April 2011 Race at Castaic Lake…read more The weather couldn't have been better. The race itself: Awesome. This is no 5 or 10k race to sneeze at. The first half is uphill ALL the way. No joke, it will take your breath away. Lean forward and pump those feet. Prior to doing this race, I read somewhere that someone would have prefered more mud, less run. I'd have to agree, but boy, do they make you work for that mud! Words to the wise if you plan to do this race: -- long pants or something that covers the knees because when you're climbing over the walls, ladders, cargo nets, it helps you hike yourself over without worrying about splinters, rope burn, etc. -- If you're also not great at doing the crab crawl under the dry cargo net obstacle, it'll help protect your knees from the dirt and gravel. -- people were scaring me with stories of duct taping their shoes to their legs so they wouldn't lose their shoes. Nah. Didn't happen. Just lace up tight. -- I wore a baseball cap thinking I would salvage some of my hair. Stupid. Don't be me. The rim of my hat kept getting caught on the cargo net. In hind sight, I signed up to get muddy so what was i thinking? There's truly no way of avoiding it. -- Standard stuff, hydrate the night before, sleep well. -- While they provide hoses so you can hose down, when you get back to your car, you are still going to find mud in them nooks and crannies. We brought an Igloo cooler full of washcloths soaked in hot water. You'll thank me later. -- When in the mud, don't stop, don't think, just go! That's what you signed up for isn't it?! P.S. Well organized race. Great volunteers! Plenty of bang for your buck with the great dri-fit UVP shirt, Buff, cheeseburger lunch and PLENTY of restrooms and refreshments.

Since this was going to be my very first obstacle race, I chose to do the 3 mile course instead of…read morethe 6. I'm a frequent participant in 5 and 10Ks, but with the added challenge of climbing, jumping, crawling, and pulling, I wasn't so confident I would last all 6 miles. The organization of the race was awesome. I got a number of emails the weeks prior to the event informing me of packet pickup times, directions, and parking instructions. I wasn't able to pick up my packet the day before the race, so my pals and I drove to the race early in the morning anticipating traffic, parking issues, and a long walk to the start line. One of the MAJOR pros about the race is that if you drive a Subaru, there's no parking fee AND you pretty much get to park about 50 yards away from the start line. It. Was. Incredible. Once we got there, picked up our bibs, applied our sunscreen, and checked in our gear, we realized we had about another 2 hours before our 10:30am start. Luckily, there was another 3 mile group that was starting at 9:30, so we decided to just jump into one of those waves. Each wave started about 3 minutes apart, giving a decent amount of time to keep the flow of the course moving. The down side is that if you're in the 12th wave, you're starting about 30 minutes after your listed start time. That's a lot of waiting around. I thought the course was great. Not easy by any means, but not heartbreakingly challenging either. The divots in the grass were more challenging to overcome than some of the obstacles. I just kept thinking how embarrassing it would be if I injured my ankle from running through the park before I even got to the first challenge. I think there was no more than a half a mile distance of walking/running between each obstacle. This was nice because it didn't feel like I was laboring through any of the running stretches. The most intense obstacle for me was the cargo net wall...not because it was physically difficult or demanding but because when you get to the top, you realize how high off the ground you are. Not so pleasant if you have an issue with heights. The most demanding obstacle was hands down the heartbreak hill. It's 100 yards of a 60-70% incline. My poor calves! All you can do is keep your eyes on the ground and keep going. Once you look up and see you much further you have to go, it's over. The organizers strategically placed a water station at the top of the hill so you have a chance to catch your breath, drink some water, and appreciate the view that you just worked so hard for. I was told that there would be a lot of waiting at some of the obstacles, but the only one that I thought was time consuming was the sand bag haul. Maybe they can work on spreading that one out a little bit better. Other than that, I thought the course flowed really well. Some of these challenges were actually pretty fun. The inflatable slide, rock climbing wall, and hurdles were some of my favorites. As far as attire, I would recommend wearing clothes that are fitted. Loose tees and shorts allow excessive entry of dirt and mud into your nether regions. Think about how miserable it is to find sand EVERYWHERE after going to the beach...it's kinda like that. I wore a pair of worn out shoes knowing that they were probably gonna get trashed, and luckily, the event had a place where you can donate your shoes after the race. They also had a large rinse off station and changing tents. It's like they thought of everything! If you're at all uncomfortable with the thought of putting your body through this type of challenging course, do it! Just do it! It may be a little intimidating, but you will have a powerful sense of satisfaction once you complete it. You truly are much stronger and more capable than you think, and this race reinforced that for me.

Horrible event. Disorganized and total lack of communication other than irrelevant social media…read morepostings. They canceled the 5k yesterday, leaving everyone to presume that the half would be canceled as well. We had until 3 pm to pick up our bibs, and they didn't give an option to have them mailed out. Sometime after the bib pick-up was closed, they announced that the race was on. They then announced that we could pick up bibs the day of, for an extra $25 on top of the $200 already spent. This has never happened before in my 20 years of running. To be clear, this was not about the weather. This storm was a known event well in advance of the race. It was about the lack of communication, decision making, organization, and leadership. Recommend Malibu Moves. DON'T DO RUNMALIBU.

