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Submitted by ashleyspotts
May 23, 2015
Review
Awesome race!
Best support I have ever seen! Aid stations had water, electrolytes, salt, vaseline, & first aid; so many portas! I felt so spoiled!
It was also supported with 3 high school marching bands which nearly made me tear up with sentiment & was so energizing. I’d choose band over a dj anyday. It made it feel like a true community event. Lots of folks came out of their houses with signs, cheering, & even snacks! A woman was handing out donuts on one corner, & a man with his very small son with popsicles! How great is that?! It was well organized with pacers. Well organized on the course. It was mostly beautiful, but unavoidably we went through some stinky sketchy areas. The hill at mile 8(?) was INSANE, but an awesome challenge for dedicated runners.
The metal is lovely!
I highly recommend! It would be great to travel to as it’s a wonderful San Diego experience but a must for locals who love the area.
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Submitted by pbrosnan
July 8, 2014
Review
This review is for the 2014 race — just wanted to say that I came thru at a 10-11 minute pace and I had plenty of water and electrolytes at all water stops. No water problems at all — so it was a glitch that was quickly fixed apparently. (Already signed up for 2015!)
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Submitted by SD Tri Guy
March 10, 2014
Review
I have run dozens of half marathons, and this was my third time running the San Diego Half. Overall, I think it’s the best of the 7-8 half marathons that are put on each year in San Diego. The Expo has about two dozen vendors which is about what you’d expect from a race this size. It was easy to get in and out without dealing with parking hassles or long lines. The pre-race area is just outside Petco Park in Downtown San Diego, so there’s plenty of options for a pre-race bite to eat with coffee, juice, or whatever floats your boat before a race. They have plenty of porto potties at the start and there was virtually no lines, which is a nice change from year one of this race. The course itself takes you through downtown, along the harbor, through Liberty Station Park, up Washington St Hill into Hillcrest, and along side Balboa Park, with a fast downhill finish back into downtown. There were also plenty of porto potties on the course as well. I ran a 8:45 pace for this race and did not encounter any issues with aid stations running out of water, but I did hear about that from other friends that ran. If that’s the case, it’s definitely something that needs to be addressed by the race directors. It was unusually warm for March, but they had enough warning ahead of time as all the forecasts were predicting temps in the low 80’s. The only other issue I had with the course was that there did not seem to be a mile marker at mile 1 or 2? I run with a GPS, but I also like to compare my pace to the mile markers on the course, so the lack of mile markers at the beginning was disappointing. At most finish line’s the race hands out food and drinks in grocery plastic bags or no bag at all, but here they were given out in reusable fiber bags which was a big plus in my book. This race has the best bang for the buck when it comes to shwag (and especially if you’re a Legacy Runner). The race medal was much larger than the previous two years and actually rivals the size for the Beach Cities Challenge medal. The gear check pickup was well staffed and organized which is also a big plus. So many races seem to screw up the bag check pickup that I’ve seen long lines, chaos reign, and close to riots at other races (2011 LA Marathon, 2013 OC Half and seemingly every year at Carlsbad Half & Full). The San Diego Half made it painless and easy to get your gear bag afterwards. Overall, the many pluses outweigh the minuses and it’s still my favorite half marathon in San Diego, but they definitely need to address the water station issues and make those mile markers more visible. Thank you
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Submitted by Sandy K
March 10, 2014
Review
This was my second time to run this race. The first time was the inaugural year. Overall, they have a great course. You start downtown, work your way to the harbor. From there you run along the water for a bit, and then inland. At mile 9 you are greeted by a HUGE hill. But once you are at the top, it is downhill from there. A nice run thru Hillcrest. Then you transition over to the outskirts of Balboa Park and then back to downtown. I love the fact that you can stay downtown and have easy access to start/finish line. And if you want to stay outside of downtown, parking is relatively easy.
