Here is a sampling of some recent reviews published on RaceGrader. We encourage past participants to share their race experiences to help other athletes prepare for upcoming events. Tips on the course, where to park, the registration process, etc...can all be very helpful. To write or read a review of a particular race, just type the name of the race into “Find A Race” on the right side of this page. Keep Racing!
Review of Electric Run - Orange County by
Electric run looked better on video promo than the actual race itself. Didn't like that the race start was delayed for the arrival of Carmen Electra. It had rained that afternoon at the OC fairgrounds so part of the course was all muddy. The music was just so-so before and during the race. What made it fun was seeing all the race participants all lit up. Race course was very loopy and narrow. I did like some of the lit umbrella displays and the lit rainbow arches. But the worse part was the very long wave start. We were fortunate that we had lined up near the start line. Some of the participants near the back of the start chute didn't start until about an hour after the 1st wave started. Since the OC location was the inaugural, we got a break on the race entry fees. Don't think we will be back. It's just too expensive for a 5K.
Review of OC Marathon, Half Marathon, Wahoos 5K by
This was my second year running the OC Half Marathon; I went to the Friday Packet pick up, it was crazy. After waiting outside inline for at least 30minutes. I got into the expo. It was fast and easy to get bib and shirt and pay for the discounted parking. Race morning the buses were easy to find. Once at the start line the bathroom line was Huge. More bathrooms next year. UPS handled the bag check it went very slow just to drop off good thing we left plenty of time to get to are coral. I thought corals were very small people over flowed to the sides before the start. Once the race started the course was well mark and they had plenty of water and Gatorade stations. At the finish line they handed medals out and you continued to walk and get some water and a bag full of some treats to eat afterwards. The band was awesome. The Beer Garden was great and it was a good thing we went there first because the bag check was even longer for pick up. In my opinion they had too many numbers and too few UPS trucks. My friend had to jump into the UPS truck and fetch his own bag. The course was Great nice neighborhoods of OC and it was cool that the community came out and supported the runners. This year I was prepared for the hills even though the race ended at a lower elevation. Overall – great course, great value, and a great 1/2 marathon.
Review of OC Marathon, Half Marathon, Wahoos 5K by
Whoever is in charge of this race should be fired! A beautiful course for the half marathon but a classic FAIL for the race day pre- and post- treatment of runners. Pre-race - Got up at 4am so I could catch the shuttle from the Mariott Costa Mesa to the start with the marathon runners. Shuttle driver didn't know where to go much to the consternation of the marathoners. Got there with about 15 minutes before their race. At the start there were way too few portapotties and the Mariott at the start was kind enough to let the runners use their restrooms which quickly became overwhelmed. After the marathon start I went to check in my bag with the UPS trucks and was confronted with the dilemma of a couple of hundred runners trying to get their bags checked into mostly one truck OR a couple of hundred runners trying to use the bathroom. I chose a 30 minute bathroom wait in line and the half marathon started. I started with the last corral but was able to be the last to drop off my bag. NEVER had this experience in hundreds of races! AFTER the race the real disaster began. I had to wait in line in the cold wind for OVER AN HOUR to get my bag because UPS had totally tossed all the bags together and couldn't find anyone's stuff. It appeared as if teenage volunteers were in charge of things. The shuttle back to the Marriott was unable to make it back to the OC fairgrounds and I had to get on the Westin shuttle. There were runners on the shuttle who had already waited over an. hour to start going back to their hotel. After 30 minutes we finally started to drive back to the hotel and it took 2 HOURS to go 3 MILES. So it took me 8 hours to run a 2:19 half marathon. THIS IS THE WORST TREATMENT OF RUNNERS EVER by a race. Marathoners who were on our bus could barely walk when we got to the Westin. The shuttle driver quickly disappeared and didn't even offer to drop us off at the Marriott a couple of blocks away. We were told we had already run 26 miles so a couple more blocks wouldn't hurt! Marriott Costa Mesa staff were fantastic and their rates were great. Expo was good not great. Totally disgusted. The only thing that prevented me having a completely crappy day was the nice course and great weather. Many runners including myself have vowed never to run this race again. Maybe Rock n Roll should take over the race and show how it should be done.
