A really cool local race, I believe they cap it off around 3,000 runners between the 1/2 marathon and the 1/2 marathon 2 person relay. The relay is split with the first runner doing 5 + miles and the second running doing 7 + of the 13 miles. The course goes through the valley of Solvang passing by some of the wineries in the area. The course can play some mind games with you if you're now aware that after the initial downhill of the race miles 2 through 5 & 1/2 are all on a small invisible steady incline. I thought I went out too fast and was gassing out because of my pace until I saw the stats on my gps watch after the race. Around mile 6-7 is the big climb everyone talks about, it's a challenge climb but if you pace yourself right you can make it through without burning out. After that hill you can pretty much make up time with the rolling down hills from mile 7 to 11.5. Toward the end of the course there's one last gradual hill then the last half mile of the course finishes flat. For a course that ended up have 700 feet of elevation gain through out the 13 miles I ended up having a 6 minute PR. The expo for the race is at a park in Solvang where the post race wine party will be. Since it's a small race there's only 1 day to get your race pack, they also have a race day pick up option for an additional fee. They offer shuttle pick up to 3 locations in town, since the race is early enough in the morning before the shops in town open it's possible to find nearby free parking. I showed up about an hour before the race and easily found parking less than half a block from the start line. read more

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I just registered for the half marathon on 7/22/26 and just got noticed from the university of Utah the graduation dates which are the same weekend as the half on 5/8/27. I quickly requested a refund and explained by situation but Mark from Motiv Sports denied my request. The running organizers have changed, its all about the money now. read more

I ran this race in 2019. I have not been back to Solvang since I was a kid, so it was nice to come back and run a very scenic race as an adult. Since the race started and ended in Solvang, the logistics for this race was very easy and convenient. *Expo/Packet pick-up* It's located in the parking lot just South of Solvang Park. It's pretty small with a handful of vendors and the opportunity to register for next year's race. You can find street parking all around town. *Course* It started next to Solvang Elementary School with a nice big counterclockwise loop up to Los Olivos, finishing on Copenhagen Dr at 2nd St. There were several picturesque vineyards along the way. The entire first half was a steady incline. Make sure you save something for that climb up Ballard Canyon Rd. Once you get past that section, it's mostly downhill all the way to the finish. *Post-race* Besides a finisher medal, they give you a bunch of post race goodies. There was also wine tasting which I skipped since I don't drink anymore. read more

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I loved the Santa Barbara Wine Country Half Marathon. I've run some pretty gorgeous courses prior to this but this course had miles upon miles of serene beauty. A friend asked me the Monday leading up to race day if I'd like to run it with another friends bib who was not going to be able to run and I certainly did not let this opportunity pass me by. I've had my eye on this race for 2 years now. After waking up at 330A to drive up to Santa Ynez (40+ miles pass where I usually hit Santa Barbara) from LA County, I made it to the start line just in time. Looking over the elevation chart I had in mind the first have would be uphill leading to a smooth sailing second half, filled with plenty of downhill. I wouldn't describe the course as "challenging" but it certainly isn't a flat course. I didn't notice any corrals at the start line, which may be due to the fact they cap this race at around 3k to keep it small. It was around 47 degrees when we started and the sun was shining. Perfect weather. I do wish I had snapped a few photos along the way. Finishing in Solvang village, less than 4 miles from the start line - this course loops out and back. My boyfriend dropped me at the Runner Drop Off with ease and drove to the Finish Line to park the car within 10 minutes. He mentioned the announcer saying a couple would be getting married on the course. There were some exceptionally beautiful backdrops for a marriage ceremony. Loved the Wine Glass Finisher Medals but noticed they didn't have the year on them, no biggie! Not many finish line goodies and although I wear a rehydration pack I noticed the water cups were plastic, which makes it uneasy for the fold and tip water drinking technique I usually try to do when grabbing water from a water station. Paper cups may be better. The wine glasses were very nice, again no year indicated on these. I certainly wouldn't rule out running this race again in the future, if for nothing else than to smash my 1:55:55 time. I can't pinpoint any specific hiccups. It's definitely a wonderful way to celebrate Mother's Day Weekend. read more

