The San Diego Half Marathon is an annual event held in Downtown San Diego that has a starting point…read moreon Harbor Drive and ending the In the historic Gaslamp quarter. I signed up for the race online, which was fairly easy to complete, and they had an expo at the Hilton hotel 2 days before the race to pick up your BIB. At the expo, they had many vendors selling items as well as free energy drinks. They also handed out the free shirt you got for entering the race, which was really nice, and the quality was great! On race day, which was on a Sunday, the run for the Half Marathon started at 650 am. From all the emails I was receiving, we were told to show up at least 40 minutes or even 1 hour prior to the race due to all the runners being in the location, giving you enough time to find the wave your in. The Half Marathon or 13.1 miles course had a beautiful layout that started by the convention center, bringing you up through the Embarcadero to Harbor Island and through Point Loma. The course was a nice flat course until mile 9, where you are running up Washington Hill, gaining elevation into Hillcrest and throughout Balboa Park finishing in the Gaslamp. When we finished the race, we were giving our medals or bling and were handed a goodie bag with a Monster, crackers, and a protein bar. They were even handing out chocolate milk, water, and bananas. They had photographers on-site taking pictures and a small after party in the park aside from the finish line. This was absolutely my favorite race I have run, and I had a blast doing it. The course was perfect and well organized. They had volunteers handing out water and Gatorade approximately every 2 miles. They had porter pottys all throughout the course, and the crowd was very motivating. I'm looking forward to come-back and doing the exact race next year as well since I had an amazing experience. Thank you to all the volunteers and the organizers who made this race possible.

Sadly, along with other events of this magnitude, this event was canceled and made into a virtual…read morerace (to be ran on your own). I was really looking forward to running this particular half marathon for the first time. There was no expo with vendors, just a pickup at the Gaslamp Hilton. What was really special is the volunteers/organizers did a cheer as we were handed our medal so a big thank you to them! Besides the medal, what was picked up was the bib, shirt, and tote bag which included the Friar hat, snacks, and chocolate milk. The tech shirt was pretty unique. In my collection, it's the first to be patterned in camo style. I'm signed up for the challenge which consists of completing the Mammoth Half Marathon in June, thus receiving an extra medal. Crossing my fingers that event is allowed to take place. I crave the crisp mountain fresh air.

The inaugural Encinitas Half Marathon was held March 26, 2017 in the lovely seaside city of…read moreEncinitas, CA in northern San Diego County. The Start/Finish line was at Moonlight Beach, with the majority of the course heading being on The 101, complete with 7 miles of oceanside running. This was my first time running a course of this design where you head out one way, then backtrack and come back to the start line area before heading out the opposite direction only to return again to the finish line. There are several steep downhills, which then become steep uphills on your way back. Oh, and the starting line is on a hill going up, so you'll start the race going up a hill. Once turning left after crossing the starting line, you will immediately encounter a very steep downhill only to enjoy a longer but not as steep uphill climb just around the next corner. I personally found this race to be a little boring, but the citizens of Encinitas sprinkled throughout the course were fantastic. I'm sure the excitement will only increase as the race continues and crowd support grows. The finish line festival was great and offered many vendor booths. The only critiques that I would offer is to provide aid station locations for water, electrolytes,and gels on the course map to allow for runner planning, and a more accurate elevation chart. Also, final instructions and bib number information could be emailed to the runners. Perhaps they did send, but I received no correspondence other than my registration confirmation. Nor,did I receive the tech shirt when I picked up my bib on race day morning. All in all, it was a very nice race with plenty of aid stations, port-a-johns, and a large and colorful finishers medal at the end. Shout out to the organizers and volunteers on doing a great job. I totally recommend.

The posted pictures of runners coursing along the shoreline are NOT part of the Encinitas Half…read more I'm, uh, not sure as to why the promoter placed them here, unless it was simply a mistake. Because those pictures are actually from the Surfing Madonna Beach Run, which is run entirely on the sand. (Both races, same promoter.) However, what is surely important to note is that if you run both the Surfing Madonna 15k (now, a 12k) and Encinitas' Half, consecutively and in that order, you'll snag not only two awesome-looking medals from the runs themselves, but also the badass combo medal for completing the Challenger Series. And it'll be worth it. Now, to the Encinitas Half... When I ran it this year, like it continues to, the out-and-back course simply follows for the most part the PCH as it runs alongside the beach. There's about a 560 ft. elevation gain, a hill, one tough to tackle, that's at the end, but 2019's course changes that: no more monster hill! That'll make things a bit easier. The course begins and ends at Moonlight Beach's parking lot, so if you get there early enough, parking will also be a bit easier. The run is ok, and I'd run it again, but it's not one of my favorites. The medals, though, from running both included in the Challenger Series, they make up for it. They definitely have eye-catching appeal!

