"Professional quality races."…read more A few years back I decided to start racing, and most of the races I ran were with Brazen. They uniformly do an outstanding job. They also have a ton of volunteers who helped them out. They put on about 20 races per year. If you do every single one of them you win a special place called "streaker." Also, if you can run a 10K faster in minutes than your age, you get a special mention, as "ageless wonder." Now, if they could only make my legs go faster.

The best race organizers you'll ever find. The community they have built is a treasure covering the…read morebay area and beyond. Jasmin and Sam put their whole hearts into their business and it shows. They can greet so many of the racers by name and remember their stories. It truly feels like a family. Plus It's Its!!! I run for the ice cream

4.5 / 5 This was my…read moresecond year running the 12k and found it was a lot more organised than the previous year. The course for the 12k is beautiful as it goes over the Golden Gate Bridge and into Aquatic Park, there is a 5k option also available but simply goes around the park. + Easy packet Pick up. Pick ups are in various locations around the bay in the 3 days prior or you can get it mailed to you for a $10 fee. + Nice tech shirts. These do however come up large and the smallest Women's they have is a small so it actually more as a sleep shirt. lol + Nice medal + Beautiful course. On the day were ran the Whales were in the bay! + Post race snacks were all pre bagged this year (last year too many random walkers by were just helping themselves) and considered of a couple of Curate bars, Banana, Orange and Water + Volunteers fll of energy and encouragement. + Ability to earn an extra medal if you complete the 3 race series. From my perspective this event ran hiccup free and is on I will likely do each year. A few tips if you're planning to run: 1. Put your correct pace time in when you register. Please.. if you run a 12 minute mile don't put 8 and then stick to the left hand side of the course holding people up. These waves are designed to help with the smooth flow of runners throughout the course. 2. Take the advise of the numerous emails Represent Running send in the week leading up to race day. In particular shuttles to the 12k start line, the numerous emails do state to get there early. Shuttles started at 6am.. I got there at 6:15am and was on the shuttle immediately and in Sausalito by 6:40am with minimal lines for the restroom I was ready for my wave 1 (7:30am) start by 6:50am. 3. Plan for parking. There is no event parking, this is San Francisco after all so if you are planning to drive try carpool with friends. Some street parking can be found but not if you get there too late. Personal: Being part of the Ambassador crew for the Run the Bay series I met up with some of the team for pictures beforehand where one of the Ladies then snuck off to sing the national anthem just before the start (how gutsy is that??). I almost missed my start time because I was also waiting for my running club as to take pictures with those too but as they were all starting in later waves it made it a little difficult. As for the Run itself it went pretty well. After already Running an average of 15 miles a day for the 9 days previous my feet hated me (think huge quarter sized blister) and I wasn't expecting to be finished in less than 1:15 yet once we started off my legs just went into autopilot. The first mile or so was a little congested where I was able to briefly chat with other runners until they dropped behind me at the hill leading up to Golden Gate bridge, running over the Bridge is an amazing feeling where I stopped a couple of times to take pictures for my I Run 4 buddy and thought I spotted Whales in the Bay (later confirmed by friends). Miles 3-5 seemed to go by in a happy blur where when I realized where I was I was very aware of how freaking hot I was and that maybe double layers was not such a good idea. The last few miles I paid a little more attention to my surroundings, being around Th City it's kind of a must and had me notice how great the volunteers were all cheering as I ran past and I spotted the Roli Roti truck pulling into Fort Mason ready for the Farmers Market (darn that delicious Chicken!) The final downhill before the finish line was not fun on my knee's but then coming across the finish line to cheers and announcement was pretty awesome. Both Hubby and a fellow member of my Running club immediately came to my side for a Finish Line picture while the course behind me was empty. Despite the crazy amount of miles covered in the week before I was amazed to see I finished 7th out 2,800 females!! (Plus an age group win but they don't give prizes for those). 2 races of the series done. Happy days!! Time: 55:47 / 7:26 min mile. **TIP: Next race in the series is the 510k. Use code ''REPRESENT2016EB for 10% discount and come run with me!! **