When you participate in this marathon - you will never step foot in Santa Barbara. It really should be called the Santa Ynez/Solvang half marathon. Registration: A line of people were waiting and a man was yelling out at everyone to make sure they had their bib #'s written down, as he pointed to a table. No need for me to do that, I had my printed copy of my e-mailed registration confirmation with bib #'s. We get up to the front of the line, hand the lady our bib #'s and she proceeds to pull out a bib with "Susan" on it and can't find the other one. She looks at me. As if I'm supposed to know what the problem is. Her: "Did you look up your name on the table?" Me: "No - these are the numbers we were assigned." Her: "You have to look at the table." For some reason - unknown to me - they had moved one number up in sequence. Alllright - so I got the new #s & we got back into the line. This time, we were handed the correct bibs, timing chips, a bag with "information" in it & our t-shirts. We got back to our hotel & started to dig around inside the bag of "information". Nothing but advertisements. *Mmmm-kay.* Luckily, being the paranoid preparer I am - I had printed out what we needed @ home. Instructions were to park in Solvang & catch comp. "shuttles" to the start line - between 5:15 and 6:30 a.m. Race to start at 7:00. We arrived in Solvang @ 5:40. A huge line of people wrapped down Mission Dr. School buses would appear & the line would barely move. I heard someone behind me say, "There's another line - in the opposite direction." Ahhh. Interesting. Time kept moving & the line kept growing. At 6:50 a frantic volunteer came running down the line saying, "we don't know what happened - we're so sorry - the race will not be starting at 7:00 ." The best part was when the buses started stopping at the end of the line, taking people who had just arrived. : / We finally got on a bus. We were nearly denied as there was only one seat left - two guys saw our dilemma, squished together & invited me to saddle up. We were dropped off right at 7:00 & started to stretch. I saw a look of panic on my husband's face as he pushed past me. I said, "What?" He replied, "Those chicks are taking a piss down there! I don't want to see that." Being the curious oyster that I am - I leaned over and sure enough saw bare asses popping squats. *giggles* Apparently, the porta-potty lines were too long. Thinking we had more time than we did, I quickly ingested half of a granola bar. That would later come back to haunt me. Being one of the last one's dropped off put us way in the back of the pack. We missed all of the start line hoopla. The gun went off and we started weaving our way around the slow pacers. The first 6 miles of the course are very mild. Beautiful scenery. There were cones here and there - it seemed that they wanted us to stay to one side of them but no one really knew and people were pretty much running where they wanted to. My heart went out to the locals trying to pull out of their driveway - to no avail. There were no signs to let you know how far you'd run, no people dressed up with bull horns, only three timing strips - start line, relay spot at 6 miles and the finish line. If they ran the relay, whoever got the second leg of this course got a raw deal. About a half mile past the relay point, I saw some vineyards up ahead & the mass of runners were turning left. I said softly, "I foresee a hill". Holy monkey. That was the understatement of the day. I realized I was losing my husband. I kept reeling back towards him & around mile 9 he said, "Just go - I can't keep your pace." So I did. I went. I was hoping to finish a little under 2 hours. At mile 11 there was a bit of a break from the hills. Everyone around me seemed relieved. Then the monster appeared in front of us. I heard at least three audible, "Fuuuhhh-ick"s. A course with the biggest monster of a hill at mile 11.5? Are they nuts? Half way up I suddenly felt like I was going to vomit. I slowed to a walk and tried to keep that granola bar safely in my stomach. I saw multiple people stretching or hunched over on the side of the hill. I finally made it to the top & a man screamed, "You're almost there and that was the last hill." I tried to turn it up at the end but my exhaustion set in. I crossed a few minutes over 2 hours. O'well. Between my injured rib & lack of proper hill training, I'm pretty happy. I was handed a medal & a tent full of food appeared. Never has a red vine tasted so good. Tons of food - they really went all out. Our engraved wine glasses granted us access to the wine tasting tent. There was a rockabilly band pumping out tunes. Fun. It was pretty chaotic and slightly rudimentary but it turned out to be an incredibly fun marathon. I'm looking forward to doing it again. read more

