Enjoy the whoops and cheers of the crowd as you take on 4 laps of this well-known course. Flat as a pancake and on entirely paved roads, this is a good one if you’re after a PR. And who can say no to the promise of post-race street tacos?
| pre-race | course | post-race |
|---|---|---|
| a | b | a |
Full disclaimer, I received a free entry to this race thanks to RaceGrader. Another disclaimer, I had run NYRLA the evening before this race so it was a really bad race for me personally. As such, I decided to wait a week to write my review instead of just writing it without thinking.
Pre-Race: As with all Elite Sports Events, easy pick-up. Picked up my packet on Saturday, great coupon for Sports Authority.
Post Race: Plenty of snacks, a few vendors, fitting for such a small race.
Course: This is where my problem lies with this race. I’m a Camarillo resident, I’ve lived here for 11 years. I’ve run pretty much every road in this town since I started running 4 years ago. This city has a LOT to offer, the course for this race shows none of it. Our beautiful old-town, beautifully landscaped roads, the outlets and more. None of this is featured in the race.
I get that the reason the course is the way it is is two-fold: To keep prices down (which we all appreciate) and what the city will give the race organizers. The city of Camarillo is notoriously bad with working with Race Directors.
That said, I really wish the RD’s would try and figure out some kind of middle-ground. The entire course is through fields except the last 2 miles which is in an airport industrial park. Not to mention the MOST DEPRESSING finish ever right by the Ventura County Animal Shelter. Seeing the animal control officers out there cleaning out empty cages as you are struggling to finish a race is very hard to run past and ignore. I felt like stopping and taking them all home. If the course needs to stay the same, maybe there should be an adoption day given the start/finish location.
I can come up with a better 13.1 course in 5 minutes and that wouldn’t have a huge impact on roads and freeway entrances.
This was my first marathon. I booked about 6 months in advance as I was coming from the UK to visit family. Online registration was simple and easy and the website had enough info.
Bib pickup the day before the race was also easy and convenient, the volunteers where friendly and helpful. They should consider a mail out option which would also ensure that pre-registered runners received their T-shirt as a number did not due to last minute registrations. In addition to the shirt, runners were promised a custom bag, water bottle, and swag. I received a bag from the 2012 Holly Jolly, no water bottle, and no swag (though I did get my shirt!). I have no problem with a race not giving extras, but if they are promised, they should be delivered. The t-shirt is of good quality, but has limited wearability due to it being dark blue (not good for sun or night).
Race day was well organised and started on time. There were enough toilets at the start so the wait was relatively short. I like a small race where you can quickly get started and I was across the line within seconds. Water/gatorade/toilet stations were generously located every 1.5 miles.
The course itself was, as promised, totally flat, which one would think would make the course a real PB possibility. However, the already windy conditions continued to worsen as the morning went on, making it a real nightmare for slower runners. Having completed a 24 mile race, my “great race” target was 4:30 and my “wheels fell off” goal was 4:45. I finished a disappointing 5:16. Due to the wind, I ended up walking 7-8 miles. Never in training or any event have I need to walk for any reason, but the wind was such that I was expending as much energy walking as running.
The route of the course was very boring and provided little in the way of visual entertainment. Although I finished middle of the pack, I ended up being alone most of the race, until midway through the second lap where I stumbled across two other women. They were both very experienced marathoners (60th and 155th) and were struggling as much as I with the wind and monotony of the course.
Something I did not see, which I have experienced at other races, is marshals or medics on bikes checking up on the runners. As many runners were alone and on isolated roads for much of the time, this would be a good safety precaution. I appreciate the aid stations were every 1.5 miles, but that’s a very long way if you are in trouble and it could be a long time before another runner comes along. Miles 11-13 (24-26) were horrible. The run out to the airport feels like a never ending run into nothingness and then then you have to run back and into an in-use parking lot which was rather depressing.
Volunteers at the aid stations were friendly and encouraging which was fantastic! The police officers were also helpful and friendly. I do all of my long runs alone, so I don’t typically mind being out on the road by myself (without other runners or spectators), but given the conditions and having to walk, I could have used any and all support! I don’t know what was on offer at the end of the race as I didn’t stick around, but I do know the photographer seemed to have gone home by the time I finished.
