I've been running this half marathon for the last 4 years. It's a nice small well-organized race in…read moreSanta Clarita with most of the course on the Santa Clara River Trail system. The race starts and ends at the Iron Horse Trailhead, just steps from the iconic Lost Boys Bridge. The race is easy to get to as it's just off of the 5 freeway at the Magic Mountain Parkway exit. The 2 closest parking options for this race are the dirt shoulder on the north side of Magic Mountain Parkway or across the street at the Gateway Plaza parking lot. It's a fairly flat and fast course with some gradual climbs. The challenging part of this race will be the temperature as it get quite hot in the month of June. Thank goodness the race starts early (6:30 am), so you can finish your race just ahead of the day getting blazing hot! One of the best parts of this race will be the Ben & Jerry's ice cream that'll be waiting for you at the finish line! Other cool benefits include race morning race packet pick-up without an extra fee, free complimentary race photos, and a good selection of post race goodies!

I'd planned to run Sugar Daddy for awhile, had been drawn in by the super snazzy Sugar Daddy medals…read moreand the refreshing addition of free ice cream at the finish. Plus, besides having visited Magic Mountain, I'd never really been to Santa Clarita. A fun run there, then, would be perfect. First off, whether you're driving north or south, exit Magic Mountain Parkway and head in the opposite direction of Magic Mountain. Very soon after your exit, on your left side you'll see the Iron Horse Trailhead. From the road, you'll see the event. Parking's free, whether you park on the side of the Trailhead or across the street in the business section. Either way, it's close. So, let's get back to the Half itself. It's easy. Flat for the most part and fully paved, this race meanders and winds along the Santa Clarita River, giving runners and walkers a great view of the Valley. (By the way, strollers are welcome, and there's a relaxed, 5-hour cutoff time for the Half, so no worries if you'd like to take your time.) What's cool, too, is that the historic, 1898 railroad trestle bridge awaits your return! It's beautiful! On sight, race day packet pick up; an exciting Kids Fun Run; and a special Sugar Daddy pin for legacy runners (ones who've run at least two years in a row): there's more than enough draw to bring me back for next year's Father's Day Weekend.

This was my second half marathon and I truly loved it!…read more The parking was the easiest I've ever had at a race. Everything was very clearly marked and well organized. You had to pick up your packet at the expo the day before, which was mildly confusing and not as perfectly streamlined, but still good. I liked the feeling at the starting line. People were friendly yet cometitive. Everyone's heads were in the game but not so much so that they couldn't say hello to someone new. The National Anthem ceremony was a great patriotic moment, as a fire ladder raised a giant American flag. I wouldn't say the course was flat as flat could be. The Ventura half I did for my first 13.1 - THAT was flat! There were ups and downs that a high desert dweller like me isn't used to. Thankfully I'd been training on my dreadmill with an incline. Heck, the first mile of the race is damn near completely uphill. The grades aren't tretcherous, and the downhill parts suck more than the uphill...especially the final downhill right at the 13 mile mark. That was no fun. Finish line = really nice. A fun straightaway that when you're sprinting in attempt to shave a second or two off of your time feels like a racecar driving game. Good heavy medal. Good post-race snacks. The post-race escape was also quick and easy with no fees to pay and no traffic jams. The photos took about a week to upload and while I was impatient, they turned out to be worth the wait. Pricey, but good action shots. Will I run this one again? For sure.

The Santa Clarita Half Marathon is my favorite half marathon…read more Maybe these aren't the usual reasons someone would designate a race their favorite, but they are mine. One, easy access and parking. The race site and parking area are not too far from the 5 Freeway, and there is plenty of mall parking which is short walking distance to the expo and start line. If you've ever had to deal with confusing parking and taking a shuttle before or after a race, this is a real benefit. The expo is held at the Hyatt, which is also near the start. It's a manageable size, and the expo volunteers are very accommodating. I had to change my registration last minute from a full to a half marathon, and it was no hassle, no problem. The other great thing about the Hyatt being so close to the start is that there are clean - nay, luxurious - bathrooms to use before a race! This NEVER happens. The Hyatt is really generous, and you can just hang out there and sprawl out in the hallway. (One year it was pouring, so this added bonus was a lifesaver.) As for the race itself, it's the right size for me. I've been to super crowded races (hello, LA Marathon) to races where I was the only person on the road for a stretch (the inaugural year of the Wounded Warrior Half Marathon). This race is a nice size: plenty of people so you get that exciting race-energy, but you never feel bunched in or like you're going to trip over someone. The aid stations are good, and the people are friendly. Not much in the way of crowd support that I remember as the course didn't seem to go on too many main streets. This may be a drawback for some people, but while crowd support is nice, it's not a main criteria for me. Unless I'm just kicking it and doing the race for fun, I'm pretty focused while I'm running and tend not to notice a lot of extra stuff like that. The Santa Clarita half is a better-than-average course. Every course has non-scenic parts, so I guess it'd be the office park and freeway overpass in this case, but those were not unpleasant. Although not particularly known as a scenic course except for the paseos, I found it to be like a pretty neighborhood Sunday run. There is also a real sweet downhill from like the 8.5 mile point to the 12 mile mark (but an ugly uphill just when you think you're done!). The course is not hilly in general, so it's a good PR course. Other pluses are that it's held in November, which is generally good weather in Southern California, and great food giveaways at the finish. Good amount of photos available too. I've done this half three times, and I will do this race every year if I'm healthy!