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I ran this half marathon in May 2011 and had a wonderful weekend with my friend and a great run. It was my third half marathon and I managed to set a PR even with the big .75 mile switchback hill climb around mile 7! The first part of the run was pretty flat and then there were a few rolling hills after the big hill, but the course was extremely scenic (especially in the second half). One good thing for my friends (who didn't train) was that there was an option to change from the half marathon to a two-person relay at the expo. While I would have liked us to all run the full half marathon, I didn't want my friends to hurt themselves either! It was nice that they could change so it could be enjoyable for them. The race is actually about 30 miles North of Santa Barbara and starts in Santa Ynez and ends in Solvang. If you've seen the movie Sideways, that's the area of the race. If you're looking for a really mellow run that has a few rolling hills (and that big one I mentioned), wine tasting after the run (*hiccup*), and some great wineries and restaurants nearby, this would be a perfect weekend getaway. (With a lot of running mixed in. Ha!) There were a couple of minor things that I wish had been a little different. First, the women's shirt was printed in an extremely pale yellow, so you can't even see which race it was on the front. Also, the shuttle situation was kind of confusing if you were looking at the map. The shuttle in Solvang actually only picked up from one location, so we just parked and followed everybody else. Oh, the medal was awesome! Very colorful with a wine stopper on the bottom. It's the best one yet! I'd love to run this race again, but probably not in 2012 since I'm doing a marathon in the Napa Valley in March. The group that puts on this race also does a few other wine country half marathons, so I might run the Healdsburg Wine Country Half Marathon next year (which occurs the last Saturday in October). Super fun race! read more

Santa Barbara Wine Country Half Marathon - Coming down after big hill - Races & Competitions Near Me - Solvang, California

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I ran this May 7, 2016. I've run a full marathon (L.A. 2014), two other half marathons (both at Disneyland) and many 10Ks and 5Ks. My wife and I have vacationed in the Solvang/Santa Barbara area many times since 2000, so we know the area (and its wineries well). So I thought this would be a perfect melding of two disparate loves (ha!). Overall, Destination Races did a very good job with the organization and execution of this race and the related expos and the finisher's party in Solvang Park. My only complaints: 1) the $15 fee to "purchase" the right to pickup your bib the morning of the race -- that's a first for me. On the other hand, its probably a way for them to allocate their staff and resources so they execute everything else that goes into pulling this race and associated events off 2) they ran out of my shirt size (XL) day of the expo -- they should be able to estimate the size counts based on the entry data they receive. Still, I think the race course is gorgeous with plenty of aid and water stations along the way. Yes, the corkscrew hill at around mile 7 is a hummer and a half! But, oh those views at the top and going down were amazing! Like something out of the Hobbit! And yes, the second half of the course does have some rolling hills also -- but anyone who does any moderate training, even on a stair master at the gym, should be able to handle it. The finisher's party is fun -- yes, it's crowded, but with a waiting wife and kids who didn't go in, I had to cram a few tastings in QUICK -- and was able to do so, no problem -- I got about 5 tastings in about 20 minutes. They had a band and several vendors displaying goods at the expo - all fun stuff. Keywords here: Kalyra Gewurztraminer - go order a bottle or two online -- you'll thank me later! Bottom line: would I do this again? Yes, absolutely! One big recommendation: stay in Solvang and walk to the park downtown to catch the bus to the staring point in Santa Ynez! Why pay $30 for a ride to the start from Santa Barbara? read more

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I just realized that I hadn't yet reviewed this event. I ran the 5-9-09 Santa Barbara Wine Country Half Marathon. It was a beautiful, hilly and challenging course. This was my first time visiting the beautiful Santa Barbara wine country. I was surprised at how much I enjoyed running through the rolling hills and vineyards--very zen! (or maybe it was the pure exhaustion from the hills??). Here are the little touches that showed the organizers cared about hosting a quality event: *the hand washing stations at the porta-potties; *the names of the racers on the bibs; *the t-shirt was a quality cotton that I will actually wear; *at the finish a nice volunteer actually untied my shoe and collected my timing chip for me so I didn't have to do it in my fatigued state; AND, *they had surprise entertainment -- Carey Ott -- a fabulous singer/songwriter from Nashville (we even purchased his CD on site). Yes, there were a few glitches. But there was a little matter of HUGE forest fire in neighboring Santa Barbara for this year's event that had pulled away volunteers. The tasting in the park was a great way to try the local wines. I was very appreciative of the wineries (and Firestone Brewery) which participated. We were careful to remember their names for future purchases. This was the third Half Marathon I've dragged my husband to since February. Prior to this event, he was threatening to boycott all future races. This Half Marathon single-handedly changed his mind--it was the first race where he actually had a good time. To the Event Organizers: Thank you! read more