Now for the areas of opportunity that the RD needs to address. Race day for 2014 was a warm one. The race started at 7:20am. The downside is after about 7 waves, they held up the race for 9 minutes. Then let a wave go, and then held up for another 9 minutes. While we all understand the trolleys need to run, it’s a bit discouraging to stand around for so long. Why not start the race at 6:45 and hopefully avoid this trolley hold up.
The volunteers and medical support folks were great. Water stops 4, 6, 8 and 9 ran out of water. Unexcuseable. Especially given the heat. The first time we saw any kind of gatorade drink was at mile 11. One of the medical support folks ran in to a market at mile 9 and bought gallons of cold water for the runners. He even ran up the hill at mile 9 trying to make sure everyone was okay. and carried a gallon of water to share. Amazing. I only hope the RD reimburses him.
At the finish line, they passed out warm bottles of water and the chocolate milk was sitting on a table in the sun. How difficult would it have been to have bins of ice to store the water and milk in? To get to any post-race food, they had runners walking up two flights of stairs to pick up a prepacked bag of light snacks. Many runners were not even aware of this, since there were no signs or volunteers directing folks.
As for the bling, it is very very nice. They change up the medal every year, and really put that San Diego feel to it. The ribbon is also very nice. Good job on the bling! In fact, the bling was so nice, I witnessed a MarathonFoto person help themselves to a medal. Geez.
Overall, would I do this race again? Yes, because the course is very nice. And I truly enjoy weekends in San Diego. I would definitely recommend you carry your own water and gatorade and not to count on the race to provide it.
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Submitted by jgreenmaki
August 26, 2013
Review
I cannot tell enough people about this race! I genuinely love everything about it. Packet pick up is a breeze at the coolest expo and parking at the expo and at the event is no problem.
It’s a great course. My favorite way to describe it is that it is a very nice varied tour of San Diego. You get to run through so many different areas and experience the flair each neighborhood has to offer. The start is convienient and easy to get to and the finish is easy to leave after the post race party. Even with the change from Petco to Gaslamp it was seamless.
Finishing DOWN 6th street is fantastic. I’ve been in too many races now where you end up running up 6th street at the end and that is TORTURE. The Washington st hill is an amazing but reasonable challenge to keep things interesting, while the rest of the course is nice and flat. Its a great course for beginners and elites alike. (It was my first half!)
The in race pit stops are amazing. Each water station and portopotty has a sign saying how far til the next one. I feel like that REALLY helps with en route congestion, plus its just nice to know!
The course is well marked and very active. People are able to cheer from pretty much everywhere. There is no back and forth and it is NOT boring. Best of all is the epic finish downtown. Medals from military? AWESOME! The party is for everyone! The first year there were tickets for sale and the second year it was free for all and that made it extra sweet.
I will continue to run this race every year as long as I’m running. It has very easily become “my” race. Very impressive for a brand new event. Well Done San Diego Half. Well done!
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Submitted by irun131
August 23, 2013
Review
This review is for the San Diego Half Marathon that I ran on March 10, 2013. I randomly registered for this because it was only $79, and I was very surprised at how excellent this race turned out to be!!!!!
PRE-RACE: fast with answering to emails & was very helpful. I’m not from the area, so I was emailing them about packet pickups, hotels, etc. Like other events, a friend can pick up your bib with copy of an ID and sign a waiver. You can also have your bib mailed to you for an additional cost (there is a deadline for this option).
EXPO: was held at Port Pavilion on Broadway Pier. BEAUTIFUL atmosphere and great to bring your family with you for the weekend. You can park at the meters in the back, or buy an all-day permit if you will be visiting the USS Midway Museum (free entry on race weekend with bib). The expo was not the largest I’ve seen, but very organized. There were plenty of vendors and I was thrilled to see Mr. Galloway there! I don’t remember exactly all the goodies in the race packet, but there was plenty including Zico drinks and shirt is definitely one of my favorite race shirts.
