Organizers can't even rope the course off properly, multiple confusing turns with no direction as to where to go. Half the top 10 runners including myself got lost. read more

Not a bad local run. I showed up early but there was plenty of parking for those who arrived at a good time. Lots of shuttles running all day. Plenty of portable toilets of sweat checks. All good stuff. Including a drum circle. Lots of volunteers and music. A really fun day with all the activities they provided. Kind of a bummer that the 5K and 10K were all on pavement though. We are next to. Big state park with tons of trails. Maybe this would be too confusing? Also the medals were the cheapest medals I've ever seen. Don't even say Marin marathon on them which is a bummer. It was well put together I will certainly come back next year. read more

Marin County Marathon - Races & Competitions Near Me - Kappas Marina Sausalito, California

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I am so sad to read the negative reviews for the Marin County Marathon. This was my fourth year running it and I've loved it every time! These are the reasons why I love the Marin Marathon more than any of the other running events I've participated in... -The location is BEAUTIFUL. Hanging out before and after is like a picnic. - The organization is noticeable compared to other events I've participated in. - The swag, food, goodies, awesome T-shirt, and water bottle are all reason enough to register. - I like that the runs are along the water and more or less in nature. - The volunteers are super nice and try hard to help in any way. - The shuttle service is really convenient with the three free parking areas. - I really enjoy doing the packet pick-up at Sports Authority or Sports Basement because they offer 20% off the store when you pickup! If you're considering the Marin Marathon, please give it a try (or two). I always go with a few friends and we have a blast. read more

Disclaimer: not the best "beginner" race unless you are prepared, for example, bring your own GU or nutrition because they do not provide any on the course. website: 1 star execution this year: 2-3 stars true commitment to making the race as green as possible: 4-5 stars scenery, weather, a few acoustic bands on the course & people participating in the race: 6 stars post-race PB & J's, reusable SIGG style water bottle & free massage = huge bonus I recommend the Marin Half Marathon for those: looking for a physical challenge (very hilly trail run) and let's face it, mental challenge of a tough course but enjoy the reward of breathtaking views pretty much the whole way, at least 50% of the run is on a trail. If you are looking for a pimped out, tons of "stuff" and tons and tons of support and cheering this may not be for you. If you are 100% confident you can't run w/out an iPod, again not for you perhaps, but you may want to reconsider that. I normally love running with music but in this race there is a nice camaraderie amongst other runners on the trail, I got to chat with a few along the way as we hopped over the occasional mud puddle or avoided roots or rocks and encouraged each other along the way. It was a wonderful way to spend a beautiful morning for the second year in a row and despite the website that needs some serious attention I do highly recommend this run. Just think of this "race" as going for a run with a bunch of people on a Sunday morning where you are periodically served some sports drink/water along the way and get to run in the middle of one lane of the road for part of it - oh and some live music. Constructive feedback, since most of us don't live in Marin and it is quite hard to get to San Rafael by public transit please don't make us drive to pick up race packets the day before, otherwise solid conscious effort made, even plant tree at beginning of race & green performance race tees, a teeny bit too big for petite ladies but heart in right place. Oh and the mile markers were off - by a whole mile toward the end. That completely messed with me!!! It was crazy to then find the finish was right there when I thought I had another 3/4 to 1 mile left. I tripped five times on the trail run, I was going pretty fast but being as careful as possible I fell pretty hard one of the times, skinned up my knee and hands. Runners asked if I was okay and I said I was and continued on. (I ran this race last year too so I more or less knew the course but it was still pretty gnarly in places). Lastly this is a gun timed race. They give you a chip for your shoe but it is still a gun time NOT chip timed race. I wish I had known this in advance, why they do not have a mat at the start is beyond me but now I know. Definitely bummed about this but sharing with you so you are prepared for that when the results come out (which have been very slow to post to the actual Marin Marathon website). It may be a budget issue for a smaller race but would just be good to know before hand. Also was steered off course at one point by volunteer who wasn't paying attention when I whizzed by (also was no marker on that spot). Otherwise would have been PR for me. btw when they say "Hammer Hill" is interesting, that means it goes on and on, it is the Heartbreak Hill of this race... It seemed like this race was really geared toward half marathoners. I noticed when the marathoners were finishing the crowd had thinned and the announcer wasn't paying attention when the second runner was coming in for the finish and the cones were sort of all over the place. I wouldn't have liked that if I was running the 26.2 miles on such a tough course already with limited support. Total elevation climbing about 1500'+ read more

