's start and finish. Next time, we're bringing our bikes, parking a bit further away if need be, and riding in. There are plenty of places to lock up bikes, and many runners had thought the same thing. I have to say that the best part of the race, the most creative addition, was the start: we all ran underneath Old Glory, majestically flowing above our heads within hands' reach. It really was a nice touch to begin this classic run. Coupled with running through the Coronado Naval Base, runners' patriotism flourished. Red, white, and blue proudly wound around this course, as spectators encouraged everyone to keep it up! It's a great way to kick off the 4th of July festivities. Of course, the route bottlenecks here and there at first; however, it eventually thins out. But this race, it's all in fun. And the themed shirts and the medals--you know I love running for super cool medals--made this celebration complete. =]

As a 5k, and as a something fun to do on Fourth of July if you're on the island, this race was…read moregreat! :) I had been wanting to sign up for a 5k for Fourth of July and it was great that this was on Coronado because it's where I spend the day. I checked out the details and map on the website, which was easy to navigate and made it looks even more fun. If you want to sign up, save yourself some money by signing up early, and looking for discounts for the race (I actually got 15% off just by searching 'Crown City Classic Discount' on google). It came to around $35 I think. The race has two days to pick up packets. 2016 was at roadrunner sports in Kearny Mesa 2 days before the race, and on Coronado one day before the race. I wasn't able to pick them up at either one so I had to get it at the actual event. I actually found a good parking spot, and that's considering I got there a little later than I wanted (I got there at 6:30) but I'm sure even getting there 10-15 minutes more, finding parking would have been almost impossible, so make sure you get there early. The event was really well organized and made finding everything easy. From packet/shirt pick up, to the start and finish line. They had a DJ and a guy warming people up before the race started. The race starts in waves, and by class. First ones to go are the 12k (7.4 miles as patriotically explained). If you're running for the win/time, they'll have you up at the front. If you're doing it for yourself or some other reason, they'll have you in the back. Second start was the 5k, with the same starting classes, and people walking in the back. There's also a kids half mile fun run, but I wasn't around for that so I'm not sure where they do it or how that goes. I'm sure it was good though. It gets crowded when you first take off, especially under the flag(which was VERY cool btw), but the chip on your number will get your exact time. The course was pretty linear and marked so you know where to go. It was an easy run as there weren't any extreme uphills or downhills, just a couple slopes here and there. However, when you're on the street, look up for the speed bumps! I almost tripped on one while I was running LOL! There were 2 water stations up and down the course for the 5k runners, and 4 for the 12k runners. Volunteers were great. Once you finish, they hand you your medal and have tables with water, banana's granola bars and some other snacks. Very cool of them to have that their! They also take your picture when you're coming in to the finish to post on the website for you to download later. So definitely be aware of that, people! :p Overall, it was such a fun race and unless I make plans to go somewhere else for 4th of July, I'll definitely be signing up for this one again. Thanks for making it great, guys! :D

Really a fun theme and event. Great vendors but could have more! Very well organized from…read moreregistration to the finish line! Going to participate in another mermaid run soon!

2 of 12 in 2016 - DONE!!!…read more Who runs 2 1/2 marathons in 6 days... I DO!!! I earned my "Concrete" Mermaid Athlete status. My friends always call me a mermaid because I love the waters. I thought the Mermaid Series 1/2 Marathon and the pink mermaid medal was fitting for my wall of medals. I had originally signed up for the 10k 6 miles because 6 days prior to this race I just ran the Run Surf City 1/2 Marathon and in 3 weeks will be running the San Diego 1/2 Marathon. Never ran a race back to back but said there's a first for everything so less than 12hrs before start I had asked to switch to a 1/2 marathon (since my body fully recovered quickly) - why not!!! THE EXPO. There really wasn't one. Just a bib pick up at Sports Authority. THE COURSE. The race is on a Saturday morning. After a long week and having to wake up early in the M was a brutal awakening. No PRs just #sexypace. Started out cold and foggy. But appreciate the cold because by mile 5 the sun will be beaming. It was around mission beach park. Parking was hideous. Think about it, the start line and finish line are a mile away from each other and you can either park at the finish line and walk an extra mile back to your car OR you can park near the finish line and walk a mile before running 13.1 miles. There's no shuttle service!!! Choose wisely. The path ways were basically the park paths and side walks. Expect some crowding, especially when you catch up to pacer groups and they block the pathway and you can't get around them. The course is relatively flat with itty bitty unnoticeable inclines around mile 2-4. Mile 5-7 goes by quickly. Mile 8 was a clustered path and you are using mile 10s water station as mile 8s water station - not a good idea because you have to cross the course and get into the ways of mile 10 runners to get a cup of water. Mile 8-9 probably the hardest miles of this course. And the worst part, the hammer head gel espresso flavor on the tables were the nastiest gels I ever had. I had the squirts the rest of the day.... terrible!!! The rest of the way to the finish line you are running on a side walk and by then many locals are entering the park so your sharing a side walk with a lot of others runners and park visitors. And at the end they are having the kid dash on the same path as the finish so as you are running the last 100 yards there's kids and people dashing towards you (that was kind of weird and very disorganized). But overall I'm happy I ran the 1/2. San Diego people are so friendly... A lot of people smiled at me on the course, had conversation with me, etc. cracking up when homegirl and I ran past a volunteer that looked grumpy and didn't want to be there and she said "smile girl" and the volunteer still just stared at us. Hilarious! Anyhow this was a fun run with great people. THE AFTERMATH. Several tents set up for small snacks and drinks and a lot of merchandise on sale. They were serving green bananas. You know how important potassium is after running 13.1 miles and they serve GREEN BANANAS, yuck. But I received my medal and my mermaid necklace... I finished my 1/2 marathon and beat my time from 6 days ago by 5 minutes with no injury. Next race in 3 weeks :)