RACE: started at Petco Park from Omni bridge, and ended at Gaslamp. Difficulty level: I would give this a 6.5 because of a killer hill at around mile 9-10, but that’s pretty much the hardest part of the race. It was absolutely gorgeous and the weather was perfect (of course, it’s SD). There were plenty of hydration and AID stations. As you finish, there is a huge screen at the top showing you crossing the finish line with your name announced.
POST-RACE: The celebration area was an entire block of fun fun and fun! It was an absolute honor to have men and women of the Navy giving us our medals. There were photographers taking pictures of you underneath the Gaslamp sign. Post race hydration was from Zico (i love zico). Walking upstairs there were tables of fruit cups, fruit snacks, bananas, bagels, and tons of other post-race goodies. Post race was fun and I enjoyed it very much, especially with a race this great and well organized. The only thing was that I got lost walking back to my car which was parked at Petco Park. Next year I will probably park at Gaslamp and take the shuttle to Petco.
OVERALL: A++ Definitely one of the best half marathons I have ran. Everything was perfect from start to finish. I love this race and can’t wait to do it again this year. I highly recommend this one.
(I’m not sure why it’s always held on Daylight Saving day, but they did send out notifications on race day so you could wake up on time! 🙂 )
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Submitted by rkmjtk
August 23, 2013
Review
This was a great race! It had a nice epic hill that was a bit challenging, I saw many try to conquer it but eventually had to walk the last part….It was steep! The only thing I did not like about it was that traffic was stopped for a trolley to cross. While it wasn’t that long of a stop, it was long enough to stop me from getting a PR. Will I go back? No doubt about it! It is an overall A in my books!
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Submitted by pbrosnan
April 9, 2013
Review
Love the course — ending downhill on 6th into the Gaslamp with the finish on a jumbo-tron was A+ treatment for the participants . I travel to races and really appreciate all the web and email info; excellent compared to some other big name races. Legacy stars on the shirts also makes the ordinary special. My second finish time was not as good as my first year’s (skimped on the training) but I will be back next year for the third star. Finally the fact that local charities benefit makes this a perfect race for me.
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Submitted by David D Duffield
April 3, 2013
Review
While I’m still a relative newbie to Half Marathons (6 under my belt, but still not a Half-Fanatic), I would have to say the San Diego Half Marathon is hands down the best organized and most fun Half Marathon, and for that matter, race in general, that I’ve done.
Starting from the time you register, you’re getting emails and information from the administrators. As, for the second year in a row, we were running the day after the Spring Ahead time change, we were reminded through email, text, and in our packets about the time change. If anyone forgot about it and didn’t show up in time, it was absolutely no fault of the SDHM team!
Packet pick up was amazingly easy and the expo was great again. Having it at the Broadway pier, and only a short distance from where we would be running the next day, was perfect! Well-staffed with volunteers leading the way, a short jaunt to the back to get our packets. Initially going to the wrong pickup spot (regular vice Legacy), I was immediately redirected to the Legacy table to get my legacy bib and shirt. Very nice touch!!
Race day was again perfect. Love the start under the Omni bridge! There were plenty of port a potties with small lines compared to some races I’ve done. An easy start, an excellent course (easily made it up Washington without walking…heck yeah!) and an impressive finish. I was wondering as I seemed to be crossing a lot of timing mats before I had even gotten to the finish line. Then, a few hundred feet from the finish line, I heard it, “And here comes David Duffield”. I head that, perked up and finished strong, watching my running buddy and me on the jumbotron above the finish line. Petco Park?? Who needs it when you have a finish where you see yourself, hear your name called, and end up in the Gaslamp!!
The after race was just as perfect as the rest of the race. Some complained about having to go up steps, and I can see where that would be difficult. It didn’t bother me a bit, however, and I loved the organization of the food. Water, milk, bagels, fruit, chocolate and on down to watch the rest of my friends cross the finish line.
As long as my legs will carry me, I will be a San Diego Half Marathon runner. I only hope some of the bigger races hear the positive reviews for the SDHM and learn from them! This will always be my favorite Half Marathons and one of my favorite races in general!!