Review of OC Marathon, Half Marathon, Wahoos 5K by
Packet pick up was crazy. The signs said you could enter at 3 different gates. Only one gate listed was open and there was a second one open not listed. We wondered to the expo. It was fast and easy to get bib and shirt and pay for the discounted parking. The expo was nice and bigger than the last Half Marathon I ran. was disappointed that we couldn't register for the huntington half marathon for next year at the expo. We booked a room from the website for runners discount and they didn't have our room ready and couldn't get checked in till a later time. We left and came back from dinner and our room changed again and our bags were not in our rooms. The hotel only offered 2 people for the shuttle to the race, so we opt to drive to the fair grounds and park to take shuttles to start line. shuttles to start were friendly and fast to get us there. There were way fewer portapotties than the last half marathon and waited a while to use. The bag check in went slow be we had plenty of time to get to the start line. Not to mention the small bag we had to put our stuff in. The corals were only four and the people over flowed them. they needed bigger corals to hold the people. After the start we were clueless when the next portapotties would be on the race. some areas only had one or many. They had plenty of water and Gatorade stations. When we got to the cliff shots they were out. glad we brought our own stuff for the race. At the finish line they handed medals out and you continued to walk and get some water and a bag full of some treats to eat afterwards. if we wanted the orange, we had to peel it. Would have been nice if it was sliced in a baggie or something. There were no banana's. the band that performed was awesome. loved them. Waiting for our bags we checked in at the start line was a joke. they had too many numbers in to few ups trucks. we waited 40 mins to get them. there were a lot of vendors open and the food smelled good. it was hard getting back to our parking spaces because the finish line was at the middle of the parking area. there should have been signs that directed you to the different parking sections. the course was beautiful and we went through many nice communities and it was cool that they came out and supported the runners. I wasn't prepared for all the hills even though the race ended at a lower elevation then the start. Watching the video of the course made it seem like a simple downhill course, it wasn't. I would do this race again in the future, but would like to be better informed of what will be on the race course.
Review of OC Marathon, Half Marathon, Wahoos 5K by
I picked up my race packet around 4:00pm on Saturday afternoon. I had no trouble parking or picking my packet up. It was not crowded at that time at all. It was disappointing that parking was $5. II thought the expo was better than most I have been to. The space was a bit tight for all the vendors that were there. On race day I was dropped off at the starting line. Traffic was pretty heavy. The lines for the bathrooms were really long and we missed our corral time. The course was one of the best I have been on. It was mostly flat with beautiful views of the ocean and goes through some gorgeous neighborhoods. I felt there were plenty of water stations. I enjoyed the cliff energy shots at mile 9. It was much needed. There were also quit a few restrooms throughout the entire course with minimal waiting. The post party was booming. It was the best of the 4 races I have ran. Great music, massages, food and beer. Bag pick up was a nightmare. I would avoid checking anything if it all possible. I have heard a lot of people complaining about getting out of the parking lot. We were parked right by the exit so we didn't experience much of a wait. Overall, I really enjoyed the OC 1/2 Marathon.