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This race was my 23rd half marathon and probably one of the prettier races I've done. I paid an extra $15 for the convenience of race day packet pickup at the start line since I drove out in the wee hours of the morning of the race. I think I was the 2nd person to arrive and park at the finish area at 5am at which time there were plenty of parking spaces on the streets near the finish line festival. I waited approx 30 mins to board a school bus to the start in Santa Ynez approx 4 miles away. I'm glad I brought a space blanket with me because it was cold waiting around at the start line. I got my race bib at a little table near the start and there were plenty of clean porta potties. I spent the time chatting while waiting for the race to start just a couple minutes past 7am. At the first mile marker, there was a lady with a turkey! That's probably the most unusual animal I've seen along a race course and it was pretty hilarious. The course had more rolling hills than what I expected when I looked at the elevation profile. The race weather was warming up kinda fast without a cloud in the sky. The first mile was pretty crowded and then everyone kinda found their pace since there wasn't any way to line up by pace at the start line. At approx mile 5.9, there were some fun folks handing out small cups of wine. It was a little early in the day for me to indulge, so I just kept running. Miles ticked by and we made our way past many vineyards and farms and passed through Los Olivos. At around mile 7 was the dreaded Corkscrew where a series of pretty steep switchbacks took you to about mile 7.8. When you turn left at the top of the corkscrew, there were buffalo grazing alongside cows up on the hill. The course was just so beautiful that it made all the tough little hills forgiveable. The finish line was located along Copenhagen where lots of spectators cheered as you funneled into the finish chute. They had lots of bottled water, your choice of mac n' cheese or chili, Honest Teas, bananas and a little goodie bag of snacks. The finish area wasn't too busy when I finished but about an hour later, the wine tasting area was packed! The shirt picked and checked bag area was located around the corner from the finish but luckily there were signs pointing runners where to go. This is a really fun destination race and while the field had over 3000 runners, it had a more small race, personal feel to it. The only thing I didn't care for were the choice of having plastic water cups along the course. I like to crush the cup to sip it while I run but plastic makes this impossible so you end up with a sloshing cup of water! Finish time: 1:55:38 read more

This was a beautiful course & a really fun trip for wine drinkers, however, I have some qualms: this coarse did have some rolling hills, but there were a couple mountains too (mile 6) & all of mile 12 is uphill which is a bit brutal. Runners who trained can def accomplish this but I don't understand how this course was chosen. Also, there wasn't enough water. They couldn't pour it in time & you had to wait for it. At times, people were standing handing out water, but they were kids who really weren't paying attention to the runners. Also they do not hand out any packets of goo so bring your own. If you rely on Crowds cheering you on, you won't have that here. Some crowds at start & finish & middle that is all. The rest you are on your own. Once you finish, you get a nice medal. If you opt for the $20 wine tasting, you can pick up your glass & enter the too small tasting area. That was a waste of Money--cheap wine glass & waiting in long lines for a sip of wine. My tip would be to have your driver pack a cooler of beer/wine to drink after the race & listen to the live band. Sitting In the grass was nice. Or just drive to some tasting rooms--much more fun, which is what we did. We still had fun & may consider doing it again, but it's way too hilly & I enjoy having crowds cheering the runners on. read more

