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! 🙂 )