Review of San Diego Rock n Roll Marathon by
COST: It's purely a personal beef that much of the high registration fee goes to the post-race festivities that I skip and to live bands some of whose only talent seems to be loud, distorted-sound amplifiers. Still, the cost is not terribly out of line with other marathons with fewer "frills" and the best part of the marathon - a running tour of San Diego - is part of what you're paying for. PACKET-PICK-UP/EXPO: Very well organized and fast, but with the notable drawback of being situated at the Convention Center which is in a highly congested part of town on Saturday. After struggling with congested traffic to get near the Center, we found parking about 1/2 mile away so it worked well for me because my wife was able to wait. The Expo itself had many nice vendors and displays, though predictably congested as I went in the afternoon. Swag bag was fine - personally I don't really get excited one way or the other about such stuff; it's not why I'm running. PRE-RACE/START LINE: My wife dropped me off 3 blocks from the start line - very easy. I heard some people complaining about the public transportation - which in my experience is always problematic. In the corral I also heard some complaints about long porta-potty lines, but I had used one at the south end of the park where the lines were much shorter (5-10 minutes). The potties near the start were ridiculously crowded - I suspect many runners were just unaware there were shorter lines nearby. I liked the booths near the start line with bananas and bagels, but I don't think most runners eat immediately before a race. I'd have preferred water instead. START: Corral system was well organized with access points to each corral right up until the start - a very nice feature. Start went smoothly. While not important, the singer for the national anthem sounded awful. COURSE: Overall I loved the course as it toured most of urban San Diego including downtown, Gaslamp district, Little Italy, Old Town, Mission Bay and Balboa Park. Really nice. The narrow pathway through Mission Bay was a bit tricky when encountering stopped or walking runners (seriously, why do so many runners not have the basic courtesy of moving off to the side when walking?) One notable aspect of the course is that the first half is mostly downhill while the second half is mostly uphill until about mile 23. In particular the 163 freeway at mile 20 is a brutal hill. I inflamed a hip ligament on the very long banked onramp preceding the 163 hill. Banked roads are a real danger on any course and especially bad after 19 miles when you're muscle strength is compromised. Overall a challenging and largely scenic course. SUPPORT: Plentiful and well-stocked/well-organized water and gatorade and GU stations that remained open even for slower runners like me. CROWDS/BANDS: I really enjoyed the enthusiastic crowds along the route. The live bands ranged from excellent (loved Todo Mundo and the mariachi band in Old Town - great ambiance!) to mediocre/pathetic, with about one-half of them leaning toward the latter category. SPECTATOR ACCESS: One real gripe is that it was difficult to figure out from the materials suitable spectator viewing areas for friends/family because of the complex road-closure network. It'd be a very nice feature if the organizers could provide a map highlighting access roads to the marathon route. FINISH/POST-RACE: Not as nice as some, but overally good. Nice selection of tasty treats and goodies afterward. I did not attend the Petco Park festivities so I have no comment on that. OVERALL: "I'd do it again", which I suppose is the most relevant praise one can give.
Review of Dirty Girl Mud Run - Ventura by
Ugh! I signed up with a group of co-workers and friends thinking it would be lots of fun...I was wrong. Unless they change the venue and get organized, I will not be participating in this event again. The parking was just off the highway and you had to be shuttled to the KOA where the event was actually held. But, they only had a handful of buses running and you were lucky if you arrived early and only had to wait half an hour to get on a bus for a 15-20 minute ride to the KOA. Once there, you had to wait in line to pick up your bib and swag. T-shirt was pretty nice and merchandise available for purchase weren't bad either. But, the parking and busing system was so bad that even though most of our team arrived in the parking lot within 15 minutes of each other, the line for the buses got longer and longer. We started 1.5 hours later than the wave time we signed up for because of the bus situation. The course itself was okay. I wouldn't really call it a "mud run" more like a "mud walk" as most of the course was along terrain that could break an ankle if you weren't careful. There was probably less than a quarter of a mile stretch available for running along the entire course. The obstacles were fun but not set up in a way that properly accommodated the large numbers of people at one time. The finish was okay but the cleanup/changing stations were terrible! A large stuffy tent with water hoses was what we got. Not to mention that there was no tarp laid out anywhere so the ground got muddy and clumpy and even though you hosed yourself off and got changed, you were still dirty. Half the people didn't even bother rinsing off because the tent was so small and crowded so they got in the long line for the buses caked in mud. Way to respect the other participants who bothered attempting to get clean. Seriously, I've waited in shorter lines for rides at Disneyland than the line for these buses. I wouldn't recommend this event to anyone until they change venues and get more organized.