This was my second half marathon ever and I have to say I enjoyed it. Some of the elements that other reviewers have commented on I didn't partake in (such as the shuttles, the porta-potties, the pre-race expo, or the post-race wine tasting), so I can't attest to the quality of those things. However, I do know that I wouldn't have minded a final bathroom break right before the race or halfway through the course, and the lines were so long at the beginning that there's no way I would've started on time if I had waited, and there would only be one porta-potty every few miles and they had lines I didn't want to wait in--I was there to run, not wait! Although I signed up for this race with a bunch of coworkers and made alternate post-race plans with them, I found it to be a bit of a sticker shock that you pay so much for the race and then have to pay extra if you want to wine taste afterward, so I'm not sure if I would've chosen that option. I did, however, choose to pick up my bib a day early in Santa Barbara instead of driving all the way out to the race expo in Santa Ynez, and for that they charge you an extra $10, which seems kinda crazy. In fact, they would also charge you if you picked up your bib on race day--getting it at the expo on Friday was the only free option, but not convenient if you live in SB and plan to drive up early in the morning on race day. Those concerns aside, I felt the other aspects of the race were great. I like that they limited the number of runners, so the roads didn't get too crowded at any given point. There weren't a lot of spectators along the route, but that's to be expected since they closed the roads and therefore only residents could actually get to the roads to come and cheer (and some of them DID come and cheer and ring cowbells!). The relay transition spot in Los Olivos had a good number of people, but really the scenery was so beautiful that I feel it was better enjoyed in the relative silence rather than raucous cheering, so I didn't mind the lack of spectators. The hardest hill (Corkscrew Hill), just after mile 6, was not as bad as I feared--I think the switchback nature of it made it more bearable for me, and the downhill right after you reach the top was a nice change of pace. I did tire out by the time those last hills came along between miles 11-13, so make sure you save a little something for those! Rounding the corner into the home stretch you're greeted by crowds of supporters and other runners who have already finished, which is a great motivator at the end of a long race. Immediately after crossing the finish line you're handed a medal (a giant, heavy medal that is actually a coaster!), a bag with fruit, and given the opportunity to pick up an energy drink or a cup or two of water. Speaking of water, it always seemed abundant along the route, at least at the time I passed by all the stations. If you're looking for a race during a beautiful time of year weather-wise that has breathtaking scenery to match, you should definitely consider this half marathon--either as a destination or as a local looking for an enjoyable race. I definitely plan to run this next year, and hope to beat my time considerably now that I know what to expect--but even if I don't, I'll enjoy taking in the idyllic course (complete with vineyards, rolling hills, miniature horses, and even a baby bison!). read more

I don't understand any of the negatives anyone talks about in previous posts so maybe they've fixed any minor issues for 2015. For starters, Santa Barbara Wine country (Santa Ynez, Los Olivos and Solvang) is a beautiful area. I spend a lot of time there for long weekends so I was excited to sign up for this race. The Expo the day before was a ton of fun and very well organized. Although I have to admit that if you are used to getting a decent swag bag, don't here. The bag basically had nothing in it but your bib and a few packets of muscle cramp gels. The race itself was beautiful. It's not a flat course but I personally find flat courses completely boring. There were two big hills but they were minor if you're used to any type of hill training and a decent portion of the course is actually downhill. So it's the best of both worlds. There were plenty of port-o-potties, plenty of water, and they offer GU Lemon/Lime drink at every other station and then GU gel around mile 9 (if I remember correctly). The course views are stunning. Tons of vineyards, mountain views, farms and many of the locals were standing in their yards cheering you on as you ran. While a lot of the course is closed to outside spectators other than the locals, the views are beautiful and so serene that you don't mind it. Too many spectators along the way would actually ruin much of the serenity in my opinion. The festival at the end was GREAT! The recovery tent had some great drinks and bags of snacks and gels. We personally didn't participate in the wine tasting just because I couldn't imagine drinking wine at 9:30am after a 13.1 run anyway (haha) but those who were at the wine tents looked like they were having a blast. You could also take that $50 you would have to pay for 2 people and simply go wine tasting at some of the dozens of wineries in the area or bring your own Champagne and OJ for mimosas in the park. There were also a bunch of food trucks and even an olive oil tasting tent (YUMMY!) Overall, I am so glad I chose this as my first half marathon (only done 10Ks previously) and I look forward to participating in this race every year! read more

My husband and I ran this race in 2009 (the year of the huge Santa Barbara fires), and it remains one of my favorite half marathon courses. I loved the small size of the crowd, the laid-back atmosphere (no corrals at the start, no stress at gear check, etc.), but there were definitely some kinks that they need to work out with logistics and organization. With some tweaks, this could be a truly perfect race. You start out in Santa Ynez, pretty much in the middle of nowhere -- shuttle buses bring you out there from downtown Solvang. We found the shuttle buses easily and they were running constantly. The starting village (if you could call it that) was really just people standing around in small groups -- not a lot of support facilities. The start line was very casual -- I just hung out at the back to avoid the pack, and had plenty of space to myself right from the get-go. The course is beautiful. You run along country roads, next to fields and farms with baby horses running alongside. I am not joking, it was as idyllic as could be. It was cool, but the sun was shining. I was genuinely smiling as I ran, thinking that this could easily be the greatest day of my life. I felt that way all the way through Los Olivos. About a mile later, though, the feeling evaporated as I saw the mountain up ahead, with runners winding their way up the switchbacks of the road. It really is intimidating to see the huge hill you're going to have to run for such a long time before you run it. The single worst part of the race was getting to the top of that mountain, and discovering that the water stop at the summit was OUT OF WATER!!! Are you serious? I wasn't even at the back of the pack, and they were out of water at the most critical mile of the course? That was really disheartening. Fortunately, it was downhill from there for a number of miles, and the rest of the hills were far less strenuous. I got a PR and was overall very happy with my experience. Afterwards, though, some additional logistical glitches: they had mistakenly put a wine glass tag on every bib, so everyone thought they were entitled to a wine glass when, in fact, you had to pay for it separately. Getting your shirt was also a nightmare. Finally, they lost my gear-check bag!! They searched and searched, and just couldn't find it. I had to go out and buy new flip flops as a result. Fortunately, they found the bag a week later and sent it to me. So, if they could fix a few organizational details, I would say this race would be perfect. But then it might draw bigger crowds, which would kill the feeling...so really, I may be willing to put up with the glitches. read more

