This was my first small sized marathon and it was a blast. I had run LA and Long Beach before. I really liked the convenience and intimateness of running with less than 150 other marathoners vs over 20,000 in the other two races. I picked up my bib on race day and avoided having to devote Saturday to driving to Anaheim from LA. The start wasn’t crowded at all; I was one of the first at the start line even though the half marathoners and 5k runners all started at the same time as us. the water station support was awesome. the course was pretty flat; elevation change was less than 400 feet throughout the 26.2 miles. they even announced my name as I crossed the finish line. it’s clear that the race organizers re-invest the proceeds from the race into making the event as memorable as possible: the medal is the nicest I’ve ever received and the zip up long sleeve looks great. definitely a race I would recommend to my friends.