Decided to sign up for this race vs. the SGK Race for the Cure for 2011. I had done the SGK for…read moreseveral years and needed a change. I have heard of the IG from several friends so wanted to check out the girl power. Traffic was crazy exiting off the 5 freeway and Via de la Valle to get to the Del Mar Fairgrounds. However, parking was a breeze. Parking was free and tons of spaces. There was a 5k and 10k, and this time I opted for a 5k since I had just done the LA RnR Half a week prior and I was going to run the Silver Strand Half the following weekend. The 10k started about 15 mins before the 5k. If you're wanting a PR, you're in the wrong race. There are no corrals, and everyone starts at the same time. Also consider there are a lot of mother/daughter teams and lots of kids and strollers. Perhaps I should have started right at the front since we were in the middle of the pack and got stuck behind some walkers and some pretty slow pacers. I didn't care so much for the route. The first mile was just too crowded and there were too many people you were running into. It wasn't until mile 2 was when you're on the open road and you were able to spread out. Mile 2 was uphill, which sucked. Mile 3 was downhill and you finish back at the fairgrounds track. The race was an experience. It's a good way to run/walk with your mom/daughter or to empower your girl spirit. I considered this my combo recovery run post-half and training run for the upcoming half... ================================================ Stats: Overall 88/944 Division 11/156 Gun 29:34 Chip 28:51 Pace 9:19

Hey ! Hey ! Hey ! It's another one !…read more The fifth annual 'Athleta Iron Girl' was at the Del Mar Fairgrounds this year ! The course started and finished on the fairgrounds. It was one of the easier runs for me since it was mostly a flat course with a slight incline towards the end. Great for newbies and experienced runners. I only participated in the 5K since I'm slowly incorporating short runs in between my training for my next BIG race in January: Disney's Tinkerbell WOOOT !!! I enjoyed seeing the mother/daughter teams and even little girls running while they held hands with their mamas. Uber cute ! Although, I think they should have had a separate wave for the young daughters and mama teams just to avoid any mishaps or collisions. Perks: post-race breakfast goodie bag, giveaways, performance tech t-shirts (so femme), professional timing, personalized race bibs, and love the custom finisher medal ! Proceeds go towards the Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation (ALSF) to help find a cure for all children with cancer. WIN ! Not so perky: When a little girl can run just as fast as me towards the finish line. Yup yup. Little rugrat was as tall as my knee. haha. She almost bruised my ego by nearly beating me. ooh wee it was close ! (note: still recovering from a knee injury)...not that I'm making excuses or anything. Overall, it was a fairly organized event and their website has more than enough information for participants. Great job Iron Girl ! I would LOVE to make this an annual run and hopefully get my mom involved. We both can go all out with matchy-matchy pink outfits to support breast cancer awareness and hold hands while we sing along and run ! OH JOY !

Who would have known that this one of America's oldest half marathon? I sure did not…read more This race starts and ends at San Dieguito County Park.This is one of Kathy Loper's event so expect the price to be very reasonable if you register early. You run your race and you eat tons of chili. I am not a beer drinker but from what I was told, you can drink all the beer you want. What a way to build an appetite running through rolling hills. To avoid potential traffic problems we were asked to park at the Del Mar Fairgrounds and we were shuttle to the start of the race and you get shuttled back. This worked out well, if you are early enough you can actually drive yourself to San Dieguito and park by the streets. It is highly discouraged due to the limited parking. What can I say, it was a great experience and I am looking forward next year's run.

I am a supportive active friend. A good friend of mine who happens to be a stay at home mom wanted…read moreto do this race. We had quasi trained for and ran the Carlsbad Half marathon three weeks earlier and she had decided that the weather was good enough to try this race. There were signups at Roadrunner the day before the race. The sign-ups were from 1-4 and I show up around 3:00 and my friend calls and tells me to run in because there were only 5 spots left. Of course this increases my sense of urgency and I dont even have time to try and talk myself out of it! oh CRAP! no preparation and a birthday party the night before. Some how I made it without dying. Unfortunately, I will continue to push the envelope to see what I can get away with! This race is actually not a bad race but there are several areas for improvement. Lets start off with the good. It is sponsored by the Hash House Harriers! they describe themselves as 'alcoholics with a running problem'. There is beer on the course, at mile one which is too early, but I had some at mile 12 just because I could. The scenery is nice, it did not feel like I was in San Diego rather in the country. And it is hilly but I like the rolling hills. Beer garden at the end!!! I had Stone IPA, but I saw Ballast point and Green flash. Most people in this race were runners and were friendly to talk to. Negatives: Parking. stinks. No. Chip. timing. Walking UPHILL after the race to the beer garden. the 1.5 mile walk back to my car. Starting the race 5 minutes after everyone else. no mile markers at every mile. Waiting on the freeway exit for 30 minutes trying to get off on Loma Santa Fe. They gave out the same medal from 2 previous years.