Beware of running a race with event organizer Motiv Sports. They are a for profit organization. They canceled the race for May 2020 due to Covid and are refusing to allow for a refund option. Very greedy, inflexible organization. read more

The 2009 event was my first half marathon ever, and I am hooked. The route starting in Santa Ynez through Los Olivos to Solvang is a pastoral, scenic beauty through farmland and vineyards. At what other event would you have community folk alongside horses, alpacas, and ostriches cheering you on through 13.1 miles? Plus, a wine "festival" waits for you at the finish line, where you can get wasted off of 2 sips of Merlot, or 4 sips if you chase with a flavored electrolyte beverage. Since this was only the event's third year and I am a running novice, I was probably more forgiving of the event's faux pas. However, some things that even I noticed were: -The pre-race expo was a piece of crap. I don't know much about marathons, but I have enough sense to recognize there is not much a demand for chaffing, polyester, rainbow sequined sports bras. The goody bag was a landfill-filler of fliers. Yet, some of my friends had all 4 safety pins for their bib missing. Nothing much of interest in there, except the food fuel bars and gels which were awesome. -On the morning of, the shuttles that the website promised from Buellton to the start site never showed up. Luckily we hitched a ride for the 6.5 mile trip. -There were no medical aid stations set up anywhere along the course. In addition to running at your own risk, there was also poop at your own risk. Apparently (according to friend's reports) the port-a-potties, at least before the 6 mi mark were atrocious. The lines for them certainly were. -T-shirts were given out after the race, and there was a huge line of everyone trying to get one afterwards. Same goes with the hordes trying to get their promised wine glasses after the race. Being unable to delay our gratification, my party left and came back 2 hours later. The lines were gone, but so was most of the wine, boo hoo. Despite the logistical snafus, the locale of Solvang speaks for the event. For the chance to run through the Santa Ynez valley alone, I would highly recommend this beautiful, albeit ill-managed half marathon. read more

I ran this race on May 10, 2014. Overall, it was a good experience and weekend get away, but there were a few negatives. I attended packet pickup on Saturday and had planned to hang out for a while since their website had made it sound like a fun event. While it was well organized and not crowded, I did feel that they had made it sound much better than it actually was. They advertised wine tasting and lots of vendors, but it was pretty small. Pretty standard - walk in, get your bib, t shirt, and walk out. The volunteers were not very friendly and did not seem to want to be there. Race morning was very well organized and I liked the variety of options of where to park and how to get to the start. I chose to park at the finish and take a bus to the start, which worked out very well. The start line was well planned out and had all the necessities - gear check, water,porta potties. The course was gorgeous and I enjoyed the hills. I did not notice the lack of water that others mentioned. I enjoyed finishing in downtown Solvang and the medals they gave out were gorgeous. Definitely one of my favorites out of all the races I have done. My biggest problem with this event was the wine tasting add on. I paid $20 for myself and $30 for a guest. We received rather cheap wine glasses that did not even have the specific event name on them. The wine tasting tent was PACKED. I mean we could not even turn around with out bumping into someone else. People were pushy and not very polite on top of this. I think everyone was aggravated. We only did 3 tastings and walked out because it was simply not enjoyable. I would not do the wine tasting at this event ever again. For the price, I think that the wine tasting tent should have at least had small snacks as well. They had strawberries, but that was it. Overall, I would probably run this race again, but only with a discount code to bring down the registration cost a bit, and I would spend the $50 at a nice lunch after the race rather than wasting it on wine tasting. read more