So here's the thing…read more.. If you've been chasing the CA Half Series, you'll likely end up at the San Diego Holiday Half medal race. Whether you're completing four races, seven, ten, fifteen, or twenty--even if you're solely running SD--the Holiday Half is where you'll be awarded your much-deserved medals. So since you're running SD Holiday Half anyway--you might as well run the San Diego South Bay Turkey Trot 15K and snag an extra challenge medal for running both. The medal in question: the Winter Exacta Medal! To qualify, you must run the 15K--it's the same medal for all three finished runs--but Rohr Park offers a beautifully scenic course, lots of runners are colorfully costumed to fit the holiday theme, and everyone is in high spirits. After all, a pre-run on Thanksgiving morning is certainly invigorating and refreshing, especially when knowing a turkey celebration and an exciting day of football is soon to follow. After logging a few, early morning miles, turkey seconds (and thirds), smashed cauliflower, and a bit of cranberry sauce is welcomed. Earn it!

It was a cold chilly morning but folks got up, some got dressed and trotted out to Rhor park to…read morekick start the day burning off calories that soon will be replenished. With all the Turkey Trots around San Diego, this one is the only one that gave out a finishers medal at the end. Though the medals were the same for the 5k, 10k ,and 15k the ribbon was a different color. No biggie. The bib pick up was in the same place the day before. Because it got dark, they had to set up lights for people to find their names, sign the liability sheet and pick up their goodie bag which consisted your tshirt. Other than that, there was nothing else in there but a coupon. The day of the run was simple. There were two white signs that said start and orange cones that lead the running path. Parking was tricky since there are several parking lots around the park. They started the 15k people at 8am and then let the other runners go 5 mins later so not everyone bunched up in one area. But you had some faster runners in the 5k who caught up the 15kers pretty fast. The course was a mix of wet grass, dirt trail and concrete. The runners started thinning out by the first mile and there was only one water station along the way for the 5k course. As for the 10k and 15k, I'm not sure if there was any more water stations but it was not expected to be hills! My only suggestions to improve this race is to have mile markers. There was none along the way and folks who never ran the course have no idea where or how far we were from the finish line. And an elevation chart would be great too for those running the 10k/15k. The timing for the course came out the same day which was great and there were plenty of snacks and water to replenish after the race.

This was my second time running the Rock n Roll Half Marathon in San Diego and I can say it is one…read moreof the more well run and signed races I've been to. There was no confusion which course to follow, which has sometimes been the case at some particular Rock n Roll events for me in the past. Having only one course split between the half and full marathons has a role to play in that. This course is hilly, regardless which one you choose and the half takes you through Hillcrest, University Heights, North Park, Balboa Park and then downtown, with the race festival being at Waterfront Park the past few years. The finish line is located blocks away from the festival so there's always quite a bit of walking before you can grab your checked gear back, heavy medals, beer, etc If you have a car, there is no official parking area so you're on your own for that. I would recommend arriving on foot, scooter, bike or rideshare. I have a friend that drove his car and it seemed like a pain trying to find a place to reserve a parking spot prior race morning.

Just finished my first half marathon! At first I was little concerned since all the bathrooms…read morebefore the race had started ran out of toilet paper but as the run started there was multiple well stocked rest stations. The course itself was beautiful and well versed from long flat stretches to hills for all levels of runners. Multiple water and Gatorade stations. The only time I felt uncomfortable on my run was during the last stretch where we had to run through a tunnel with multiple homeless encampments. I will be doing this run again the only thing I would ask them to change is a safer ending to the route and better stocked restrooms at the start. There is also a lot of medical tents and personal on site in case of emergencies!