What I liked: flat course, well organised, easy registration, started on time, great volunteers, plentiful water/aid stations, nice medal (love good bling!)
What I didn’t like: wind (ya, I know that’s not the fault of the organiser), course itself was amazingly boring and isolated, although I like a small race, the course route and lack of runners made it a terribly dull and lonely experience.
Like others, I really wanted to like this race and make it part of my yearly trip to California, but I just can’t see myself doing it again. This is certainly not a race I would advise for first time marathoners or those accustomed to running with others- the isolation is hard enough, but add that wind and it’s a nightmare.
If it’s possible to re-jig the route and do a few other minor improvements, I think the enjoyability of this race could be greatly improved, which would increase the numbers, again enabling improvements.
Once again, a big cheer for the great volunteers and well organised event.
This was my first time running in Camarillo, and I ran the full marathon. I knew it was flat, and had heard that it could be windy. Now I’m inclined to believe it may always be windy there. As others have said, it was pretty windy. But let me start from the beginning. I arrived early, because I live almost 90 minutes away and didn’t want to make the drive out twice. I ran the Surfer’s Point Half put on by the same people two months ago, so I knew they’d be organized enough, which they were. I was a little sad to see that the reusable bags they were handing out were not for the Camarillo race. I saw people receiving ones that said “Surfer’s Point” on them (which I have one already!) the one that I got is for some 5K (sorry, can’t remember which). I didn’t take a look at the shirt that they gave me, which I now know is the MENS size and not the womens (or maybe they didn’t have them!?) So that’s a bit disappointing, because it is waaayyy too big for me. Because there are so few runners, the porta potty lines weren’t long, and the race started on time. I knew that the course was flat and around farmland. It was fine; I personally don’t mind. But I did notice that around mile 3-4 or so, I was surprised that we were running on open roads. It wasn’t until we returned on that same path for mile 10 or so that it was coned off…Maybe they didn’t cone off the road until after the marathon started?! I ran on the shoulder, so it was fine with me, but I did notice someone up ahead running in the middle of the road, where a truck had to go around her…Hardly any spectators on the course until you get back around the starting area, but it’s to be expected for a small race. There was plenty of water, and the volunteers were all pretty friendly. Maybe it’s because I finished the marathon just over 4.5 hrs, but there wasn’t anything but cups of water and some oranges. Didn’t see anything else like muscle milk (which I read on another review?) Again, pretty low key, so I stayed and stretched and then headed on home. Would I run it again?! Maybe. If I got a good deal on the registration, I think I would. The wind is tough though..
First time doing the half marathon here in Camarillo. I was surprised how organized it was for a small race. I say there were about 150 for the marathon, about 350 for the half marathon and about 150 for the 5K. The parking was free in a dirt lot nearby. You can pickup your packet the day before or on race day morning. I picked up my packet on race morning and it was a breeze. With this being a smaller race, the porta potty lines were not that long. Plus it helped that the races for marathon, half marathon and 5K started about 15 minutes apart for each race distance. The only issue I had was that I didn’t receive all the race swag like the water bottle or race bag. The race shirts were tech shirts plus they had men’s and women’s specific shirts.
The race course was just so so for me (and sometimes a little boring). The course was really flat. At most you had to climb about 50 feet for a river/channel crossing. The course goes around farmland on the road. The volunteers and the CHP doing traffic duty were very friendly. The water stops and porta potty were about a couple miles apart. There were about 3 places on the course where you can see other participants on the road. The only part I didn’t like was that around mile 10 you’re back near the start/finish line and then you have to go past this point to do an out and back section next to the Camarillo airport. What made it brutal for 2014 were the 25 mph headwinds. It made for a much tougher race.
If you sign up for this real early, you can get a great deal. Overall this is not a bad race like what I saw on-line for previous years races. The only variable here is the weather. You can get great race times provided it is not windy.
I ran the half a couple years ago and I too, wanted to really love this race because I like supporting and being a part of small races. It is definitely a very flat course and I suppose it could be really fast, but 2014 was so windy that there was no way it was that fast.
It’s a bare bones, no frills race so if you’re looking for an affordable, low stress event without all the hype, this might be it. Parking is free, you get a tech tee and reusable goody bag, it started right on time, all positives. The volunteers and policemen were super friendly.
