My favorite race! I have done all 3 combos – full, first half, and second half. What a wonderful way to see the city of San Francisco, especially the Golden Gate Bridge. There’s nothing like running over the bridge shortly after sunrise (though it can get damp and cold so be warned not to throw away your top layer until you’ve done the bridge). If you do the first half, there’s Irish Coffee at the finish line (they used to have hot cocoa too, and I hope they bring that back in 2013). The hardest part mentally is the few miles winding through Golden Gate Park as you pass the Half Marathon finish line several times and you just can’t seem to get out of the park. Luckily it’s very pretty. There are lots of rolling hills throughout this course so it’s good to train with shorter hill repeats to get used to constantly adjusting from incline to decline.
Plus SFM has given me some of my FAVORITE shirts. I’m not a medal-maven but i like a good tech shirt. SFM never fails.
Can’t stop now, it’s a tradition.