I have done all of the other races in the Run the Bay series (408k santana row, 510 in berkeley,…read moreand last year's 415 in Marin) and really enjoyed this one! I am REALLY happy that the Across the Bay run is replacing Marin for the 415 spot. Background: This race was previously run by another company (RhodyCo) and Represent Running took it over. So, 2015 was the first time this race was organized under Represent Running and included as part of the Run the Bay challenge! The Rundown: -They offered a bib pick up location in South Bay!! (Friday) and in San Francisco (Saturday). This was SO helpful. I think all SF races should have a bib pick up in south bay :). However, the Pruneyard of Campbell is just chaotic on any normal day with all of the restaurants and such. Getting to the Pruneyard and parking took a lot longer than it should've due to the traffic and congested parking lot. I think they should have bib pick up at the Sports Authority in either San Jose/Santa Clara or Sunnyvale - easy to get to locations in complexes with less foot traffic. -I was in Wave 1 and my friend in Wave 3. I decided to join her in Wave 3, so arrived at the shuttle spot on Beach St. at 7:10am sharp, which was early (instructions stated that Wave 3 people should arrive by 7:30am at the latest in order to make it to the wave 3 start of 8:30am). It looked like they only had a handful of buses operating (school buses) so the lines were getting backed up. By the time I got to the start line, the national anthem was being sung and it was announced that the start time was being delayed 2 minutes to 8:32am as more buses were still bringing people over. They did have port a potties and the fedex trucks for gear check on the way to the start line. They should have had more buses to take people, as not allowing people to drive straight to the start line really creates a bottleneck. -Awesome course - The course itself was great! I did do quite a bit of weaving in and out in the first couple miles because I started in Wave 3. The course around miles 1.5 to 2.5 was painfully hilly, pretty flat from 2.5 to 6.5 or so, with another slight hill at mile 7 just before the finish at Aquatic park. Running across the bridge, and then along the waterfront, was really nice! Loved the views and the slight multi terrain course! -Accurate distance: I always run with Nike Plus and my nike registered 7.65 miles when i crossed the finish line. Taking into account the weaving I did early on in the course, I would say that this 12k - or 7.5 mile - course was measured pretty darn good :) -Plenty of water stations! I liked how the volunteers were spread out at the stations handing out water so that runners didn't have to all crowd in one area. Also loved the Nuun electrolyte drinks offered at the aid stations. -Post-race snacks included fruit snacks, bananas, acai samples, fig bars, kind bars, water. Because the post race area was not closed to the public, I did notice that a lot of non-runners were taking some of the snacks :(. By the time my friend finished her run, they had run out of bananas. I think they either need to plan for more snacks in the future, or have volunteers prevent those without bibs from stealing our snacks! -The Bling: Really nice, big, weighty medal! The fact that it also doubles as a magnet makes it that much cooler and unique! I think they should have made the medal ribbon closure velcro rather than sewn up so that people could easily remove the medal if they wanted to use it as a refrigerator magnet - that is what the 408k did with their bottle opener medal. Also, LOVED the customized medal ribbons depending on distance ran - 5k finishers ribbon was black and 12k finishers ribbon was white. More races need to customize based on distance run!! -Swag/gift bag - I think they could have offered more restaurant discounts for runners at some of the restaurants near the finish area (I'm looking at you, Ghirardelli and your sundaes!) -HOORAY FOR FREE RACE PHOTOS! -I liked the tech shirt design. Also, the banner that everyone always takes a picture of with their medal after a race was really nice - really enjoyed the design :) I would've given this event 5 stars if the bus to start-line system was more seamless.

This run combines both the 5k and 10k runners at the start, with the 10k runners looping to do…read moreanother lap. From end to end, starting at Lululemon, it goes up to Civic St. down S. Broadway (past Broadway Plaza), back up S. Broadway, finishing next to Nordstroms. Flat and smooth contour road running with no hills. The start time began at 8am, only everyone should be ready and at the starting line at 7:15am. This was my first time running it, so I'm not sure if attendance was up or down this year. The end results showed close to 800 participants. Regardless, everyone seemed enthused and encouraged. All the kids seemed cheerful and excited, as this definitely was a "run for education". A special run that raises money for Walnut Creek schools. So, I'm proud to have ran and contributed. In my personal opinion, it's an excellent 5k run for families and pets. Yes, some people ran with their dogs, which I thought was cool, but it got kids out and runnin'! There was even an award ceremony where kids, and all age groups, received a medal. First through third place (per age group) receive medals only, and they even went up on a podium. Pretty cool! My only complaint would be 'packet pick up day'; It's only available during the "pm" hours only. They didn't accommodate for people that work during the night. So, whoever sponsors this, please add an "am" pick up time. I don't want to sign up on race day :) Oh, and on race day, I had no issues finding parking. Other than that, I enjoyed this run and I plan to beat my time next year. That's another reason why I liked running this event; They post your times on how you did, and where you ranked. I encourage others to get out there, and sign up for this run next year!

