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

We ran the 8 miler this weekend. It was well organized and a lot of fun, we drove from Las Vegas…read morejust for this . We'll be back to run again next year

TRANSITION FROM STADIUM TO PARK…read more Love working out with SDTC on Tuesday evenings. The club transitioned to the Park for several months to switch it up. Shorter sprint intervals are more favored than longer ones! I'll be honest, I prefer working out at the stadium. The grassy knolls of the park may offer cushion when sprinting but i feel like I'm going to roll my ankle anytime because the terrain isn't even. Also there's insects and I was getting attacked by mosquitoes when we were laying on the grass doing the stretch outs. It would also be wise to bring a towel if you are uncomfortable sitting on the grass.

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 !

It was an inaugural race geared towards runners that love a good craft beer. The race was heavily…read moreadvertised with the finish line being right at the Green Flash Brewery on Mira Mesa. Expo: It was located at the Road Runner Sports in San Diego on Copley Dr. Parking was a bit hairy with people coming and going, but there was ample parking spaces. I'm not sure if it was wise to take up part of the parking lot for the bib pickup. It was just an awkward venue for an expo. After picking up the bib and race shirt, we were given a pint glass and a pair of sunglasses. It was nice to actually get some decent swag at a race. We were also given a discount coupon for merchandise inside the store. The store was busy, so they definitely got some boosted traffic and sales. Pre race: Parking was at Green Flash Brewery. There was a huge parking lot just north of Green Flash and it was really convenient. From there, we headed east on Top Gun St to catch one of the nice luxury shuttles to the start line. It's always nice to ride in those instead of the school buses designed for elementary school kids. The shuttle dropped us off at Camino del Sur, just south of the 56 freeway. Just around the corner and up the Torrey Santa Fe Rd was a small table for gear check, more tables for water, and a bunch of portapotties. As to be expected for an inaugural race, there was almost a 10 minute delay before the start of the race. It was pretty much a no frills start. There was no singing of the national anthem. There wasn't even a starting gun, horn, or anything. Course: It was a decent and challenging course. The first half of the course was pretty nice and easy, just running on the 56 bike trail until we reached the 5 freeway. We then head down El Camino Real and Vista Sorrento Parkway before turning east on Sorrento Valley Blvd which would soon end up being about a one mile steady uphill climb. We finally got a longer stretch of downhill as we turned onto Camino Santa Fe. However there was another half mile or so climb up to Top Gun St for the final stretch to the finish line. Make sure you do your hill training to be ready for this course! Post race: They had small cups out for water and Nuun water. They also had Larabars, bananas, and other snacks. The finishing chute was a bit chaotic. The volunteers were having a hard time keeping up with the distribution of the finisher medals. The medals were individually bagged and they were spending a lot of time getting them out. There was so much traffic as people were all getting in line to trade in their drink vouchers for tickets. That really made no sense to me, as they weren't using that process to control the flow of people. There were 4 tents dispensing beers among other vendor booths, but the lines were all very long. Overall, it was a pretty well organized race for its first year with a few minor hiccups here and there. I'm pretty certain that they will improve the race if they continue to hold the event every year.

With this run, I'm conflicted…read more It's not that I won't run it again. I probably will...although somewhat begrudgingly, I'm sure. Simply put, there's an aspect of this event that aggravates me. No, it's not the course, although I could have done without the mile 11-13 beat down (almost entirely uphill.) That's just San Diego for you: continuously rolling hills. Also, no, it's not the race's theme. "Going on a Beer Run" shirts; beer keg signposts (very clever, by the way) propped up throughout the course, pushing everyone to do their best; and the beer gardens finish line itself: all made for a fun and entertaining run. I loved it! And certainly, no, it wasn't that I didn't like the beer tap medals. They are awesome, and I mean that! And after running the San Diego Holiday Half, I am really looking forward to snagging my Route 56 challenge medal. But... A mandatory Expo for bib pickups, especially for out-of-towners? C'mon, Road Runner Sports, that is a huge hassle. (Anyone who's had to drive down to San Diego from Orange County knows that a stop-and-go, there-and-back, 4-hour chunk of your day is going to be lost.) Extra fees for mailing bibs are fine, I guess, but why not just allow participants to collect bibs on race morning? Everyone gets that you want to draw runners into your SD location and push sales, but it's so inconvenient. Since I know I'm doing a turn-around the next morning, by the time I finally get to the Expo, all I want to do is go home. The booth that was set up for bib pickup could have just as easily been set up on race morning. If only I could visit one of two Road Runner Sports closer to me--Laguna Hills and Costa Mesa--and by way of some brilliant breakthroughs in technology, I could have picked my bib up there (and maybe even spent some money)... Wishful thinking, I guess.