Review of OC Marathon, Half Marathon, Wahoos 5K by
I ran OC in 2011 and I LOVED it (but I was dropped off and picked up), so this year was a completely new experience, which I have a lot to write about. I'm sad to say it's no longer my favorite race. EXPO: Packet pickup was very easy and organized. You do have to pay $5 for the expo parking, which is pretty decent consider some other expo's that charge $10 or more. It was such a small area to squeeze in that many vendors. SHUTTLE: I purchased $5 parking permit at the expo to park at the finish line. I showed up in time to my assigned bus time (5:45am), and I got so nervous when I saw the HUGE line. It was my first time taking the shuttle, so I'm not sure if it's usually like this at other marathons. I was told that nobody checks your assigned shuttle time, so people usually show up towards the later hours. We didn't get dropped off at the starting line until almost 30 mins after the race had already started. My GPS started at exactly 6:42am. COURSE: I remember how I loved the OC half the first time I ran it, so I was really excited to run it again this year. The best thing about this race is the course; it is beautiful. There are several small hills, but not so steep and easy to conquer. I don't think there was ever a dull moment along the path. However, one thing I noticed was that the mile markers were a bit off from my GPS, and my watch logged more than 13.1 miles. I'm not sure if it was just me, or if others were having the same problem. I have used the same watch to other marathons and never had that issue. There were many police officers and police dogs throughout the race. Like always, police officers, volunteers, spectators, and EMS were EXCELLENT and I couldn't thank them enough for their time and their help to keep us safe, hydrated, and motivated. POST-RACE: NIGHTMARE! That is pretty much the only word I can use to sum it up. The goodie bag had no bananas, drinks, fruit cups, bagels, and all the other common things other marathons give out to the runners. There were lines EVERY WHERE. I waited forever to get my bag, because there was only ONE line for all the 5000-10,000's! I would've had to wait longer, until they decided to split out the 5000, 6000, and 7000 bags. After waiting for almost an hour for my bag, I had to wait another 2 hours to get out of the parking lot. There was only 1 exit and nobody was directing traffic, so all the cars were merging from all sides, and people were getting very frustrated. I don't want to be harsh, but I would give this race a C overall. I would run it again, despite the negative things that happened along the way, because I really like the course. Please check up on the mile markers though. I hope the race director would change some things that were mentioned. If it's this bad again next year, it might be my last time with the OC Half Marathon. Until then, I will give it another chance. Next year, I won't take the shuttle, won't check in my bag, and will ask to get dropped off and picked up again to avoid the headache.
Review of Tinkerbell Half Marathon by
Love Disney races. They are very organized. Packet pick-up/health expo is fun and full of great race merch. Get there early if you are looking for something specific. I wanted cliff gel and they were all sold out so I had to buy GU. On course, plenty of water stations - more than you need in my opinion, but if you don't need a drink then just run right through and wait for the next station. Cliff gel is handed out around the 9th or 10th mile (it's also listed in the route map). Medal is heavy and big - a great addition to your collection. The text message time updates can be wrong. Mine said the first 5k leg took me 50 minutes. The text messages can't be trusted. Best to check the final posted times online. On course entertainment is great. I don't use my ipod during this race because they provide enough music and bands, but there are sections (on average a mile and a half stretch) with no music. Post race, they give you a pretty awesome snack box and take a photo. Not really much to do after the race. No seating in the post-race area or any booths. But they do have music.
Review of Ragnar Relay: Huntington Beach to San Diego by
Participated in RAGNAR So Cal two years in a row now. I LOVE RAGNAR! Such a fun challenge and a great experience to share with your team mates and other teams. Enjoyed other teams names, van decorations, costumes, etc. Sleeping in the van, not being able to shower are not highlights of this event, but its only for one day, so no big deal. Course descriptions listed "easy" or "hard" do not seem to be accurate. Short runs are listed as "easy" but tend to include steep inclines. Long runs are listed as "hard" but have flat or downhill routes. Night running isn't bad at all. Runners are required to wear reflective vests, head lamps, and flashing LED lights on their backs. Parking at major exchanges can be a bit difficult due to the large number of vans on site at one time. These events have created memories of a life-time! Awesome medals, great post race party for runners & families to attend. Free pizza to the runners. Awesome shirts, great race apparel & misc. items for sale. Looking forward to next year.
Review of Safari Park Half Marathon by
Safari Park is my favorite half marathon, if I had to choose only 1 half to do each year, this is the one I would choose. To start off, the profit from the race goes directly toward a cause, i.e. new habitat for the Tigers or the Rhinos. Also, a fun factor of this race: the organizers allow you to vote on the T-shirt design AND the medal design. The choices are always so well-designed. Good swag always makes a race more desirable. The course is challenging, but only moderately so. There are 2 HARD hills, but the rest of the course is comfortably rolling. The scenery throughout the entire race is beautiful, and the support and entertainment is pretty good. From milking cows out for petting, to a camel photo op, to fun stomp-like drummers, to a very high energy MC Hammer look-a-like. I highly recommend this race, but the hills are not for sissies!