What an amazing place! They have a little bit of everything and although I can understand how it…read morecan get pricey, compared to K1 speed I prefer here so much more. There's laser tag, bowling, arcades and axe throwing which is helpful for wait in between races. Cameron and Rychie have always been so kind, welcoming and fun to coordinate with. All the gals are sweet too. I bring my son here often, and because of their welcoming spirit I always come back with more kids.

Super expensive i paid $93.96 for exactly 20 minutes ride each ride was 10 minutes…read more And $39.99 was weekday special regular price is $49.99 People of SYLMAR avoid this place!

In 2015, & 2016 the Los Angeles spartan sprint has been the last west coast spartan race for the…read morecalendar year. The hilly mountains in Castic Lake just 10 minutes north of Magic Mountain offers a nice challenge for first time & veteran Spartans. A plus for this particular Spartan race is it's at a park so there are areas with real restrooms not that far from the race entrance for anyone that doesn't want to use a porta potty. Tips for the race, wear tech type/under armor type clothes, the dirty/mud & water pretty much wicks off the material, thicker material like cotton or basketball shorts absorbs water & mud & will weigh you down. Bring towels, plastic bags, flip flops, & a change of clothes for after the race to change & store your dirty race gear. Leading up to the race weekend make sure to check your email for final race instructions from Spartan. Since this time of year the sun sets early they required all races that started after 12pm to have head lamps, a lot of people had to buy head lamps from the merch stand that ranged from $15-$45. By Saturday all the $15 were sold out so a lot of people on Sunday were stuck paying $45.

FML. Hills for days…read more My buddies and I had been preparing since we registered back in March of 2016 for our race on December 10, 2016. Wait did I say preparing?? Not really. :( We were all a little hyped up as we got to the lake. First off, $10 per car. I gotta say management did well in the ease of the ins and outs of the vehicles. We were able to find parking (it was like a mile walk to the Spartan camp) with ease. We were also able to get out of the parking lot with ease as well and right to the 5 freeway from Castaic Lake. Since other runners had different times, there wasn't a cluster of people at one time. Porto-Potties and park restrooms throughout the area. Our race yesterday was 4.9 miles. Easy right? Wrong. For the first timers like us, it was crappy lol. We paid $ for this, got a nice heavy red Sprint medal, a free Bud Light, finisher shirt and some other freebies. I also took home a headache, sore legs, arms and body, and mud in every part of my body after the muddy water dunk! It took 4-5 q-tips after a full hot shower to clear all the brown mud from each of my ear holes!!! Yeah the course was 4.9 miles, the obstacles were challenging (I won't tell anyone about the 20+ obstacles to ruin the surprises), but all I can say is watch out for them damn hills!!! Everywhere I looked it seemed like we kept going up and up (elevation change was about 1K feet). There were numerous times when I looked at my buddies and shook my head with bitterness! Overall, after the fact, it felt good to finish the Spartan Sprint Castaic Lake without dying. Will I go for the trifecta? Probably hell no, but it was a good experience to run it. The others running with us, along side us, before and after us were ALL supportive of each other. We didn't see or hear anyone being a$$holes, showing off or putting anyone down at the race. That was super cool! Btw..make sure you bring a change of clothes and another pair of shoes/slippers for after the run. We all pretty much threw away our shoes that we used to run, climb, walk the course! Hydrate tons before the race, wear sun block and wear comfy clothes. Good luck first timers!! I popped my Spartan cherry on 12/10/2016!! :)

Dangerous race course in the rain, need to warn runners in advance, esp those who are unfamiliar…read morewith course. If you get hurt in between aid stations you are on your own unless fellow runners help you out. Event should have been organized in way to prioritize runner safety.