Overall fun race experience & I would like to run it again…read more. It's along the embarcadero/Seaport Village.. So I personally like the view. But I also used to run here on the reg when I lived close by. It just makes it hard to find parking since it's limited in the area. Loved the vibes before & after the race. They had a fun DJ/MC with dance offs & warm ups. Everyone was dressed up too! And a lot of booths giving away free things like hats you can bling out, water bottles, sunglasses. Coolest medal ever! The guy dances! Not a fan of their white t-shirt though. They had nice gold winners medals! I unfortunately didn't know they gave it to top 3 in age categories so didn't even check the booth to collect mine or wait for the awards ceremony. I've never been able to receive a winners medal so I was so sad when I found out I could've gotten one but missed the opportunity. So I tried to contact the event coordinators via e-mail & facebook to see if I could pick it up at their Long Beach race, but no answer! I'm obviously still bitter about this. Otherwise would've been 5 stars and I would've done their LB race..

This was the first year for the Disco Fever 5K to be run in San Diego. I've never run a race in SD…read moreso I'm can't speak to how it compares to other races in the area. But compared to other races I've run myself, this was on the small side. Packet pick up at Road Runner's Sports was easy; the process took me less than 10 minutes. The t-shirt is nice and there were some nice snacks and goodies in our race pack. The race is set at the Embracadero and run along the running path along the harbor. Despite it starting at 730am (first wave) there are still tourists taking a stroll and other non-race runners out so you gotta watch out for them too. I loved the warm up--even if you weren't participating, it was nice to have the music playing and the emcee keeping things fun and light. There was some runner support with volunteers cheering on the racers at a few different points and the water station half way through. I didn't dress for the theme (sorry!) but I did appreciate the different disco costumes I saw. Kudos to the guy who ran in full disco Elvis attire, including wig! And the sparkly disco dresses were fun and flirty. Every finisher got a medal--yeah! and of course special medals to the top finishers. There were bananas, water, gatorade and other snacks afterward--a lot more than what I've seen at other races. Everyone working the race were friendly and supportive. A really fun atmosphere. Glad I was in town to run the race!

For $20, this race was pretty fun and interesting. My first 5k, only it's not really a 5k. From…read morewhat I heard, it's actually closer to 2.7 miles, which was a little saddening. With the entry fee, I got a free boxing class, a day pass to a rockclimbing gym, and a free t-shirt. They also provided bananas, mandarin oranges, bagels, water, and coffee prior to the race. As a UCSD student, I thought it'd be a nice idea to actually run at least one of the races the school actually offers. The race goes through the Eucalyptus grove and so the terrain is a bit different from what I'm used to. It felt more like trail running. It was a small race, but I'm fine with that. The atmosphere is still pretty fun and it's a race that's suitable for families. Consider this a fun run and not really a race meant for timing. There is a gun time though.

"What do you want me to do? Dress in drag and do the hula?" - Timon, The Lion King…read more One of my favorite local runs! My only "Hawaiian" type of outfit is a wrap I bought years ago from the Bahamas. If it weren't for this race, I probably would have worn it twice. Now I can say I wore it at least 4 times now. Lol. As the years progress, the amount of participants increase. The course they have choose for the 5K is along walkways which are split into two way traffic areas, and still shared by pedestrians. They should make the walkways one way thus giving runners more space, and kick out the pedestrians. lol. For 2016, I believe they changed the route a bit, and even added a 10K. I remember last year, there was this lady looking for her son. I guess he was taken the night before. She was on the side asking runners if anyone has seen a little boy; it was quite the downer. Anyway, it's a fun, easy run for the whole family, and they always provide cute medals. Anything Hawaiian themed means you'll have a good time. :) TIPS -- It is alway hot, so be prepared and wear sunscreen. -- Parking can be a little tricky, so come early -- If you cannot pick up your gear at the day before at Road Runner Sports, you can pick it up on the day of the race. Shirt sizes may vary at that point. -- A timer is provided -- No gear check -- There is a "virtual" version of this race. You pay the fees, run/walk at your own leisure, and your medal and shirt will be mailed to you. -- Long Beach also has a Aloha Run! If you are that desperate, you can go to Long Beach. lol.

A fun festive event,love the good atmosphere live entertainment and the course. Can't wait for next…read morerace.