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Submitted by Amanda Daley
April 3, 2013
Review
I did the 5k this year and it was just as amazing as the half I did last year. Great volunteers, amazing course and a great expo.
5k is FAST. The first mile is a very slight incline (not really noticeable) then comes the descend. You get to fly the last 2 miles into the best finish in downtown san diego. I got an AG award sent to my house and they are SWEET that was on top of the high quality medals each finisher gets.
This will be an annual race for me as long as I can continue to run.
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Submitted by pasadena13
March 16, 2013
Review
This was my thirteenth half marathon and my first time running the SD Half Marathon. I’ll DEFINITELY be back again next year due to the following:
-Expo: The expo was held in a beautiful building right on the water and just north of the USS Midway. Admission to the USS Midway was free for participants with your bib for the weekend. Packet pick up was very fast. The tshirt and gear backpack were very nice. The volunteers and vendors were very friendly and helpful. I went to the expo on Saturday morning and it was already packed in the vendor area.
-Pre-Race: Surprisingly, I never saw traffic/parking areas backed up. I parked in the “Park it on Market” parking structure on Market/5th, which charges $1/hr. I only had to walk several blocks to the start line. The gear check was also a breeze and very much appreciated! There were plenty of portapotties. There was even water provided for the runners near the start corrals. There were 15 corrals and they were spaced out so it wasn’t too crowded. Everything was very organized. People were tired (it was Daylight Savings that morning) but the announcer was great and got people motivated. The race started on time and the start line music was great.
-Course: The course views were beautiful. It was mostly flat, with one challenging hill around Mile 9. There were bands, many spectators with signs, and cheerleaders cheering you on. The course had a lot of turns, so you never ran in a straight path for too long. The weather was great, sunny but never too hot. The mile markers were very easy to see and the water/electrolyte tables even had signs on them telling you how far you had ran and how far you need to go before the next one!!!! I’ve ran numerous races and I’ve never seen that before. Wonderful!!!
-Finish Line: The race ended in the Gaslamp District. There were many spectators at the finish and you recieved your medal from military personnel, which was great! There was a “block party” with lots of post race eats (yes, you did have to walk up and down the stairs to get there, which was a challenge after running 13.1 miles), a farmers market, and an area for kids. Gear retrieval was very fast and very organized.
I had such a great experience and I can’t wait for next year!
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Submitted by wcorlyf
March 11, 2013
Review
Legacy by accident but will continue running this race, marking it as my anniversary of my first half marathon and discovering that this was the first SD Half Marathon. Loving how they keep changing the medals each year with a different highlight of San Diego. Petco Park and the Gaslamp. Excited to see what next years will be.
Loved the improvements they had this year:
More Waves, added the 5K, High School Bands to get us pumped as we ran, awesome volunteers, salt, moist COLD towels, more water stations, beautiful medals and loved the guys that gave them to us, THANK YOU MILITARY, loved the finish line with the big jumbotron showing you as you crossed the finish line, love ZICO coconut water. Check in and pick up was fast and simple, extra portapotties at the beginning and through out the course, race packet pick up was fast and easy. Access to the USS Midway for free. First Aid Stations and Ambulances throughout the race course. Love that they have shirts for women and also Legacy shirts and bibs.
Improvements: no stairs at the end of the race. Last year I would not have been able to walk up them. Slops would have been better. I thought there could have been more vendors at the expo, but it was well organized. I parked at the meters after 6 pm so didn’t have to pay to park.
Got email about photos and I have at least 36 photos of me and my friends as we ran the race together having fun along the way.
Hoping they will send out emails when the registration opens up so I can score on the low pricing again.
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Submitted by LVilleza
March 11, 2013
Review
Pre Race – small and intimate expo compared to others I’ve been to, but even though it was small it was very well organized. It was on the Broadway pier and there were signs leading the directions to go (step 1 – waiver, step 2 – bib number pick up, etc… ). Other than the expo on the site they had a pdf file with all final directions from parking, spring forward time, costs, weather, directions, everything you can think of.. everything!!
