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.

I had the chance to run the Hot Chocolate run 15k/5k recently in San Diego and I had a blast!…read more Sign-ups were easy and convenient while I did everything online and the page was easy to navigate around to find all the information you needed to know about the race. It was sponsored by St Jude hospital where they gave you another opportunity to donate to the kids there for free medical expenses provided at the hospital made easy by donors like yourself. The expo was on Broadway Pier located Downtown on the Embarcadero on Friday and Saturday while you had the chance to pick up your BIB and a lovely swag running jacket . I was in and out in no time with all my gear and of course free samples of chocolate and marshmallows! Sunday was race day and the 5k (3.2 mi) started at 645 am while the 15k (9.3 mi) started at 745am at K street in Downtown San Diego right next to Petco Park. The race was well organized with live music and photographers taking pictures. As for the course it was one of the funnest courses I have ran with hills on top of hills. As I runner you always have to remember what must go up must come down! The course was well managed with volunteers giving out electrolytes, water, and of course sweet treats such as chocolates and gummies every couple of miles. The photographers were great while all the pictures they took were were uploaded that same day unlike most races where you have to wait a week or so to view them. Overall it was a fun hilly Downtown race with scenic views and unexpectedly I finished 1st in my age group and 27th overall! Looking forward to run this race again in the future because I had such a great time and the swag they gave out was awesome along with the post race hot chocolate, Graham crackers, oreos, bananas, and of course marshmallows!

I decided to sign up for the Hot Chocolate 15k/5k Run with my friend! Even though I'm not much of a…read morerunner, I had an amazing time. We got dropped off and then took the trolley back after the race was finished

Great walk/run for a great cause! Registration was easy and I received just the right amount of…read moreemails with updates. The start/finish is located on the north embarcadero just outside seaport village. The music was great, and subway was there passing out free sandwiches at the finish line. I look forward to signing up for next years event as well!

This is an incredibly frustrating race because I love the idea, but the execution is poor. It's…read morepart of the Holiday Bowl, which means that there is a big crowd with lots of energy and a parade to follow. The waterfront course is flat, the view is fabulous, and the cool breezes are very refreshing. The late start means you can sleep in, but December weather keeps it being from being too hot. So what's the problem? There is a wide range of people who run this race, including some people who were just standing around by the harbor and decided to sign up an hour before. I love the idea of making a race a family event, and think it's great the people who don't normally run decide to give it a try. However, new people aren't familiar with race etiquette and there are no corrals or rules for where people stand. The result is tiny children, walkers, and parents with huge strollers lined up in front of people who want to race. I was hoping things would improve when they added chip timing a few years back (no need for everyone to crowd near the front), but no such luck; I still spent the first couple of minutes trying to weave around the strollers and kids. This would be a great race for kids or as a first 5k (there's even a water station in the middle of the course), but I wouldn't suggest it if you're serious about racing. Oh, and take the trolley! With the parade and the football fans, you don't want to try parking.

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!

We did it! Fiancee, offspring and I went from 0 to finishers in about 5 months of training. It was…read moreincredible to cross the finish line without getting hurt after so many weekends at Lake Miramar and weekdays pounding the neighborhood pavement. Crowd was wonderful - lots of funny signs, cheering, music, alcohol stops and overall inspiration to complete this hilly course - thank you, neighbors and volunteers! Now I got the bragging rights to say I completed a half marathon while in my 40s, and also motivated two other guys to put in the work necessary to finish ahead of me. Worth it!

They start at 6:30 right on time We were cheers on all the…read morerunners for the Marathon. It was great to see more woman in front pack with the guys We all came out to share involvement Up early 3:45 got there 5:20 Passed out snacks and water We are the Chula Vista Run Club So cheers on our people in the race And having fun Very clean streets and ended by 11:30

The Running Group saturdays are part of my favorite part of the week. Each week we have a…read moredifferent location to run from and a cafe to eat breakfast. Greg coordinates the location and there are people to run with from sub 7 minute mile pace to 10 minute/mile pace. I have met people and have made friends I would never have met if I hadn't met up with this group. It's mostly a coastal San Diego running group.

Ride started off in Little Italy. Nice!…read more My biggest complaint was that the route was not marked very well. Several riders, including my group got lost. We found another lost group who thought they knew how to get back on the correct route but ended up getting more lost. The other group was even using the written directions which they claim were not accurate. I can agree with some of the other reviews but think people need to know this if a fun event. Yes the expo is small but so are others including the San Diego RockNRoll expo which gets smaller each year even with the pushy make up vendors they now let in. The food was included for racers. Bottom line - I would do it again but hope to see improvements.

Dear Diary, Rode in…read morethe Gran Fondo again this year and have to say this was my favorite ride yet out of the 3 Fondo's I've done. The weather was perfect (cool start in the morning and warmed up as the ride progressed). We must have gotten to the start line early this year because we were near the front of the line as the ride began. Had no problems getting out of downtown however saw a couple of accidents along the way. Bummer.....hope all involved are ok. Road conditions were pretty much ideal however on Harbor Drive South of the Ballpark definitely needs some work both heading North and South. There were plenty of flats to be had by all. Fortunately I was able to make it through unscathed. For the most part, those in vehicles were patient and understanding in the fact that there were 1400+ riders driving through their neighborhoods. Of course there is always those certain individuals who don't have the patience and tend to lay on their horns. Much of that can be attributed to the riders themselves as there were many who would take up the entire road. Definitely a lack of etiquette on the riders part which I didn't notice in previous years. Both SAG stations were nicely stocked this year and I think there was a lesson learned from last years Fondo. Plenty of sandwiches, fruit, cookies and drink to be had by all. Nothing against motorcyclists because many of my friends ride, but there were plenty of douches on Otay Lakes Road this year. I'm not impressed that you're able to go 90mph and let us hear how loud your bike is while we are schlepping our asses out and back. This years Expo was somewhat of a disappointment as there were not nearly the amount of vendors as in years past. As usual, there was a beer garden and this year Sierra Nevada was the chosen company. A high upgrade over last years choice A couple of these post ride definitely did the trick. The meal itself wasn't as good as in years past either. The marinara sauce was very salty and there wasn't much of a selection to choose from. On a downside, the organizers of the Fondo seemed to be....well unorganized. I picked up my packet on Saturday before the ride, got home and realized I was given the wrong sized jersey. After the ride yesterday, I tried retuning my jersey which was still packaged only to find out that they did not have the size I ordered. I spoke with Lindsey and hopefully she will make it right before the LA Gran Fondo. We'll see how that plays out. A huge props to all the volunteers throughout the course and to the various police, EMT and fire departments who made this ride as easy as can be. The volunteers were friendly and encouraging throughout the ride. All in all, this Gran Fondo was a success!! Well diary, till next years Gran Fondo. Jim