It's a beautiful run, but be very careful about pesticides and chemicals that are sprayed on the farm sites and vineyards. After all runners inhale these particles in the air for about 2 hrs. I had a severe lung infection for 3 months after this race and it was not an easy recovery at all. Sadly noone seems to notice this rather large problem. read more

I've run a lot of halfs and this may be my favorite -- though it's not the easiest course. It's breathtaking to run 13.2 miles through Santa Ynez vineyards when the weather complies. If only all half marathons could be this much fun. . .Charge! read more

How many people run in this 1/2 marathon? We went up to see a friend run and we were surprised to see so many runners! What a great event!

This was my first half marathon, and it was probably a mistake to make it this one. It was definitely low key and low stress, which was great. However, because of that fact, it was completely missing any of the bells and whistles that make half marathons fun and easier. People were only allowed to stand and cheer at the start and at the finish, so at any given point when you felt you needed some encouragement, it was basically silent. I'm also not entirely sure what we paid $100+ for, since all you get is a t-shirt and a finishers medal (overrated). I know that other half marathons have live bands playing and more motivators at the end of the race for participants. There was great entertainment and wine tasting at the end of the race, but you had to pay for it, PLUS your cost to run. Also, there were two port-a-potties every 3 miles or so, and not a single medical personnel/station throughout the entire course, which didn't make much sense to me. Plus, the pre-race expo was pretty minimal, and your "package" included your shirt, bib, timing chip, and an advil (yes, one advil). Nothing else. Do NOT underestimate the hills on this course! The obvious corkscrew hill which is a .7 mile switchback is incredibly intimidating, and it's downhill for about a half mile after that, then there are rolling hills the rest of the way, with bigger hills miles 11-13. Who puts the hardest hills in the second half of the course!? Add this to the fact that it was 90 degrees race day (unusual but not unheard of for the area)-ouch. Training for this race is necessary. Overall, it was a beautiful race, but not worth the big price tag, and the coordinators definitely did not accurately depict the challenging nature of the course. read more

Personally I do not believe this run lives up to the hype. Almost the whole course is hills and the reviews I read on active said it was a scenic and it had some rolling hills. Well I think there were a lot of hills and I was not a fan of running up the mountain at mile 6-7. I'm not a competitive runner so maybe this would appeal to others. I just like to chat, take pictures and enjoy the view. Which I will admit if you are not familiar with the area there are some very pretty views. I'm glad I did this run once but I don't think I will go back. Also the expo was very small and I don't feel like there were enough water stands during the race. My husband cramped up really bad around mile 11 and had to walk the rest of the race. I feel if he was adequately hydrated he would not have been in that position. The wine tasting at the end was nice but bear in mind it was around 9:30am and I had just run 13.1 miles, so call me old fashioned but I wasn't ready to put my drinking hat on yet. All in all if you are up for a challenge do it once but there really isn't anything super spectacular about it. On a final note this run is not in Santa Barbara. It starts in Santa Ynez then goes through Los Olivos and ends in Solvang. read more

Fantastic volunteers and extremely well organized. We loved this course and breathtaking views. It was so peaceful and thankfully, the organizers kept it small 3600 people so we didn't have to fight for space. Wish the expo was bigger with more exhibitors and size S gear for women, the lines at the wine and music festival were too long and the space too small for so many people, and it would be great to be provided more post race food. Our last race provided a ton of food, from bagels to yogurt, bars, etc...My boyfriend waited 10 min for a beer sample. Loved the medal - a wine stopper and opener. The beginning was great with the national anthem and the end was fun too - they call each person by their name and the energy from the crowd is fantastic. One note about the hotel shuttles, if the time to board is 11:30, we shoudl leave at 11:45 tops rather than waiting til 12p. read more

Good course, second and last time I will run it. 1. No 5 yr age breaks after 60. 2. Although I signed up well in advance they had no tech shirt in my size. In spite of emails and them telling me I would have my shirt in July, still haven't gotten my shirt. This was by no means an inexpensive race. read more

This race is fantastic! If you are thinking about running it in 2016 (or any Destination Races Half Marathon for that matter) use code DRAMBJones for $10 off or check out my race review here: https://ratherberunnin.wordpress.com/2015/06/04/santa-barbara-wine-country-half-marathon-race-review/ read more