10k and 5k runs in downtown Walnut Creek benefitting education. Choose which school you'd like…read moreyour $35 entrance fee allocated to. 2012 is the 75th anniversary of the Walnut Festival Association. The Run originally started in the early 1950's. Start is at 1201 Main Street, which is completely closed for the event. Electronic timing services provided by On Your Mark Events, using B-tag devices. For the 10k, aid stations are at miles 1.8 and 4.5 near Whole Foods Market. Sponsors include Dirito Brothers, WC Orthopedics, Mechanics Bank, Luluemon, Sports Basement, WC Sports & Fitness Club, Wenzel Coaching, Forward Motion Sports, Athletic Outpost, High Tech Web Services and Whole Foods Market. Net proceeds distributed to individual public or private Walnut Creek schools. School percentages based on designation at sign up by participants.

2013 was the 4th annual Concord Police Association's July 4th "Stars and Stripes" 5K. I am so glad…read morethat I chose a hometown event that supports the Monument Crisis Center (http://www.yelp.com/biz/monument-crisis-center-concord) for my first 5K! The event was well coordinated with good communication by the planners before and after. It was especially nice that we could pick up our bibs and such the day before. The volunteers, of which there seemed to be a ton, were all extremely supportive and helpful. Since the course goes mostly through neighborhoods (with streets closed) it was also nice to see so many people outside their homes, cheering everyone on. A special gratitude shout out to the family who were standing outside their house at the top of a big hill on the route, pumping disco hits and offering to hose us down. You, my fellow Concordians, are wonderful people. After completing the 5K, we stayed in Todos Santos Plaza, grabbed our usual spot on the patio at EJ Phair and enjoyed the parade. One area for possible improvement... The event continues to grow each year (there were over 600 people registered this year) so it would be nice if they added wave times to pace out the participants, especially to get the runners in front of the walkers. I'm looking forward to participating again next year!

At the end of every 5k my husband and I hold hands as we run through the finish line. (Ok, I know,…read moreI know...cheezy...but I love it.) This was the first 5k my husband and I have run where our names were called as we crossed the finish line together. It was so cool to here the announcer say: "And here come Amy and Casey (P) from Concord". We met our goal of completing another 5k, once we'd only registered for the day before. I found out about the 5k in my hometown a few days before it was to take place. I didn't mind paying the higher entry fee (it was still only $30) but it did mean we couldn't pay $7 extra for the nicer, non-cotton shirts. We did still get a goody bag filled with tons of great stuff! Thanks to all the nice sponsors. The CPD organized this event. If you missed the online registration deadline, you could still register in person at the police department the day before the event. I sent my husband to do this and he said it was an easy process. On the morning of the 8am run (Happy 4th of July), we parked at Todos Santos Plaza and listened to the clear voice of the announcer over the loud speaker. We even saw the A's mascot: Stomper!! Then 3-2-1.... we were off! We ran a mostly flat course around Concord near the downtown plaza, high school, and John Muir hospital. A BART driver honked and waved at us as the train flew by. It was so much fun. The water station volunteers were friendly and many of the police men and women that stood with volunteers around the course cheered us on. We walked and ran and enjoyed watching the families around us. A 40 minute finish wasn't very competitive, but we were just there to have fun. Some people brought dogs, which were not allowed. And we also saw lots of strollers, which were allowed. So it was definitely a family event, and the no-dog rule wasn't really enforced. Saw some kids on scooters as well. After the run we bought breakfast for a $5 per plate donation for two pancakes and two sausages and a juice. A parade followed the 5k at 10 am, so we had to wait around a while for that to start, but it was nice out and we talked with other runners and families. Thanks CPD for helping to organize this event. We heart Concord.