The course is definitely a drawback: it is unscenic and slightly boring at best. But like I said, very flat. I think this would be a great for someone looking to get in a long training run or a trial marathon/half for a goal race.
This was my first time doing a half marathon and was so happy that Camarillo Marathon/Half marathon is the first. I got to the event very early, 5:30 having to make time in case of traffic, etc. Although packet pick up stated 5:45, they didn’t start checking in people until 6 am. No problem. Regardless, the lines to check in were next to nothing. I only had one person in front of me. It gave me enough time to relax, use the rest room and properly warm up. I switched from the full to the half that day and there were no hassle at all! This is a much smaller, more intimate running event. There weren’t tens of thousands of people so getting into the corral was fast as I just needed to jump in from the side after coming from the restroom with only 90 seconds to spare! The course scene was awesome farm land in every direction, mountains not far off in the distance, and I saw a bunch of animals! The course can be fast as it is flat. The only challenging aspect of the race itself was the headwinds which felt like it came in from every direction. I was expecting a small ‘coastal breeze’ from the side, but majority of the course felt like I had to ‘dig deeper’. I checked and winds 28 mph with gusts to 35 mph! There were plenty of water / Gatorade stations with volunteers at each one handing out to runners. Porto-Potties could be found throughout the course and there were sheriffs at each crossroad controlling traffic to give right away to runners. Post race was great, lots of bananas, oranges, water, cans of coconut water, and muscle milk. Overall, it was an amazing experience and I had great first time running a half marathon. Volunteers, sheriffs and coordination of the event did a superb job! What a great way to start out the year! I can’t wait to register for this event again. I will certainly be coming back!
I have to admit, I really liked this race. I was originally signed up for the full but decided a few days before the race that due to getting over a cold and some lingering hamstring issues, I wasn’t up to doing a full marathon. I emailed the race director and asked to be switched to the half and he took care of it without a hitch, which I really appreciated. The pre-race packet pickup was limited to a 4-hour window the day before which made things kind of tight but I made some scheduel adjustments and got there in time. I would’ve just taken care of it the next day but the website made it sound like there might be a pre-race crush if you waited until the morning of so since I wasn’t familiar with the race at all, I figured I’d better not take a chance and got out there the day before.
When I got to the race the next morning, I was really surprised at how small and intimate it was. Only about 150 people doing the full marathon and about 300 doing the half, with the full marathon starting 30 minutes before the half. I could’ve easily picked up my packet before the race and saved myself an 80-mile round trip. Having said that, it’s very nice to be able to park your car practically right at the starting line. It was a cold morning but since the starting line was right there, I didn’t have to ditch my “throwaway” jacket before the race. Just popped it in my car and 2 minutes later I was off.
The course was flat and I was really pleasantly surprised at how much volunteer and water support was available. Due to the small size of the race there was no jam at the beginning where you have to weave your way in and out of people. You just settled into your run right away. It was a nice contemplative quiet race for me, which I really enjoyed. The only nitpick I have is that since it’s a loop course, with the full marathoners doing the loop twice, and since I’m not the fastest runner, there was one area of the course where I was running on the same side of the road with the full marathoners coming in the opposite direction. I had to swing wide out into the road a few times but fortunately, at that time of the morning, there was very little vehicle traffic.
The post-race had an ample supply of water and fruit, along with massage tables (I availed myself of the fruit but not the massage). Being a small race, there weren’t a lot of post-race festivities but I was pleased with what was there. And then it was a short walk back to the car where I stretched a little and got to cheer on other runners as they made their way to the finish line. Then I was on the road and gone. All in all, it was a very pleasant morning.
I really want to love this race. This is my second year doing the Camarillo Half Marathon. Both years I travelled with my track team, Gritty City Track Club (www.grittycitytrackclub.com) and we expected a fast, flat course.
Well we got the flat course. This year, it wasn’t as fast due to gusting winds. And the organization was immensely better than last year’s “debacle” (lack of volunteers, not enough portable toilets, etc).
But while better than the F of last year, I can’t give this course anything better than a C for now. Still have to downgrade the race for not delivering on things promised (change of course, food trucks at finish line) and having to reschedule the race which threw off many runners training schedules.
Don’t plan to do this race again unless I hear that it has truly turned a corner. Hoping it does, but not holding my breath.