Goodie bag and tech t shirt had the essentials!
Course – this was my very first half marathon and this race motivated me to do more! It was very well organized. lots of spectators for motivation, beautiful scenery, flat course with the exception of mile 9 there’s a pretty steep hill (manageable though so not a horrific hill). After the hill from mile 10-end all down hill so ended well. Plenty of water stations, first aid, and if anyone along the course got hurt there was plenty of people/first aid people on bikes, jogging around.
THANK YOU VOLUNTEERS!! ALL DID AN AWESOME JOB and THANK YOU TO THE YOUTH GROUPS FOR VOLUNTEERING!!
Post race – after we got our medal and zico we were led to some stairs to go up to exit (my first thought.. are you kidding me? I could barely walk right now!!) It was the stairway to heaven… as soon as we got up the stairs there was fruits, bagels, chocolate, massages, and we were able to get our resuts right away)
This was only the second year, but wow!! Such organization. I lost count on how many messages I got reminding us about the spring forward!
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Submitted by KT122
March 11, 2013
Review
B for Pre-Race: Volunteers were on hand to help with registration. Signs were posted w/ arrows, guiding you inside and toward packet pick-up. Walking through the expo, outside the building, to the back of the pier for pick-up was interesting. I didn’t visit any of the vendors, but everyone seemed happy & excited to share running related info.
A for Course: I was so excited, I forgot to start my GPS soon after we started! My training runs are similar to the course map. I told myself, it’s another fun run, enjoy! …and that’s what I did. I had a blast running through the city. Didn’t plan to run w/ a pacer, but he was solid, keeping us on track. Just before Noell (and mile 9), I was ready for hills. As I ran up Washington, I kept repeating to myself, “This is why you run Laurel, Torrey Pines & Washington…you got this!” It felt great going up. 6th Ave was the perfect homestretch onto the finish line.
Medical/Aid stations were full of volunteers giving motivation & encouraging us to keep going. I especially liked the aid station markers; showing how much further until our next one. Good job w/ supplying a variety of Clif Shot Gels just before Washington. They were a big help!
A for Post Race: This was my first post race walking a flight of steps to recovery stations. …and I liked it! Super organized w/ fruit, bagels and most of all, friendly volunteers. Great gear check process, too.
A for Overall: Despite the packet pick-up, it was nice to see the vendors giving you the best expo experience possible. The course couldn’t of been better; Washington & 6th Ave were the best! I’d definitely run San Diego Half Marathon again.
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Submitted by Juri Peterson
March 11, 2013
Review
Can you be so distracted by having fun during a race that your forget to PR? Well, it happened to me. I ran the SD Half last year (2012) and before I even crossed the finish line I knew I’d run it this year (2013). I love San Diego and I love how this race showcases the city. The course is mostly flat (small rolling hills throughout until you get to the dreaded Washington Street Hill) and beautiful. The course points you in the direction of some of the most beautiful sights in San Diego. The course aid is amazing. I love that the aid station signs tell you what distance you’re at and how much farther to the next aid station. It helps to know that if I choose NOT to stop for a port-a-potty NOW, that I only have 3.2 miles to the next one. There were pace groups, water and electrolyte stations, first aid stations with vaseline and salt and cool towels, and there were bands. The Finish line was amazing, with a HUGE TV showing the finishers cross the finish line, and for the FIRST TIME EVER my name was announced as I crossed. Nine half marathons and I finally hear my name in triumph. There were Servicemen in uniform handing out the medals, which is such a nice way of showcasing how important the military is to this area. There was pleanty of water and coconut water (my favorite) at the finish Line. The post-race refreshments were great (bagels, cream cheese, fruit cups, bananas, CHUAO CHOCOLATE). There was a massage station and the official results were posting as we finished. We did have to climb up and down stairs to get to the refreshments and post-race which was defeating. I just ran 13.1 miles and you want me to go up a flight of stairs??
The only thing I wish there were more of are spectators. I’ve run pleanty of halfs now and funny spectator signs are something I really love.
