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Submitted by lbclove
March 16, 2014
Review
The thing that I love most about this half marathon is the same day bib pick up. Why can’t all races be this easy. Holiday Half is put on by Run Racing and they all do an amazing job with every event. Tons of people dress up for this event which just makes it so much fun. So many runners come out for it that it felt like a class reunion to me.
The course heads out on to Auto club raceway in Pomona which was neat to run on and then into Frank G. Bonelli Regional Park which is beautiful and scenic with lots of hills. I happen to love hills so this course is perfect for me. You go all the away around Puddingstone lake and then back to the raceway.
The finish line is full of energy. The had military personal handing out the Snowflake medals which was really neat. Lots of water and goodies to eat. Since they have same day bib pick up lots of Vendors are at the race for an expo. They also have several food trucks, a costume contest which my running club AREC won and a lot of beer. Its really a perfect day and great way to kick of the holidays.
My favorite things about this race- Kool and Fit on the course, the awesome Snowflake medal and the great holiday themed tech shirt.
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Submitted by ambrizt
December 16, 2013
Review
First time running this half marathon and I thought it was great! But I probably should have prepared myself much better for those hills in the park. I’m writing this review the day after the 12/15/13 race and my quads are feeling it. Still, this race was great and now I know to be in better shape for next year. Overall, I would give this race an A, but if I have to be a little nit-picky, then I would say that I wish there were more big-name vendors after the race (Clif or Powerbar, Gatorade or Powerade, Halo Headbands/Visors, Dick’s Sporting Goods, etc.) selling their products and/or giving samples. Also, if I may be a little-picky even further, then I would add that I think the Students Run LA group should start at the same time as the rest of the runners. By having them start a few minutes later, the fast kids (and some of their fast coaches, too) have to dodge lots of runners. I witnessed some of the kids accidentally bump the other runners as they tried to quickly squeeze through the runners who started ahead of them. Please don’t get me wrong. I’m not blaming anyone. I’m glad to see the Students Run LA group represented at this event, I hope to see them at this event again next year, and I wish them well, but I thought I would add my two cents.
Once again, this was a great race, I like the course and the snowflake medal, and I’ll be back next year.
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Submitted by Sandy K
December 16, 2013
Review
Ran this race on Sunday. I loved everything about it. And rather repeat everything Scott said in his review, I would second his thoughts and observations.
I, too, went the day before, just to make sure I knew where I was going, etc. If you feel the need to go the day before, sign up for the 5K, and enjoy the run.
My only negative was with the “LA school students that were running”. I am a slow runner, and was definitely overwhelmed by all the students as they weaved their way thru us ‘back of the packers’. While I am all for them running and participating, I wish their coaches would teach them a little runner etiquette. As a suggestion, the RD could start the runners at 7:30am and the students at 9am. That might help space things out better.
Overall, this is a race I would highly recommend.
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Submitted by arablover@aol.com
December 16, 2013
Review
This was a really nice race. I loved the same day packet pickup. The parking was wonderful., I experienced no traffic at all coming and going. The tech shirts were excellent. The course around the lake was really pretty. The medals are great. The beer garden and after party was perfect … you even had yellow bananas. Rarely do races have nice bananas! Only positive feedback I can give is to not start the kids race later. I love running with the kids but starting them later caused them to zig zag through the runners dangerously and I got hit a couple times and knocked so hard I almost went down once.
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Submitted by Scott Devine
December 15, 2013
Review
‘twas ten days before Christmas and all through the race, the runners flashed smiles… no matter their pace.
For those of us who want to get in a last race before Christmas & New Year’s Eve, the Holiday Half Marathon is a good option. The weekend includes a 5K run/walk and kids fun run on Saturday, culminating with a half marathon on Sunday morning. Centered at the Fairplex in Pomona, the half marathon included about 6300 runners, many showing their holiday spirit. Runners clad in red and green dominated the field, many wearing the free Santa hats and jingle bells given out with your bib. Others donned elf ears and some (myself included) sported a pair of reindeer antlers hoping to run like Rudolph. One other thing of note was the inclusion of the Students Run LA group, which was comprised of thousands of runners. The SRLA group started 30 minutes after the other runners, but some of those speed demons still caught the main pack.