I'll be honest I wasn't the biggest fan of extreme speed when I first got into racing, but with the…read morenew management it has been much better. Run groups have been good with little issue. They are now my preferred run group for cheap test and tune days

I did an event with this organization at the end of June. It was my first track day in about 12…read moreyears. I had read the reviews that this group was "unorganized" and "unprofessional" but my experience was the complete opposite. The event was very well organized and professionally ran. The day stayed on schedule for the most part with only other drivers causing delays to the day (tighten you lug nuts folks!!) There were complaints about too many cars in some of the run groups but I found the amount of drivers in track at any given time to be acceptable. As the day wore on people began to leave, after all it was hot and the turbo cars were getting fussy. This left ample time at the end to get more laps in, which I did. Overall, Extreme Speed put on a safe, well-organized event where I got to put nearly 100-track miles on my car. I can't wait for my next event with them!

Postponed Aug. 18, 2019 Sprint Triathlons without any clear explanations…read more Be careful! Your payments are non-refundable even when they cancel the event because there's not enough participants! Read their cancellation policy very well! They can take your money and say there's not enough participants and you won't get a refund! They can move you into next year's event but you have to ask them! If you can't do next year, say goodbye to your money! Good luck if you get any email responses! Don't expect any responses if you write them an email through the website!

Did this race on Sunday August 17th. It was my first triathlon - sprint distance. I will do this…read morerace again, no question. Other reviewers are pretty spot on. I would add that the lake you swim in is actually very clean and filtered. Temp was 77 degrees. The run is tough though, and more than makes up for the shorter bike. I ran my worst 5k in months! :) I welcome the challenge. My only caveats with this race is that (1) the volunteers that were working the transition area at 5:15am were cluelessly sending people to the wrong transition spots, (2) the race started 20 minutes late, which meant it was that much hotter when we finished, (3) they had no volunteers on the bike course, and most specifically at the merging area coming out of transition. They also talked a lot about safety on the bike course, and some "trouble spots", but nobody on the course giving us a heads up......I chalked this up to lack of volunteers, but then when I came in to transition I saw a huge grip of them warning me about the dismount line. Well, ok ok riding in to transition can be dangerous.....but we don't need 10 dudes patrolling the dismount line ;) On that note, there were lots of police helping with traffic management. That was awesome.....and impressive. I felt super safe and had a blast running red lights ;)

Super fun but ! one of the workers at the batman ride a old guy w shoulder length hair working on…read morethe batman guy was a little rude and honestly i feel like he was kinda racist he accused us of tryna ride the ride twice and even though we told him multiple times it was our first time riding the ride plus we were just minors plus a little kid he still was trying to kick us out he was taking the other guys side and saying he believed them more and would rather take theyre words than ours i just found that weird or he couldve phrased it differently taking another white persons side being white himself while im hispanic? Another worker helped us and moved us to open seats so it was all fine in the end but it was definitely still an upsetting experience !

I'm scared of heights, but I love the roller coasters and I love Six Flags…read more Always have good memories here

We had a killer time at this festival, and it really feels like they curate the vibe here so well -…read morethe music was excellent throughout and had options for all different flavors of "cowboy" music, from the single dude with the guitar all the way to a full-blown western band and country rock outfits. The organizations they brought in were cool and helpful! I'm going to have to come to Santa Clarita's series celebrating different nations, for instance. My wife and I particularly enjoyed the historical elements - the reenactments of the old western trail camp was amazing...everybody was wearing period-appropriate attire and it was so cool to see the covered wagons, lovingly restored and outfitted with chuckwagon supplies. My only hangup here is the same I often have with festivals here in SoCal, which is that the food vendors are basically price gouging. I had trouble finding any food item that was under 20 dollars that wasn't a drink, and many were smaller portions than you'd get from down the street for 10-12 bucks at the same quality level. If they could figure that out better, I think this would be a 5 out of 5 for me. If they don't, I guess we'll plan to eat before coming. Either way, I'll be back. This was a blast!

Went on Saturday..... big mistake.... tooooo crowded. Book store closed at 2:00 . we always…read moretake our kids there . They love books. Looked but could not find any food truck selling hot dogs . Kids don't uusually like the spiic/adult foods. finally ordered a Taco Cone and found out it was 12 dollars for what was the size of one slice of a pizza AND they charged us $5.00 for a bottle of water that I can buy a full case of 24 bottles for $5.00. This seems like gourging. Most of the food places did NOT have prices posted at all. We have always gone to this event but will think about NOT going ....next year.....