Ragnar Relay was on my bucket list for only two months before my team and I checked it off…read more It all started when I was showing off my Tough Mudder headband at work when my homie asks, "You wanna do something crazier?" So I sez, "Who you tryin' to get crazy with ese? Don't you know I'm loco? Cue Cypress Hill...anyways, he showed me the website and I was hooked immediately. I got over the shock of running over 200 miles non-stop as a team and when he showed me his medal...dooode! It was huge...TWSS! So determined to get my own medal and not be the weakest link, I ran hills...tons of em, I ran at night...super dark, I ran forever...yelling at the world. All that prep got me in perfect Ragnar shape but it was the kills that pushed me over the edge. Anytime you pass up another Ragnar runner it was considered a kill and I wanted to be the top assassin in my van. As runner five, it was torturous waiting for my turn to run as it almost was four hours before I started pounding the sidewalk (in my blue tutu). My first leg was 2.4 miles with a killer hill in the blistering heat, but I turned beast mode on and I never turned it off til the finish. I gotta say my night run was the best; it was a downhill leg at two in the morning with zero sleep and quiet as hell. There's nothing like running on an empty road with no one around you with your headlamp as the only source of light. My third and final leg was the longest but it also got me the most kills, 33 to be exact, and I passed the "baton" with a fiery yell. So after 38 plus hours of running 203 miles, we racked over 300 kills (50 were mine!), received one amazing medal, had millions of laughs and memories, and not a wink of sleep. You also become a porta potty professional! I recently ran the OC half marathon and it's true that all your other races seem rather pedestrian after you do a Ragnar. I'M ADDICTED!!!!

12 Friends, 2 vans, 2 days, 200 mile relay = an unforgettable experience…read more I've done many races from Triathlons (Olympic to Ironman 70.3 distances) and countless half marathons -- but SoCal Ragnar was by far the hardest race I've done to date. From a physical standpoint, each of the legs assigned are completely manageable as they range from 3-9 mile legs. Throw in logistics, schedules, lack of sleep, and weather, you feel like you've just been put through the ringer. In 2 days, I probably got no more than 2 hours of sleep. Rough... Our start time was 5AM on Friday so heading north to the start at Huntington Beach was pretty rough. We were van 2 so technically we did not have to be up there until 8AM but we got an early start because we wanted to allow enough time to get checked in, go through our security and safety briefing and perhaps do a little bit of shopping at the Ragnar merchandise tent. CHECKING IN: For van 2, this was at Exchange 7 and the scene was epic. There was excitement in the air, tons of vans decorated with hilarious team names and sayings and just tons of peeps getting ready to cheer their runners on and sending another one out. I thought the check in process could've been organized more efficiently. You stand in a long line to be handed a waiver, only to step aside and step back in line to turn it in. After that was done, you had to seek out an official volunteer to confirm you have the necessary safety gear for the race: headlamps for night running (2 per van), vests (1 per person) and tail lights for night runners (2 per van). Then...you had to attend a safety training which was about 10 min. long but was very difficult to understand because they have 2 of them doing it side by side over intercoms and you cannot understand a word coming out of their mouths. It was rather ridiculous and obvious it was just a formality. EXCHANGES: I realize the some of these exchanges were in the middle of no where and for some, in the middle of the night or the wee hours of the morning but put out more than a cone and tape out for these exchanges. Also some did not have porta potties so we were looking for gas stations in the middle of the night that would allow us to use their facilities. This was difficult because legs in the middle of night and early mornings were shortest for our van so we had little time to do this. AID STATIONS: Aid stations were not identified in race bibles. Some noted that there would be a certain amount of aid/water stations but did not tell you at what mile. For us, this was a concern on 1st day through Corona, Temecula and Lake Elsenoire, temperatures were gnarly and runners were really overheating - one started showing signs of heat stroke and we even gave water to other runners who's teammates didn't think to follow them. We had no clue when and where there was support so we followed them nearly the whole way to ensure they were ok. Clearly state support at mile markers so teams can plan accordingly. RUNNING AT NIGHT: Running under the stars and in the still of the night was pretty darn amazing. My 2nd leg started at 2am and this by far was my favorite leg. I was a little spooked at times because I was running along the canyon and I could hear things moving in the tall grass BUT the cool morning air, open roads and the twinkly skies above was truly spectacular. How blessed I am to be able to enjoy this. I took it all in and enjoyed every moment. MEDALS: Awesome! SOMEONE BUILD A TRACKER APP: I would've loved to have tracked other teams we knew out there on the course. Someone create a tracker app for next year. = ) I know I'd pay $ to have this on my iPhone. Overall, the race was organized really well all things considered. Catching Zzz's in sleeping bags on the side of the road or in parking lots with any sort of grassy area at random points along the race course was the pits while we were living through it...but have been the source of many funny and great stories now. Race amnesia hasn't set in (YET!) but i'm sure i'll be looking forward to next years race very soon. I hear talk of our team potentially doing Napa later this year. Not ready to commit but would highly consider. This is a race like no other and while I'm still completely exhausted even after a day of rest, I'd highly recommend. Hats off to all the Ultra teams out there who did 200 miles between 6 people - I've got mad respect for you guys and gals. P.S. While I may not be an Ultra Runner, this 5' girl has mastered driving a 14 person van and even parallel parked that beast with inches to spare. I should get an extra medal for that. = )