I ran the full marathon today which was my 2nd full marathon in 2 months. Well. I will start out with the good. 1. The volunteers were great out there today and a lot of the cyclists were following me in cause I got lost (there were parts of the course that were confusing. 2. I finished and PRd by 5 min. The ugly 1. I will never run this course again. 2. The course was very hokey. We ran through some school parking lot, then I ran through another parking lot where there was multiple soccer games playing..so you have to dodge cars that were coming in and out of parking spots. 3. Most of the course was on a street that was not closed off, so you either had to run on the sidewalk, or run on the shoulder and hope that no one clips you with their car. 4. Whoever designed this course is a masochist. The never ending hills were brutal. And just when you haven't felt enough pain in mile 22....there were more hills to go up. 5. The finish line.........ok seriously? The cones were every where and my husband who was waiting for me at the end said that they started to pack up after the 5 hr mark and moved a lot of the cones around. I ran in a few circles before someone told me where the finish was. When I got to the finish area....everyone was already packed up and ready to go...so yeah....i could have gotten there a bit faster. 6. I could swear that at one point we ran through someone's backyard. 7. The MC said over the speaker that he hoped that people would hurry up because he had a plane to catch. Yeah buddy...you try to run a marathon and i'll tell you to hurry up. 8. The website was so poorly designed. Not gonna lie..I did not enjoy this one at all and ever cried after I finished. Those tears were not of joy, but the sheer pain of going through those hills. Now I am seriously debating if I should just not do the San Francisco Marathon because I heard that it was hilly too. read more

I have to say, after reading some of the reviews from previous years I almost didn't race this event, however, it appears that the race directors were also either reading the reviews or just listening, because most of the gripes of previous years were non-issues yesterday. That said the longer run was also a half-marathon rather than the whole one, so perhaps that made the course a bit more accommodating. Complaints from previous years: - Running with cars: - No clearly marked start line - No Gu This year: -They had the roads completely closed. Non issue, and very well executed. -They had Gu, but then I do think it is a little lazy to expect race planners to provide this when you very well know you're running a fairly long distance and these go for about $1 at sports basement, but alas, they must have heard the complaints -Start line. Okay, so this was still a little difficult to find, apart from the fact that you had to walk directly by it while getting down to the pre-race registration. If you weren't expecting it to be at the top of the hill, if you follow the bag piper, he gets you there. I do think it would probably help to have the announcements broadcast at the bottom of the hill, but logistically that may very well not be doable. Those for next year - just follow the bag piper. This was my forth half marathon, and my best yet time, so perhaps due to that I'm a little partial, but I did think they did a great job executing a highly sustainable, charity event that didn't feel like it skipped on basics. The T-shirt (yes, while pretty big) was far better than race shirts received from other events, and the water bottle and finisher's medal were a nice touch. I'll definitely run this race again next year - especially now that I know what to expect. read more

I had very low expectations going into this because of all the negative reviews. This was my first race and I had a great experience here! The organizers definitely pulled it together their third year. After I read the reviews here on yelp, I almost did not want to participate and had very low expectations. But this will be an annual event for us. PROS: * Parking and shuttle service were easy to find. Shuttle service to and from your car came every three minutes * Water stations w/ sports drinks throughout * Beautiful, picturesque, trail * Challenging hilly course * Well organized * Announcing your name and city at the finish was a nice touch! (Although they missed my bf's) * Results posted the next day (Sunday evening) * Live music throughout the route * Supportive and positive energy by participants and volunteers * Cool water bottles and medals at finish CONS * We weren't sure where the starting area was when we arrived but the announcer notified us shortly before the start of our race * Porta potties! I'm sure this is the case with most races but I hate porta potties! * Price- $65 for the 10k. (It goes to a good cause though!) * Shirts were an ugly two toned green color (will not be wearing this) read more

