Packet Pick up: Holy schhnikes! This is HUGE! It blew the OC ½ Marathon’s packet pick up out of the water. I’ve never seen something so huge. Very organized. Zero complaints.
Race Day: Parking can be very tough. I recommend having someone drop you off. Or add an extra mile walk to that ½ marathon you’ll be doing.
Race: Almost the entire race has a view of the ocean. It doesn’t get any better than this. And it’s flat. The entire race is flat. Winner winner chicken dinner.
Post Race: Ran out of medals for not only the ½ marathon people, but also the runners who earned their legacy medal. I have to say the race organizer did a great job with following up though. Obviously he couldn’t undo their mistake, but he did right by constant communication, letting us know when the medals would be sent to us, and also offering us a nice discount on next year’s race. You can’t ask for more than that. Job well done Long Beach! Food was good. They had goody bags for everyone who finished, and even those tin foil blankets. Perfect.
Overall: Surf City ½ Marathon will likely be the last of my ½ marathon days, but I’ve heard it’s hilly. So I’ll go out on a limb and say, if I were to every do a ½ marathon again, Long Beach would be my choice. Some of the characters you meet on that race were worth every penny. Shout out to the lady running next to me with her prayer beads, a plastic bag full of stuff, shouting “si se puede!” Tears were running down my face I was laughing so hard.