Review of Firefly Run by
Just got home from Firefly 5K in Carson (Los Angeles) and had an awesome time! It was so much fun! We got there a couple hours early since they said there was over 5000 people sign up but had no problems finding it, parking or getting our race stuff. You had from noon to 7 pm to pick up your information and bib number...lots of volunteer helping too. The kids did great! They even had some food trucks there so we had dinner while we waited...taco's, bacon wrapped hot dog, fajita fries and a Italian Cheese Sandwich (between 5 of us!) It was really good but glad we had a couple hours to digest before the race. It was well set up and you could feel the energy in the air! It was like a big party and everyone was having a great time! It was so neat seeing all the costumes and all the blinking lights. There were a few places that it bottle necked but since it was a fun run it did not bug me! The after party was pretty fun too! Can't wait for the next one!
Review of Girls On The Go 5K - San Diego by
This is a boutique style race so you wont find the thousands of participants like a RnR race and I love that. The race directors put their heart into what they do and make it personal for all the women/men participating! The medals were wonderful and the tech tanks were a charm... where do you ever find a tech tank?? There was a repeat course so it was a little trying passing the finish line to keep going but it was all along the bay the entire race so that was pretty sweet and the women were all fabulous and kept each other motivated. The post race was the best! Some great vendors were there including runningskirts, powercore, and more! It filled my swag bag for sure. Plus I won a gift certificate for $200 for a spa service. I will for sure be back next mothers day with my daughter!
Review of OC Marathon, Half Marathon, Wahoos 5K by
Pre-race shuttles didn't arrive as scheduled which meant having to scramble to drive ourselves to the start line with only moments to spare. The corrals were not managed well which led to multiple crowd bottlenecks throughout what should have been a beautiful, easy, and PR-friendly course. The end of the race was the absolute worst - over an hour to leave the fairgrounds parking lot! Of course, this wouldn't have been an issue if we had been able to take the morning shuttle which never arrived. I've been told that these issues are pretty consistent year to year. It's a shame. This had the potential to be a favorite course. Oh well!
Review of Mission Inn Run Half Marathon, 5K by
Another race I look forward to every year. Nice 5k route, a few hills, but not bad. Easy bib & shirt pick up. Lots of local vendors in downtown Riverside before & after the race. A great race for the family.
Review of Into The Wild O.C. Trail Run by
Loved the 10k trail course. Great time of year for this race. Scenic views. 2013 route changed a bit from 2012. Some parts were a little more challenging, other parts were a lot of fun! Race is not too big & not too small. Several park bathrooms available. Look forward to running again in 2014.
Review of SoCal Wine Country Women's Half Marathon by
This was my first year doing this race and even though it had some hiccups, I enjoyed it. Pros: Lots of options for packet pickup Great parking and very little traffic Beautiful course that had just enough challenge for a trail race Really awesome high quality medal, very nice tech shirts and bags Sweet wine glass with a complimentary pour of Callaway wine at the end of the race A lot of really nice sincere people running the event Great after party and lots of table and chair seating Cons: Trail was marked extremely well during the race but epic fail at one of the beginning forks that caused us to run on the wrong trail. I doubt this will happen in future races as the RD felt extremely bad and was very apologetic. Pre-paid after party food was not the menu selection promised. The food was still pretty good but not the vegetarian selection that I thought I would be getting. Even with the couple glitches, I still give this race an "A" overall. There were enough positives to make up for the errors.
Review of Ojai Half Marathon, 5k, 10K by
I loved the Ojai Half Marathon. Packet pick up was very easy and I was in and out very quickly. I got to the race a few hours early and had no trouble with parking or finding a bathroom to use before the start of the race. I have done a ton of half marathons and I always like to get there early to make sure I'm ready when it's time to go. The course is challenging but not "too difficult" with some rolling type hills. I found plenty of aid stations. I believe they have them every mile or mile and half. I also carry my own stuff which is always a good idea. As I crossed the finish line I got my medal and was able to find my family right away. We enjoyed the day and just hung out in the park. There were a bunch of others that did the same. I think this race had over 600 people and had a great community vibe. Overall I'd say this is a race I will keep on my schedule. I love the timing of the race and it's very well run. I recommend this race to others looking for a quality event.