REGISTRATION/PACKET PICK-UP- Registration cost is pretty standard for a half marathon; remember the earlier you register, the cheaper it is. I picked mine up at the highest price possible (see, I don’t even follow my own advice at times) and plunked down $90, still below R ‘n’ R prices. You have the option of picking up your packet the day before the race or on race day. I chose to go the day before, just because I personally don’t like surprises race day morning (or maybe it’s my race OCD kicking in). It was a quick process to grab my shirt/bib and Santa hat. They didn’t provide any bags to carry it in, nor was there any additional swag… so I advise you to bring a simple bag to carry your stuff. There wasn’t what you’d call an expo there, just a few running-related vendors and support for the day’s run. My advice would be if you are comfortable getting your stuff the day of your race, save yourself the time of trekking to the Fairplex twice.
TRANSPORTATION/PARKING- Driving is a must, as the Fairplex is a bit of a drive from LA proper. The upside of it being a fairground is there’s ample parking and it’s set up well for crowds (entering and exiting). Parking will run you $10, but the ticket is good for both days (should you decide to hit the “expo” the day before).
T-SHIRT/MEDALS- The T-shirt for the race was an appropriate “santa” red and featured a festive, yet minimal, snowman/Christmas tree/snowflake motif. And in keeping with the “wintery” spirit (or as wintery as you can get in SoCal), the finisher’s medal was shaped like a snowflake (an annual tradition for the race).
COURSE- The Holiday Half is a rather circuitous route with two distinct personalities. The first three miles take you on a tour around the Fairplex grounds, including running the straightaway of the NHRA dragstrip course (slightly slower than a dragster, of course; no parachutes necessary). It’s a mostly flat and fast beginning (although not very scenic). For those of you hoping the flatness sticks around, sorry to disappoint you. Starting after mile three, the runners head out to Frank Bonelli Regional Park for some scenic and not-so-flat running. The rolling hills do keep things interesting and will punish those runners who started too quickly. After 8 miles of getting back-to-hilly nature, the runners loop back at mile 11 and re-run segments of the Fairplex again, including one more trip down the dragstrip before finishing where we started.
COURSE SERVICES- Course services are pretty standard with volunteers handing out water and Gatorade throughout the course. Signs mark every mile (no digital clocks though) and there was one goof as the “mile 4” flag was placed almost a quarter mile off… oops. I didn’t see a lot of porta potties along the route (some bathrooms were present in the park), but to be honest, I wasn’t looking for them.
FINISH LINE SERVICES/POST PARTY- Again, standard fare for the finish. A nice touch was having servicemen hand out the snowflake medals (although mine had some trouble maneuvering my reindeer antlers and nailed me in the eye with the medal… no harm, no foul). If you hung around after the race you could hit a few food vendors or get your complimentary Michelob Ultra (which hit the spot). After that, it was a trek back to the parking lot and then off for some holiday shopping.
As a whole, the Holiday Half was a fun time without lots of whistle & bells (unless you count the bells people tied to their shoes). There are certainly races with more character, a prettier route or a bigger presence, but I enjoyed the experience (including the holiday cheer) and I plan to run it again in 2014.
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Submitted by AMSerna
August 28, 2013
Review
I’ve been doing this race since it began in 2009. It was also my very first half marathon race as well. It will be the one race I will continue to do should I ever to decide to scale back on doing half marathon. Plus, I’m part of their legacy program, since I’ve done their race more than 3 years now. Will be doing my 5th race this December
What I like about this race is that it is local for me, just about a 15-20 minute drive on race day. I love that we can pick up our bibs on race morning. You don’t have to make an extra trip out there just to pick up your bib. Their expo is fairly small, which is fine to me. You don’t have to get up at the crack of dawn to get there, since it usually starts around 7:30AM. Yes, you do have to pay for parking, but it’s easy to find parking and not to far to walk to the start line. Also, should you decide to do the 5K and half marathon on the back to back days, you only have to pay for parking once. You just need to save your receipt for the next day.