Lack of organization. I missed my husband's finish because of the shuttle. I spent in the line more…read morethan 1 hour and couldn't support my loved one at this moment. If you don't allow people to get the place by themselves, you have at least to organize a proper transfer for everyone. Disappointed!

This race was truly amazing. We went as a bachelorette party for my sister's upcoming wedding. It…read morewas such a fun yet challenging experience that really bonded us as a group. You really have no idea how the race is going to end until it ends. Without giving too much information, our group was 15 minutes behind at one point and then ended up winning the entire race by three minutes. We didn't even realize we won until the very end when Bob announced penalties (he'll discuss this before the race starts.) So if you're looking for a truly great experience - then you need to check this out!!!

I know there is a Yelp for the Amazing Race Los Angeles...but need Amazing Santa Monica Race…read moredeserves it's on little piece of History... How do you describe spending your hard earned money on something that will drive you insane? yelling at others? pissing you off? making you run all around town? talking to strangers...? having people asking you what you are doing.....having a MIME Touch you as your running around in Venice Beach and you !@??#$!# at him...not knowing who he is...or your teamate telling one of the people giving you clues listen here we are really busy right now looking for a clue we can't help you! That was all part of the Amazing Santa Monica Race...that took just about a grueling 5 hours to compete....during the process you don't know what to expect... Bob was a great host, comedian, commentator, etc.... The only downside is the Santa Monica version is pretty new so we didn't have a ton of groups competing...positive side our team wins a medal cuz not enough groups are competing!! Okay 2nd isn't 1st...so I'm still upset! Try it...it's tons of fun!

Celebrating the 6th Annual 5K for Mesothelioma! What a beautiful day for a run....we made it a…read morefamily ritual a few years ago, making this our 4th year!!

Bottom Line: An awesome triathlon…read more I have had the chance to participate in this event a few times now and it was bigger than I thought it was going to be. Very professionally run but still relatively casual and fun. The venues for all three portions is awesome. The bike leg is longer than most other Tri's that I have done so it definitely benefits bikers, at least for the sprint. Great expo afterwards, lots of community support... I highly recommend this event!!

From the owner: Carpinteria is a beautiful beach town on the Central Coast located between Santa Barbara and…read moreVentura. The Carpinteria Beach, known as the "World's Safest Beach," is very special and has been rated the #1 swimming beach in California, due mostly to its Southern exposure and its protection by the Channel Islands. Swimmers will usually enjoy small surf and the absence of riptides at our unique beach. The bike course, an open course and large loop, travels along the foothills offering some spectacular ocean views. Both the olympic and sprint courses offer the participant a challenging ride, although the sprint course is also very well suited for the novice triathlete. The run course, also an open course, winds through some quaint Carpinteria neighborhoods and is mostly a flat loop course. The Carpinteria Triathlon is a benefit event for the City's Parks & Recreation youth programs. Proceeds will help to provide scholarships and additional equipment for programs such as Junior Lifeguards and our ocean recreation programs. This event is USA Triathlon Sanctioned.

I used to participate every year when there was still a marathon and the race started and ended at…read morethe Point Fermin Lighthouse. I returned in 2018 because it was now part of the Lexus LaceUp Running Series. Currently, the distances that they offer are 5k, 10k, and half marathon. I ran the half marathon. The race now starts and ends at the Pelican Cove Park just West of the Terranea Resort. *Parking* For parking, they have 3 locations: Rancho Palos Verdes City Hall, Salvation Army College, and Point Vicente Interpretive Center. Each of the locations are close enough to walk, but they'll have shuttles going around to pick-up and drop-off people. *Course* It was beautiful and just as hilly as I remembered it to be! Most of course was kept in the residential area about a stone's throw from the ocean just off of the main Palos Verdes Dr. Be sure to do your hill training or else be prepared to suffer! They even have a short steep section just after mile 10 that was a timed hill challenge. The fastest male and female will each win $500. Overall it was a well organized race. Although the race had a few quirks such as confusing separate starting lines, I liked the improvements that they've made with this race. The packet pick-up was quick and they had plenty of portapotties. Gear check was a bit chaotic as they were swamped with runners dropping off bags all at the same time. One of the bright spots with these Lexus LaceUp races was the post race food from the food trucks! That was some good quality food all included in your race registration!

If you are a new half marathon runner don't do this one first :) if you want to run a marathon or…read morehalf marathon thats a little more challenging this is for you! I ran the 2010 event, it was my third half marathon ever. I will do it again next year. It's gorgeous, my bum and legs are still feeling the hills. They had yummy coffee and fruit at the start and finsh, and it had a very intimate feel. The parking was a bitch. The restroom line was long. That didn't matter though because i loved the run! Must add this to your run list. See you there in 2011!