The only thing I didn’t like about this half marathon was that it was way out in Fontana. Otherwise, it was a great experience.
Registration is cheap, especially if you sign up early. Packet pick up is easy and available both the day before and on race morning. The “expo,” such as it is, is tiny; I don’t like expos so this wasn’t an issue for me. I was on one of the first school buses taking runners up to the start on race morning. The start is up at Lytle Creek Campground, which is gorgeous. I felt bad for all the campers who woke up to hundreds of runners pouring out of buses. The first half of the race was in the national forest and was very scenic. During that part of the race, volunteers were handing out whole bottles of water instead of cups. If it was to prevent cup litter in the national forest, it didn’t work very well, as people were taking a sip or two and discarding mostly-full bottles on the ground. At about the halfway point, the course becomes much less scenic and also flattens out considerably, although it is still a slight downhill. I found that I maintained my pace throughout the race and never had any discomfort related to the downhills (and I PR’d by 20 minutes). Spectators were few, but those who were there were enthusiastic and friendly. It had a fun neighborhood feel. There was some congestion among the runners on the narrow forest roads early on, but after a few miles people were spread out enough that there was lots of room.
Basically, this is the race to do if you want a half marathon PR.