The course has always been beautiful and is somewhat hilly. Although, it has changed a little bit at the beginning and end of the race each year, the main part of the course has remained the same. The have sufficient water stops and do provide energy gel at least once throughout the course. Plenty of volunteers to pass out the water and cheer you on as well.
The race has grown in size over the years, but it’s still relatively a smaller race venue than most big races, such as Surf City or Rock’n’Roll races. A lot of the runners are part of the SRLA (Students Run LA) program, which is also cool, since a lot of them are running their first half marathon. They do have the students start a little later than the regular runners/walkers.
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Submitted by AllisonHoban
April 7, 2013
Review
Race Pros:
-Beautiful course, nice rolling hills and great views.
-Cute medal (it’s my favorite).
-Race day packet pick-up meant I didn’t have to drive to Pomona twice.
-Plenty of parking (though it cost $10, but still, it was easy and worth it in my book).
-Smaller race, so course wasn’t too congested
Race cons:
-Started 15 minutes late.
-It would be really hard to spectate (I’m glad my husband didn’t end up coming).
-No course photographers, just at the finish line.
-Students Run LA start 10 minutes after everyone else, so if you’re middle of the pack, like me, you’re getting passed the.whole.time.
Didn’t pick up my packet until the morning of the race, so I can’t really comment on the Expo, and booked it out of there as soon as I was finished, so I have no idea what post-race was like. (Racegrader needs a N/A grade).
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Submitted by Jimmy Nguyen
January 9, 2013
Review
Disclaimer: I did this race in December 2012. Parking and festival/expo could use more signage and better direction, I mean, you could just follow the masses of people, but considering this is taking place at the Pomona Fairplex, there are a lot of masses of people wandering about.
Course itself is alright, serene and scenic with some hills tossed in for good measure. The hills can’t really be avoided though, since the course traces the lake and through Raging Rivers in San Dimas. There were plenty of water stations, but not nearly enough gatorade/electrolyte stations. Bathrooms were abundant since the course takes you through the Frank Bonelli Park, which means there were plenty of Park-Restrooms in addition to the port-a-potties near the water stations.
It was pretty cold when I did it, and very foggy in the morning. Though the fog wore off by the time I finished and the sun did come out to play, it was still cool enough that we weren’t dying of heat (it was actually nice, if the direct sun wasn’t too great, you could just step into the shade for an automatic 10-20 degree cool down). Kool N Fit was the key sponsor for this race and they had a station set up at mile 7 for those that could use the boost.
I ran my PR at this race, and that’s quite an accomplishment considering the hills.
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Submitted by cfairing
February 28, 2012
Review
Took my boyfriend to race this as his first half marathon, and I felt bad that it was so hilly. If you like hills, then this is the course for you. Expo was pretty sparse. Best item is the snowflake medals – which is the real reason we and several friends did the race. Course did not feel especially scenic.
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Submitted by gavini
February 27, 2012
Review
i think the course is pretty, although quiet and a little hilly, some of my friends found it boring and some of those hills are a little nasty, one in particular around mile 9 or 10 is steep so i gave the course a B as a result. it is a beautiful park and you get some nice views at times, and i PR’d here during its inaugural running so it has a warm place in my heart as a result. the next year, however, it got hot and dry out and i died.
kind of a long walk from the parking area to the start finish but not that big a deal really
it is at the LA County fair grounds
i have done it 2 of the 3 years it has been around and one year they had free massage set up, a beer garden and good post race goodies, the second year they changed the set up a bit and it was still good just not great at the finish line.
medal is one of the cooler ones i have seen and the shirt has been good too, playing off the holiday theme
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