I LOVE love LOVE this race! It has something for everyone....ultra marathon, regular marathon, two different half marathons that you can enter into as a walker or runner, and even one that you can split in half and do as a team relay (two person). The accompanying events (a fitness expo and after race amenities) are awesome....as is the organization (plenty of port-o-potties, water stations, etc). And with each racer receiving a shirt, and finishers receiving sweat shirts, medals, brownie sundaes, breakfast, massages, and a trip to the wine/beer garden after (I'm always too tired to enjoy this), this is one of the most swag-rich races in the state. Of course, having it in my own "backyard" doesn't hurt. I've done the race twice in the past, and look forward to bettering my time next year, and the year after that! read more

Two Cities Eye-Q Marathon and a Half was the most exciting marathon in California yet. Dean Karnazes was a phenomenal speaker and motivator. It was definitely a treat to have him as our guest speaker. I don't think many of us know or understand his accomplishments. The man is legendary. Overall, I thought the course was fairly flat and fast. It's a small race ( 200-250 Ultra, 400-450 Full, 3800 Halfs, and many many relays. (6,000 runners / walkers with 1,500 volunteers) This marathon is quite new to Fresno. This was just its 3rd running, so you can imagine how many newbies are here. I don't mind it but I'd wish they knew common etiquette. I do, however give kudos to all who have tried running, supported, and volunteered for this event. Without it, it would be meaningless. I was impressed on how well it was run, although, I felt some of the organizer could of done better. I also really appreciated that the marathon only cost $90 ($75 half, $65half relay) and had the best swag. I got a long sleeve black / blue technical shirt, a racing cap, a finisher's medal and a sweatshirt! Not to mention all the goodies after the race... Definitely, a recommendation to all new runner due to course, it's not challenging at all unless you do the Ultra. My advice- train better (w/ a pace setter, a team), smarter with technology, , mentally, physically, emotionally, and diligently. Slow and steady wins the race. "Drive less, run more, and save the planet for tomorrow." - Stanley K For other marathons throughout California, check out: http://www.halfmarathons.net/race_calendar_california.html OR around the world: http://www.halfmarathons.net/ For a good read: pick up The Courage to Run - "A guide to running for your life" by John " The Penquin" Bingham ( Great for anyone starting off ) or: Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen ( Ideal for intermediate ) Are you 50 miles in 50 days...ready? :) Hoorah! Good Luck! And please don't think Fresno suffers from Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), because most days, we don't! :) read more

Completed the HM yesterday and as usual the race was great. Only giving it 2 stars as this year it appears they cut back on expenses at the cost of the runners shirts and sweatshirts. A Polyester flimsy T-Shirt isn't Technical to me, and the hoody I received in XL barely fits even though I usually wear a Large. I'm glad they were out of the Large sizes as it would have been a waste getting one. Get the sizes correct and consistent, and have the runners identify what size finishers sweatshirt they want on the bib like the pre-race shirt is done. I'm not sure why but I think it is going a little down hill. Too bad for a good race venue and a good experience. I will still run it because it is "home" but my expectations will be lower next year. read more

I am not a runner. Due to the poor traffic planning it took me 2 hours and 17 miles to go 3 miles from my home. This is the nightmare of my neighborhood each year. read more

My first half marathon and it was amazing! Lots of great "prizes", fun expo at the beginning. They started earlier than the time given but I loved how the tracking chip worked. Loved it, would definitely do it again. read more

On the course: The course is fairly flat, but the slight hills are unexpected. Also the 2nd half (full marathon) is pretty boring with hardly any scenery (unless you like looking at highway) but this is usually the case with marathons I suppose. Maybe its the exhaustion or maybe its that they cater to the first half but the end always seems drab. Some entertainment on the way but there could be more, esp for the 2nd half of the race. The most memorable one was a showgirl playing a set of bongos (not sure if she was "official" or not) but that sure put a smile on my face. My biggest qualm about the course is after you cross the finish line, you have another .5 miles to walk to get ur medal, sweatshirt and to the food. My god, another half mile after 26.2?!?!?! I didnt know this and sprinted my last quarter mile thinking that would be the "End." But nope, since it was so long after, I collapsed while holding the fenced area after the finish line--luckily right in front of the medic station where they iced me up. Amenities: The two GU stations were at mile 10 and mile 20? Why the strange placement. Should have been 7 and 18 but the worst part is-- at the second gu station they ran out of gu?!?!? You also get a sweatshirt at the end and a tech shirt and hat at the expo--pretty sweet but they could be better designed (esp the hat which was super tiny.)The best thing about the race that everyone boasts about is the ending, which is in my experience, truly unique from many standard races. Hot food? Eggs, sausage, potatoes, fruit waiting to be served to you at the very end= sweeeeeeeeeeeeeet. I skipped the ice cream and beer, after 26 miles, it wasnt very appealing...I really enjoyed the rest of the food though and the tables were a nice place to meet other runners and talk about their journey on the course. One thing that really ticked me off about this race is, my bf's time did not show up on the website after and I had to contact a lotttt of people over a month to get it resolved. Would I run it again? Probably not. But I'm glad I did it once, its a pretty good race overall. read more

I have run this race for many years and this year 2016 was the worst. The route was the same as we did the first leg of the relay but after the race was when it really showed how bad it was this year. First the medals were not medals and were awful. The wood and lightweight texture made it like we ran a mountain course. We felt sorry for our first time runners to end with that. The bus ride back was really bad as she parked at least a mile away and we had to walk all the way back to the activities we so look forward to after the race. Then we discovered what a cluster F that was. The food was in a entire different area with burritos (which was a good idea) although they were bland and no salsa. The ice cream had to be the biggest disappointment as they were tiny kids cups that really showed how cheap this committee could go. The only praise is that the shirts were nice although thank goodness we were told they ran small. Please don't have the same people handle this race next year. Bring back the way it was !! read more