The Pre-race expo was great. It was in a beautiful building, which made for some fun pictures. And the bib pickup was smooth. I was over the top excited to get my LEGACY bib and shirt. The expo itself had everything you’d want at a race expo. Fuel samples, Physical Therapists, Running coaches signing books, vendors selling last minute wares, and other races promoting their upcoming events. I personally picked up some new snuggbuds earbuds and I LOVE them. AND I MET JEFF GALLOWAY! His running technique of run/walk/run was what convinced me I could do my very first half marathon.
I love the SD Half. It’s so very organized and so obviously created by someone who loves running races. It’s everything I would do to organize a race. Can’t wait for my third star next year!!!
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Submitted by Special Q
March 11, 2013
Review
I just finished up the 2013 race, and had a great time! The whole event was very well organized and planned out. The course is very nice, though I’m not a personal fan of the 9th mile hill, it does add a nice challenge.
The expo was a bit on the small side, but had a good selection of vendors. It wasn’t immediately obvious to me that packet pick-up was in the back of the expo, but figured it out pretty quick.
Post race was excellent, great selection of foods, you had to walk up some stairs to get to it… but I was ok with it, since I like to keep moving for a while after the race. They also have a very nice station to look up your race results up there as well.
All in all, it was a great race, I like the downhill to the finish and great organization. Can’t beat the locale!
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Submitted by JWright
March 10, 2013
Review
The San Diego Half is an awesome race. It is organized very well. The course is marked out wonderfully with distances from one aid station to the next. There is plenty of parking and a ton of bathrooms. The first 8 miles are flat and fast. Caution! Miles 8-10 are no joke. Do hill training. The remaining miles are down hill to the finish. A great experience from packet pick up to the finishing medal.
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Submitted by swimbikerun15
April 24, 2012
Review
This was such a wonderful surprise for a race! Knowing it was “inaugural” I was ready for lots of kinks to be found that needed to be worked out….Boy, was I wrong! The race organization was fantastic, there was plenty of parking (even if you did have to pay), volunteers seemed to all pretty much know exactly what was going on to answer your questions or bring you right to the person who could, and the course was awesome! One small detail that I loved was the signs at each aid station telling you how far it was to the next one so you didn’t have to have the course memorized in your head! Small details that make life so much easier for those running!
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Submitted by keymaster
April 9, 2012
Review
You wouldn’t know this was there first year! The race and expo were great! The expo was very organized and ran smoothly. The course was a tough one with a large hill right at mile 9 and a really long down hill from miles12 to the finish. The course did crowd up and slow down a little near the air port because traffic was still flowing pretty heavy in the next lane. this caused runners to miss the water stations because they couldn’t over fast enough. Other than that the race went great, i’ll be back next year!
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Submitted by jarredondo1400
April 4, 2012
Review
For an inagural race this was very well organized, packet and pre-race expo was a well organized event, the parking was very flexible the different areas were available as well as the surroundings were well adapted. The course it self was fairly flat with some minor hills at mile 10 and 11. First aid was readily available and the swag was nice received a nice tech-shirt and small carry on backpack. The only thing I did not like was the fact that my family couldn’t join me because they only had one additional ticket to enter at the post race party. But other than that this was great and I am looking forward to doing this again.
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Submitted by Juri Peterson
April 4, 2012
Review
I’ve run 4 half marathons in the last year and this is my favorite BY FAR. For it being a INAUGURAL RACE they got it ALL RIGHT. The Expo was very well-put together and packet pick up was quick and easy. Having it IN PetCo Park was impressive and inspiring since you could SEE your finish line.
The PRE-RACE was great. FIRST RACE I”VE BEEN TO WITH WOMEN ONLY PORTAJOHNS! I was beyond excited to see that. The wave start was well-timed.
The Course was flat and fun and beautiful. They were fortunate to have gorgeous san diego weather. They had AMPLE portajohns on the course and the race volunteers and safety personell were phenomenal. The finish line was SO epic, and getting my medal placed on my neck by an attractive Naval Officer definitely added! Post-race fuel was well done and the Family fest was VERY well done.