I love me some Lime Ridge. Why it's taken me so long to review this beautiful open space is beyond…read moreme. But I'll tell ya that I hold this place near and dear to my heart. This is one of my local faves. The hiking trails seem to the endless. In late winter and early spring, the hills are so amazingly green that it looks fake. I've hiked here during all seasons, day and night. It's always beautiful here, even in the dead of hawt ass summer. I just LOVE dem hills! The hillsides cannot be touched at Lime Ridge. My favorite trail to hike here is the California Riding and Hiking Trail. I usually start at the intersection of the Ygnacio Canal and Contra Costa Canal Trail near Citrus Ave. This trail starts off with a long and steep hill. Many runners train on this hill to increase their endurance. I love it because it challenges me. I'll usually start here and loop around through a couple of other trails. What's nice is that you can go on for miles or just get a short quick hike in. There's so much versatility. The best time to come is during the spring. The spring greens and bright wild flowers and so abundant during this time. Plus, it won't be scorching hot like it is during the summer time. If I do decide to hike here in the summer, it's usually early in the morning or right before sunset. There's absolutely no shade on these trails, so take precautions and bring lots of water. Also, the summertime can bring bugs and those bloodsucking mosquitoes. Bug spray in the summer as well as sunscreen will keep your skin happy. Lately, the trails have been much busier because of quarantine. However, people respectfully keep their distance on the trails and many also wears masks as well. I tend to stick to the same trails which don't seem to be as busy as the ones that are located deeper into Walnut Creek. Either way, it's still worth a visit because the trails are so versatile.

Hiked Sat 3/13/21 at Lime Ridge Open Space, 47 min drive from my house in Fremont. Free parking in…read moremedium size parking lot & on the street. Across the street is Boundary Oak Golf Course where we used their bathrooms (by Taphouse) cuz none at Lime Ridge. We turned Right at Ohlone Trail gate, passing houses in Walnut Creek. Saw a nice pond with lots of water, climbed up, was on private property land, had to go under the fence to get on park land. Did Manzanita Trail, Lime Ridge Trail, went by a bench and near it is summit marker elev 1,986, Blue Oak Trail, Ohlone Trail, went under tunnel, Lone Oak Trail, Savannah Trail, saw Bayberry Pond (was Dry), went through a lower tunnel, Blue Oak Trail. Ohlone Trail & Ygnacio Canal Link if u climb up a few time and keep going you'll find a labyrinth! We saw it didn't go down to walk it, that would have been nice! Blue Oak Trail to Ohlone Trail back to car. Long day we started 9:10am finished 3:30pm.

Tice Valley park is a fun little family park! Please note the field is not usable. It is under…read moreconstruction. The playground is older but still fun and very useable. We love to go here and o ur little lasts about 30mins to 1 hour. The trails all around the park are really wonderful. Go check it out!

I ride a mobility scooter. When the parking lot is full the cars park in front of the path to go…read morearound the park. That leaves only one accessible entrance open near the bathrooms. Why don't they make the two handicap parking spots there with a clear pathway between so that entrance is always available?

Are you young, new to the city, and like meeting new people?…read more Then WAKA Kickball is for you! I've been playing for 5 years now. There are several days you can play, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Sunday. Each Day of the week has a different vibe and level of competition. I mainly play on Sundays which is a little less competitive than other days. And it gives me enough time to recover. After the games we head to our sponsor bar to hang out, drink, and play flip cup. There are usually 2-3 parties that happen every season as well. I've made some of my best friends playing kickball. You should too!

Really fun and really great way to meet new people in a new city (or when you want to make new…read morefriends in the city you've lived in for awhile). Every league is different, so it's worth trying a few if you don't like the first one you are in. The kickball is fun but it works really well when paired with the drinking games after. The most important thing is to find a league where the post-game bar is on a night where you can afford to drink and is easy to get home from (i.e. no driving necessary). A good post-game means it doesn't matter whether you are on a team that loses every game. There is a mix of players and some have played for a few years and understand the strategies and have experience, while others are just starting out. Signing up as a free agent is pretty random, so you can get placed on a completely new team or as filling out an established squad. Most people are generally friendly and welcoming (beer does that to you).

I've ventured to many of the East Bay parks with this group. Love exploring the miles and miles of…read moretrails. Sometimes it's green, lush, and hilly and other times we're surrounded by redwoods or marshes. Very friendly group. Hike at your own pace, but usually you find someone else that hikes the same pace as you do. Such a great way to get the heart rate going and to keep in shape.

Awesome casual hiking group. I find the pace is quite rigorous. The idea is to just fall in with…read morepeople who go your speed. The leader does not "wait" for people. Make sure you get a trail map and then start with group. Most people finish at different times. Lovely people. Love this group!