This was a really unique 10K race, as it was entirely on packed sand during low tide. It was an…read moreevent for pretty much everyone, with a wide range of age groups participating as well as quite a few people in costumes. I knew I had to pick up my pace when a runner dressed in a King Tut costume (including gold makeup!) breezed by me. :) While it was fun, and I will most likely do it again, there are a couple of things that could be made better: - Stagger the starts, or at least have walkers start toward the rear of the crowd. Runners were bunched in with walkers, people texting, people pushing jogging strollers, people strolling along holding hands... the first half mile was just an exercise in getting through the traffic jam. - More mile marker signage. The only markers were for 1 mile and at the turn around point for the 5K participants. Are we there yet? If you are looking for something different than the usual run on concrete (and want a cool medal for finishing), definitely give this a try!

2nd Annual Surfing Madonna Save The Ocean 5K/10K Run/Walk is coming up on October 25, 2014. I did…read morethe inaugural race with my wife and kids last year and it was a blast! (And for a good cause...) Definitely doing it again this year! Very unique in that the whole course is in the moist packed sand along the beach. They hold it at low tide so there's plenty of room for everyone to go at their own pace.

Super organized race.Thanks to all those volunteers. The course was well-engineered and wasn't…read morechallenged to follow from the start to the end even if you are isolated.

Good course for beginners. The course is super mellow, as in there aren't quite big hills, just…read moresmall ones here and there. This is my 2nd half marathon, but my first time aiming for the Triple Crown. Carlsbad half is doable without training, or minor training because more than half of the time you'll be running on straight flat nice roads. It's a very beautiful run by the picturesque ocean. You run through their downtown, beautiful big beach houses, and the ocean. It started our very cold by the coast, but we got a little sunlight and a nice breeze. Be sure to put on sunblock even if there is no sun! I got a tan and finished by 10:30 am. The race starts and end in the mall. Plenty of parking and I felt it was better organized than like the Rock N Roll (last year 2016). A lot of portable bathrooms as well, and it wasn't crazy long lines like the RNR. The 2017 swag came with a jacket and a long sleeve shirt. The medal was pretty cool, although the cursive writing looks a little weird. I didn't see a beer garden, but they advertise that it was there... but my BF said you don't get a free beer with this race (he ran it 2x). I'll have to sign up for this race again next year since I just found out that I won't make it for the America's finest to make the triple crown due to a wedding =(. [If you're looking to run the American's Finest City half, let me know! I have a bib!] I had a good race, I didn't faint, die, or get jello legs!

After getting back into running after a 7 year hiatus, Jen helped me get ready for a half marathon,…read moreand a year later, a full marathon (my first). I used her one on one coaching and she was extremely attentive and detailed in my plan, which was 100% customized to me and my level. She was also able to help me adjust when I came down with covid mid-way through training. I think I would have bailed if I were doing in on my own! I used her group plan for marathon training, and was able to complete my first/only marathon under my goal time. I definitely recommend Jen for coaching and would use her in the future for specific running goals!

I always said I hated running. I liked gymnastics, weight lifting, I don't do cardio! I refused to…read morerun a mile in middle & high school & never did until I was about 21 but only a mile. Then the pandemic hit & I needed to have someone hold me accountable & make me move. Jen not only got me moving, I actually kindof like running! Not only that, but I've changed how I look at my body. While I don't think I'll become a marathoner or an all the time runner, I've actually had runs where I not only was feeling confident & good about what my body could do but I thoroughly enjoyed it & almost didn't want to stop. Her focus on strength, nutrition, & seeing your body as an amazing instrument not an ornament is so motivating. Would highly recommend her to anyone whether you're a seasoned runner or someone just looking to move & get stonger!

My friend and I had a blast here, so much, that we were seriously considering running through it…read moreagain that same night. As previous reviews have mentioned, this isn't really a "race", but more like running through a theme park in the sense that 1) there are different courselands/worlds 2) it's magical 3) it's crowded 4) they have funnel cake. My favorite worlds were the Electro Rainforest (You can stand under my um-brella-ella-ella) and Under the Sea (Life is the bubbles!). What was nice was that the price we paid ($50 with Groupon and Groupon discount code; no, that wasn't the nice part) came with a VIP glow pack that included a T-shirt, LED sunglasses, an LED wristband, jelly rings, and foam batons, so we were all glowed up and ready to go then and there. Of course, you can always purchase more glow stuff ahead of time and go even more crazy with it. There was also a DJ at the start line hyping us up for the run, EDM music playing throughout the run, and an after-party! I was glad there were food vendors and drinks afterwards in case we needed some sustenance. I would totally be down for doing this again, but ideally at a more affordable price.

The Electric Run is fun. They put some effort into the lighting and music. Overall though, is it…read moreworth it for its price? Not really. First of all, it's not an actual race. I'm sure there was a disclaimer about this but no one will care how fast or how slow your 5k time is. Parking is bad but not horrible (just takes forever getting into the lot but finding a spot shouldn't be too bad). Overall, it's a really fun social event to come with friends, but if you're interested in racing and improving your 5k time, or even practicing for a marathon, this is not the run.