I’ll be running this race again! I can’t hope for it to get any better!
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Submitted by Jim Wenzell
March 28, 2012
Review
A great event! The course was mostly flat, though the climb up Washington had me in pain! It was well organized for the most part. The only negative was trying to check my gear before the race. I was told it would be by my wave (1), but I had to walk around for a while before I found it; the volunteers didn’t know where it was, either, and I saw others asking as well. Other than that, this was such a fun race. Running down 6th and seeing the stadium in the distance was very cool and running through the tunnel and into the stadium was an amazing experience! They even piped in crowd noise so it sounded like we were running into a full stadium. I hope to run this every year. HIghly recommended!
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Submitted by Dani Werner
March 24, 2012
Review
This was my 8th half marathon, and my first in over two years due to a series of injuries. The experience could not have been better. The race was well organized, the wave start flowed perfectly, the course was well marked, and the weather was perfect!
The hill on Washington kicked my butt, but the rest of the race downhill all the way to Petco Park more than made up for it. The crowd support was light, but I believe that was because this is a new race. Again, the finish more than made up for it, as we ran into Petco with friends and family cheering from the seats. Getting my medal from a Marine was certainly moving.
My only disappointment was that it wasn’t readily obvious where to buy food and I needed protein badly, so we left the park in search of a burger and missed out on the events (not to mention a beer, which is always a highlight of the post-race for me). I definitely recommend this race — particularly for first-time half marathoners. It was terrific!
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Submitted by Dani Werner
March 24, 2012
Review
This was my 8th half marathon, and my first in over two years due to a series of injuries. The experience could not have been better. The race was well organized, the wave start flowed perfectly, the course was well marked, and the weather was perfect!
The hill on Washington kicked my butt, but the rest of the race downhill all the way to Petco Park more than made up for it. The crowd support was light, but I believe that was because this is a new race. Again, the finish more than made up for it, as we ran into Petco with friends and family cheering from the seats. Getting my medal from a Marine was certainly moving.
My only disappointment was that it wasn’t readily obvious where to buy food and I needed protein badly, so we left the park in search of a burger and missed out on the events (not to mention a beer, which is always a highlight of the post-race for me). I definitely recommend this race — particularly for first-time half marathoners. It was terrific!
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Submitted by Haute Running Mama
March 20, 2012
Review
The Inaugural San Diego Half Marathon was held on Sunday March 11, 2012. The early bird entry fee was $55. Late entry was $100. It was advertised as a fast course with an “Epic” finish inside of Petco Park. The race date for 2013 has not yet been announced. There was free street parking with easy access to the start.
The Course:
The start was organized by waves which made things very easy. The first 8 miles of this course were fast and flat through downtown SD, Harbor Drive and Point Loma. There was a short, steep uphill at mile 8 and then a long climb that started around at 8.5. The uphill continued into Hillcrest through mile 10 and then the awesome downhill started from 10.5 to the finish. The last 2.6 miles were AWESOMELY FAST. Like I wish every race had this type of finish. I really liked this course and had no problems with crowding.
Support:
There were several aid stations on the course with marked signs advising runners of the distance between each station (really cool!). If I remember right they were about every 2 miles or so. Each station had water and an electrolyte drink and there was a GU station right before the big hill. The volunteers were so kind and supportive and kept the area litter free. This was the first the race in a long time that I wasn’t doing hurdles or getting lost in a wasteland of cups.
Post Race Activities:
All of the vendor booths from the expo were there giving away stuff. In addition there was an “Inflataworld” set up in the outfield for kids. There were jumpies, bounce houses, obstacle courses, etc. There were several speakers (Meb! and pastor Miles McPherson from the Rock Church) and Lifehouse was the headliner.
Food and drink were for sale and the atmosphere was a lot of fun!
Overall I thought this was a great race. It was organized, the volunteers were great and ending inside Petco Park was freaking RAD. I will definitely be back to run this next year.