"What do you want me to do? Dress in drag and do the hula?" - Timon, The Lion King…read more One of my favorite local runs! My only "Hawaiian" type of outfit is a wrap I bought years ago from the Bahamas. If it weren't for this race, I probably would have worn it twice. Now I can say I wore it at least 4 times now. Lol. As the years progress, the amount of participants increase. The course they have choose for the 5K is along walkways which are split into two way traffic areas, and still shared by pedestrians. They should make the walkways one way thus giving runners more space, and kick out the pedestrians. lol. For 2016, I believe they changed the route a bit, and even added a 10K. I remember last year, there was this lady looking for her son. I guess he was taken the night before. She was on the side asking runners if anyone has seen a little boy; it was quite the downer. Anyway, it's a fun, easy run for the whole family, and they always provide cute medals. Anything Hawaiian themed means you'll have a good time. :) TIPS -- It is alway hot, so be prepared and wear sunscreen. -- Parking can be a little tricky, so come early -- If you cannot pick up your gear at the day before at Road Runner Sports, you can pick it up on the day of the race. Shirt sizes may vary at that point. -- A timer is provided -- No gear check -- There is a "virtual" version of this race. You pay the fees, run/walk at your own leisure, and your medal and shirt will be mailed to you. -- Long Beach also has a Aloha Run! If you are that desperate, you can go to Long Beach. lol.

A fun festive event,love the good atmosphere live entertainment and the course. Can't wait for next…read morerace.

Were you one of the 8000 people who participated in this race today? This race was in its 21st…read moreyear and yet it was disappointingly disorganized and chaotic. It started out by the Convention Center and ended up at Tidelands Park in Coronado. This wasn't really a race because so many non-serious "runners" were talking on their cell phones and taking dozens of pictures with the digi cams. It was even more disturbing to see people purposedly taking pictures with the Suicide Hotline sign as they were crossing the bridge. Suicide is not a funny matter. I felt like pushing these idiots off the bridge. Clearly the non-serious so-called runners should have had a separate start time or better yet not have even registered for this event all. I checked online for my race time and I don't even see my name as a finisher. Ummm Hello Organizers, what the hell is going on?... It's absolutely unacceptable. I will tell the hundreds of coworkers at the big institution where I work to avoid this so-called race next year like the plague.

fun event with high energy music to get everyone amped for the run. food trucks are there if you're…read morehungry which doesn't make too much sense to me because you're running, being healthy, being fit and here's a taco truck haha anyways.. if you plan on bringing your expensive camera or even your phone, be warned that they most likely will get the color powder thingy on them. Use a zip lock bag or something to protect them. The event was held at 9am which is good, because its not too early so it won't be as chilly and also not late to where the sun is out burning you. At the finish line volunteers pass out drinking water, so drink it and stay hydrated. Overall a great event. Oh bring a towel too to wipe all the color powder stuff off your face.

Fun run benefiting the Boys and Girls Club of North County! Packet pickup was easy as was parking…read morethe day of the event. Perfect for families and groups. Fun announcer at the starting line and isn't of color to go around. Nice to get a bottle of water at the finish line but would prefer more than one water table on the course. 5 star would be tunes rocking throughout the course. And to be even more exceptional a course photographer that sends you links to photos you can buy wherever your race number showed up. The candids turned out so great that I can only imagine if we had access to action shots.

I did the Color Run back in 2012 and just noticed on my account that the company who processed…read moretheir race and payments posted an unauthorized charge of $89.95 for a yearly membership 7 and 8 years later! I was charged in 2019 and again for 2020. I just noticed it and tried to call ACTIVE NETWORK but they had heavy call volumes so I reported the unauthorized charges to my bank and BBB.org who are currently investigating it. If you check them out on BBB.org there are NUMEROUS complaints on the same issue. ActiveNetwork.com even has a Q&A on the annual fee. So it must happen pretty often. I logged into the account and looked at my history of charges from them. I attached a photo with this review. I hope races and marathons stop working with this shady company.

Thought I'd better get this review out since I'm doing the LA Color Run tomorrow!…read more I was signed up for the 9:00am wave. We picked up our bibs that morning of the event and the lines moved along smoothly. Reading the other reviews, I'm glad I wasn't in town Friday to make the pick up at the store. They gave out water bottles that morning with different colored lids and sweatbands for your head. With so many people, it took awhile to finally get to the start of the line but that was to be expected. Items were thrown into the waiting crowd. I'm sure these were the same items that were for sale. During the route, we were able to put in some running, dodging the walkers. I did my best to get color on me from the volunteers. If you didn't get enough color on you during the run, you will most definitely get showered with it during the after party where color is thrown in the air at intervals. Awesome energy at the post run party but got hit with elbows and arms a few times since my cousin insisted on being so close to the front. The crowd was filled with happy, hyped-up people that got crazy trying to catch the items being thrown from the stage, which included more packets of color. It's crazy standing in there when people are throwing the powder up in the air. The sun gets blocked out for those seconds. I didn't see any blowers as we were leaving but I did hear one. My cousin just wanted to get to the hotel and shower so we didn't bother looking. Make sure to bring something to cover your car seats for the ride home. Expect your tongues to be colored. I think I was getting over a cold at the time. This is gross but even the mucous from my throat was colored the following day. Don't worry, it's all harmless. I'm still alive. Awesome event and I had a blast but I noticed these color-type runs are becoming more common now.