Get ready for some hills- and more hills- and more hills... This is a beautiful run and half of it is off the road on a narrow trail. I will surely do this run next year with Team Larkspur. read more

Today was the inaugural race for the Marin County Marathon. I ran the half. This was actually my first half marathon, so I didn't quite know what to expect, but from what I've read and heard, this event was pretty standard. It was a gorgeous day with clear skies, warm weather (a little too warm for running 13.1 miles, but hey, today was really unusual weather for the Bay), and the trail was beautiful. That is why I give it 4 starts. I do have a complaint, however. The trail had soooo many hills and miles 10-12 were straight up and this really messed up my pace (most people said the same thing so I'm not the only one with this feeling). I didn't end up making my pace goal because the hills killed me, but it was a great run and I accomplished a life goal, so I'm ok with that. And now I'm retiring from running! read more

I want to preface this review with the statement that I think the intentions behind this race are great, both with the green efforts and the charitable contributions. That being said, I would never do this race again, and some serious improvements need to be made if they plan to continue the event. This was not my first full marathon, but it was my worst experience with one. I have done countless races, and this race was the worst. * The course was terrible. I only liked the first 5 miles or so which were beautiful rolling hills down the main road of China Camp. After that, we were running alongside traffic for parts of it. The last 5 miles were the same we started with, but the rolling hills work against you on the way back because it is much more uphill than downhill. HARD. * There were less than 100 people running the full marathon. It should have been cancelled for lack of interest. Why would I pay over $100 to run 26.2 miles down traffic-lined roads all by myself? * The pacers I came in contact with did not know what they were doing, and were completely unfamiliar with the course. They had never paced a marathon before. * There was barely anything to eat or drink when I finished because a lot of sponsors had packed up and left, probably because the majority of people (half marathon, 10K and 5K) had already left. * The website had MINIMAL info about the event as a whole. * The map of the course on the website was too small to figure out where the course was going, and never had mile markers added onto it, thereby making it impossible to tell friends/family where to go to watch you or what time you would be coming through. * They reopened the road through China Camp while racers were still out there. When you're on Mile 23 and barely able to make it up a hill, the last thing you want to to deal with is a motorcycle driving way too fast around a turn and the driver screaming at you to get off the road. Where the hell am I supposed to go? There was nowhere for me to run but on the road! I had heard bad things about this race from participants last year, but since it was Marin's first full, I wanted to give it a try. From the low turn-out of participants, it seems clear others had heard bad things also. With so many wonderful races to choose from within a 2 hour driving radius of San Francisco, there is no reason to choose this one. read more

The theme of this 2010 event was great. "Sustainable Sports". We got reuseable bags and stainless steel bottles and breathable shirts. Very cool. However, the execution of the event was horrible. At least if you are a lowly 5k runner like me. There were 4 events, full marathon, half marathon, 10k and 5k. We all arrived by 7 to park, but the events were staggered over 1/2 an hour apart so that it was after 9 when we finally got to start. There was an announcer, a baggpipe player and a tessla at the start of the first three events but because of the staggering, ALL of those crowd pleasers were at the finish line welcoming people in while we started by an unsure volunteer with a fog horn. The course was poorly laid out and marked as we wittnesses several 10K runners go the wrong way while we were waiting to start and almost no volunteers around to help them . No one gave us a motivating start or cheered us on. No one cared that we were there at all. This was only my 3rd race but in the other two, I at least felt like I was a part of something. I am glad I didn't pay more to do run further. Lame. The web site was also poorly organized and the event had a mandatory race packet pick up the day before, on a Saturday afternoon, and we live more than an hour away, planning to come just for the day. What a nightmare. Not gonna run this one again, but at least all of our future runs will shine in comparison. read more