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Submitted by ireneruns
March 14, 2012
Review
Half Marathon #18 for me, and this race had to be the best organized race I’ve ever participated in. I was fortunate enough to sign up early, and race fees were at a fraction of what they were for later entrants. I kind of wished they had Friday/Saturday expo since I had to work on Saturday, but I was pleasantly surprised how easy it was to retrieve our race numbers, t shirts and swag. Every detail was well thought out, from e-mails to post race festivities. We had someone drop us off at the race to avoid parking issues, but we could have easily parked with no problems. The course was great – and that includes the hill at Washington St (I like a challenge), hydration stops were well manned and well supplied, and It was pretty cool to finish inside Petco park, through third base and somewhere over home plate, and not in a parking lot (as with other races.) I was pleasantly surprised to receive my medal from a Marine, which is something I’ll never forget. Wow. I loved the design of the medal and how detailed and weighty it is. Post race just flowed, from the water, to the post race photos, finding friends, food, etc. By the way, those were some delicious oranges. It was nice to get a beer after the race and sit in the ball park in the stands (comfortably), cheer on some of the runners, hear Meb speak, and listen to the band. I was very happy that this race was NOT over crowed, and it made for an overall wonderful experience.
PS: I even like my race photos, which I rarely like. 🙂
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Submitted by Amanda Daley
March 13, 2012
Review
And just like that this race proves to be a TOP notch race that san diego now has to offer! You would have thought this race was going on for years. It was flawless… They were so on top of things big and small.
From the tiny ziplocs in your expo bag reminding you to set the clocks forward and extra pins and zipties for your bib. I have never seen volunteers seem to care like theirs did. The course was beautiful heading along the harbor and through liberty station. The washington street hill was long and steep and very challenging but then leads you into the final 3 miles straight downhill into the finish. I made up the time I lost on the hill and maybe a little more.
They had plenty of bathrooms/GU/waterstations and medical. Gear check was organized into your assigned wave and things moved swiftly. They even noticed me coming towards gear check and already had my bag waiting for me. The medals were beautiful and amazing quality as well as the Tech t’s and gear bags. I was impressed with absolutely everything. I will 100% be doing this one every year!
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Submitted by nelsonsaldua
March 11, 2012
Review
This is only my 2nd half so I only have the Carlsbad 1/2 to compare to. At any rate I cannot say enough about this event. Very fun and incredibly well-organized. Here’s my chronologic take on it:
1. Pre-race: website was very informative. I love how you could click on each mile marker to see a street-view screen shot of the course at that time. It also had elevation change data. The website gave you an option to plug in your minute/mile pace and it would tell you a time estimate that you would be at each mile marker.
2. Bib pickup: Very well organized. Only minor complaint is paying $10 for parking. At least there is a lot of convenient parking. Nice expo. Having it at Petco park is so much better than putting up a tent in some random parking lot. Nice shirt that I’ll actually wear. In the bag was a small plastic bag with 4 safety pins for the bib as well as a zip tie and tag if you wanted to use gear check.
3. Race day: Got a text message from the SDHM people to remember to set the clocks forward for daylight savings time. So nice. Got there early enough that I found street parking. Free on Sundays. Win. Having the race downtown means never having to wait for a porta-potty. Just walk into any of the surrounding hotel lobbies and use theirs. I think there were about 10 waves for the start so not very crowded at the beginning. Overall beautiful course with several enthusiastic volunteers. It got a little sketch for about a mile after MCRD and before the Washington hill, but a lot of the course is along San Diego Harbor. Last 3 miles after Washington hill was downhill which ended along the left field line in Petco park. Gave the San Diego Padres’ Friar a fist bump on my in. Post race was nice because there were nice photo opps including one where you could take a picture in front of a picture of the stadium and your name and run time was displayed too.
Overall this is a fantastic event. A little expensive but worth every penny. I plan on doing this every year. The event organizers certainly set the bar high for the 1st SDHM.
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