Review of OC Marathon, Half Marathon, Wahoos 5K by
This was my very first full marathon. I love the course because of all the turns. Helps breaking up the mileage but starting and ending in different areas is inconvenient. At the expo you have to pay to park which is ridiculous. My kids and got yelled at, at the expo for going thru an open door and we had to go thru a door right next to it that lead to the same area. Stupid. Then the expo booth area was confusing and we couldn't find the exit. My husband had a rough time parking since he dropped me off and we had to walk forever to get to our car after the race which was brutal on my body. I'm not sure if ill be running this one again. I just did it to get the beach medal.
Review of OC Marathon, Half Marathon, Wahoos 5K by
This was my first year running the O.C 1/2 Marathon and I do have a lot to say about it. Bib Delivery:I had originally ordered bib delivery but was excited to find out later I was actually going to be about to make the expo after all. My bib was delivered about 4 days before the race but I received an email apologizing because many people did not received there bibs in the mail and were being offered refunds. The expo: It was well organized and very large will lots of vendors. I went with a pocket full of cash and bought some things I had been interested in for some time. I also bought parking for the next day for $5.00 rather than having to pay $10.00 the day of. Tech shirts were kind uhhh in color but ran true to size which was nice especially when I found out they had strict rules on not changing your size at the expo. The only thing I was bummed about was that I had ordered a personalized bib in and didn't get it. When I visited solutions they asked for my confirmation email which I presented and they didn't have and answer for me as to where it was or what happened. Only to email the company they used and ask for a refund. Race day: What a mess that was..... they did not have enough shuttles and traffic was a nightmare so we had to get dropped off and run towards the starting line. I needed to gear check and there was long line for that and a long line for e restrooms. They didn't have very many ports potties and they did not have toilet paper! We ended up missing both of our corrals and starting in the last wave and fighting out way through the course since we had originally been set for corral 2. Thanks to the long lines and lack of facilities starting on time was not possible. The course: It was very beautiful and the ocean views were amazing. The people along the course were great in giving support. We both in Boston colors and it was awesome to hear everyone yelling Boston Strong as we passed by. There we some hills and I do a lot of hill training so it was okay but I saw some people dropping of like flies so just be sure to hill train for this race. The water stations were stocked as I went by and they plenty of cliff shots on mile 10. I passed 2 aide station which was nice to see. I had a pace tattoo on for the race and noticed right away with my Garmin that the mile markers were off by quite a bit. It seemed to be okay because I was ahead of my set pace for a while but it was very irritating, I thought for a awhile my Garmin was off but that has never happened before but I had never ran a race with the course off before either so it was confusing. Finish Line: It was a bit chaotic the kids were passing out medals and goodies out you kinda had to chase them down to get your stuff and they actually ran out of 1/2 marathon medals at some point. I heard they gave out full marathon medals to finishers but that's just not the same. The goodie bags in a word sucked. Once you walked out of the the finish area you welcomed to land of lines. Gear Pick Up: I have never seen anything like that in my like. It was HORRIBLE a NIGHTMARE. My family waited in the freezing cold for me for over an hour because my clothes were in a truck with number 5000 to 10,000! Nothing but a bunch of kids scrambling around looking at each and every tag because they didn't seem to be organized and they were all in clear plastic bags. I should have just left my stuff there. Some people waited 2 hours only to find out there bags had been lost. I had hoped when they said UPS truck were there that they had actual UPS employees but that was not the case and it was the absolute worst thing I have ever seen at any race. If I dare go back I will never gear check at O.C. again. The Parking Lot. Trying to get out was not good. We were very lucky to have parked near the exit otherwise we have waited over an hour to exit like everyone else. There was one exit for the entire place and no one directing traffic. Luckily our wait was about a 1/2 and we only parked about 20 feet from the exit. Later when I checked the O.C Marathon Facebook page I found out from others the course was indeed long. People clocked it between 3.42 and 3.58 which is what I got too. I was using this race as a qualifying time for another race and the added length of the course threw my time off. As some runners know there are times when every single second counts. Needless to say I am frustrated by the events of the day and have to really think about if I ever want to to run O.C again that is why I am giving it an overall rating of C,
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