First, I am an experienced marathoner. Second, I took one look at this "organization" and said nope. Third, I have a separated shoulder just now. I did go out and cheer on the runners for a couple of hours Sunday. I roamed between miles 12 and sixteen and did my best; yelled, clapped and hooted. Directed runners and traffic. I felt really bad for you runners, especially you first-timers who don't know how great a marathon can be! The soccer field parking lot was a bitch for us all. I tried to make you all feel good about what you were in the middle of. Glad no one got hurt; no PD or FD for miles. Sorry the course was so poorly marked, that you had to run across intersections and in traffic. Sorry for the couple who were so lost that they started up a freeway on-ramp. Sorry, I didn't know where the next water stop was or the the next timer was. Sorry I didn't bring a case of Gu's or Shots for you all. Sorry I didn't pull a "Say Anything" and bring a boom box. Sorry I didn't bring more friends; I was the only spectator that I saw for the two hours I was out there. I was going to say that we should all bring more friends next year, but then... should there even be a "next year"? read more

Great event and a great workout, be prepared. It has good elevation and a good trail run.

This was my 4th marathon. I run Big Sur Twice and the Silicon Valley Marathon once. This is a hilly race with nice views of the Bay and 100 something marathoners. My impressions: - Nice views of the bay for the first part of the race. - There were reasonable good supplies of gels, liquids, fruits along the race. - Some times, we had to go through parking slots and soccer fields indeed but it was not that bad. The drawback I would say was the section where we had to run through several streets and close to the highway. Not very fun. - Having run Big Sur, the hills were not that bad but can be challenging. - Excellent massage at the end, it was one of the best I had. - Not many spectators, it is OK if that is not your thing. It was not that bad. The only thing is that at the end, the staff was not very prepared and they would not provide much food or drinks. Overall, I would say this is OK for a second edition. They may improve next year. I would not recommend it for beginners though. read more

Sounds like a great cause. I wish the road to china camp did not have to be closed. I think there would be more support for the event if consideration was given to others who enjoy the area that is closed off. read more

This was my first half marathon and I was soo disappointed. The course was beautiful and it was a great day, but the race itself was a disaster. To start there was no announcements of where to go when the race began. The half started at 7:40 and it was about 5 till when we asked a fellow runner and found out where to start the race. This was so ridiculous because they had an announcer announcing all sorts of things except the important stuff like where to go an when. The hills were so hard, which was expected however had no idea how uneven and rough the trail would be on the ankles. The worst part was the mile markers were off by an ENTIRE mile!!! What a complete drain on motivation when you feel like you have gone 10 miles but the mile marker says 9!!! We along with several other runners knew it was wrong however were concerned that there was a serious possibility it would be a 14.1 mile course and not 13.1. The runners around us were sooo upset about this and we all felt it was completely unacceptable that a race couldn't get the miles correct! Also from mile 7-11 there was no water stations, probably because it was all in the woods on a trail however for those without water I was concerned for, luckily I carried water so I was ok but it was a long way for those who didn't. I will never recommend this race and will warn anyone I can to never run this race it was extremely unorganized. read more

Pretty unfriendly and unsustainable this year as packet pick up is in SF Friday or Marin Saturday for the race Sunday. Or an extra $20 to pick up on race day. Which was unclear until a few weeks before the race. So if you are coming from the South Bay, east bay, north bay or Sac it's two trips to Marin or further to SF. So stupid. It's basically a big f-you to anyone who does not live in Marin or SF. But what else would you expect since Marin is clearly the center of the universe. I'm doing the race Sunday because I paid for it but I won't be back. read more

Ran the 10-K and it was lots of hills up and down, so I had the opportunity to learn about hill running. It turns out I'm able to really thrive on hills (especially the downhill parts) even though I don't like them much. I would like to have seen more trails but the views were nice and inspiring. read more

My daughter and I ran the 5K and loved everything about it. Well organized event and can't wait for next year. Thank you Sustainable Sports :o) read more