Disappointing race. I have no idea why this was called the avocado half marathon. I was expecting many booths with avocado post race stuff but no :( There were no avocados at the end. I did see some people with one avocado but they were all gone by the time half marathoners arrived. I think they should have passed them out with the medal. The course was all right. I didn't like that some parts of of the road were slanted, which affect the knees. The end of the race was too abrupt as it was preceded with a sharp turn. Won't do it again. read more

Avocado Half Marathon & 5K - April 2014 shirt and medal. - Races & Competitions Near Me - Fallbrook, California

Fallbrook's "First Annual" fell a bit short... I realize this was the first Half Marathon and 5K for Fallbrook's Avocado Festival; and, as such, inaugural events are usually then prone to glitches, misfirings, snags, and snafu's. I get that. I do. Neverthesless, out of all the runs I've registered for over the past three months, I was most looking forward to Fallbrook's. I mean, c'mon, avocados will make everything better, won't they? After all, Fallbrook is the unofficial "Avocado Capital of the World!" So running amidst groves upon groves of avocado trees; being included in their Annual Avocado Festival; and, upon finishing, expecting a blissfully fruitful avocado saturation (the run promoted "plenty" of avocados for everyone) was what I had in mind. However, we didn't run among farms of avocado trees (we 5Kers ran down one road and back up again,) we didn't arrive during the famed festival (it was the following day,) and there weren't "plenty" of avocados awaiting us (there were about four, small buckets full.) I noted, in fact, that the Half Marathoners didn't even receive avocados. I do feel bad, but there didn't seem to me to be any 5K runners with armfuls of them. We just picked up one or two. No one policed those efforts, and I'm sure that no one understood that so few avocados were being made available. The word "plenty," it's relative, I guess. I mean, there could just as easily have been four buckets of bananas, and we could have run the "Banana Half Marathon & 5K" instead, right? The "Avocado Capital" ran out, did they? Uh-huh. Having run the 5K, and because we were redirected to park at a church three miles away from the event--then to be shuttled in--I wish I had opted to purchase a parking pass for the Live Oak Park lot nestled directly next to packet pick-up and registration. I assume there was an email inviting runners to do just that, but I parked at the church anyway. The problem was that after running the 5K, we weren't shuttled back to our cars until over two hours later! No one--not any of the volunteers--seemed to have answers to this. But we--with many frustrated others--waited...and waited...and waited... (By the way, our bus--when it finally did arrive--broke down en route to the 5K church parking. Add another 20 minutes.) And the medals... Wrong date, on those that had a date; others were dateless. And the ribbons: some were simply green (like mine) and some were more colorful, promoting the race itself. I don't know... This run, it just didn't live up to what I was hoping for. So Fallbrook, I'm sorry for the 2-stars. But that's what updates are for. And if you didn't receive criticism such as these, you wouldn't have the need to improve. And improving is what I expect will be on the table for next year. I congratulate your hosting this what-could-have-been-so-much-better run. This is constructive, by the way. Mistakes allow for growth. So...keep growing. Having an uphill run, 30:36:3. (Seems wrong though. Maybe it was gun time.) O.o read more

See all

Represented Team Yelp in the inaugural Avocado race. Thanks Trish!!! I was offered to run the half or the 5k the Tuesday before this race and, just coming from the SF Rock N Roll Half Marathon the weekend before, I opted to do the 5k since (1) I have injuries to my hip and foot, and (2) I know how hilly Fallbrook is! Pros for 5k: -Small race -Free parking -No traffic! -Shuttle service if you parked at the church -Friendly volunteers -AMPLE volunteers -Slight downhill start -Bananas, orange slices, granola bars, Sport Beans recovery beans, water and avocados at the end -Tech T -Bag check easy breezy -Medals! Cons for 5k: -TONS of volunteers, but they didn't know any information. I stopped to ask some volunteers where the parking was for the 5k and they looked at me as if I was from another planet. I asked "You are volunteers for the race, right?" All I got were blank stares. Hmmmmm, really?! I guess there was no communication to the volunteers on the deets of this race. -While I was driving around trying to find the church parking, why were there so many volunteers lined up every several feet along the roads? That's weird... -No signage where to park. The email said to follow the signs. WHAT SIGNS? -Barely noticed the avocados at the end. I saw people holding avocados and they said that the avocados were in the buckets by the bananas. When I went to check them out, they were almost gone! Luckily I grabbed one! -I asked a volunteer about the awards on whether it's Top 3 OVERALL individuals or per division. Of course he didn't know! :/ -Small after party with only a handful of booths. -Shuttles going back to the designated parking lots were very disorganized. Our driver mentioned that it was a big mix-up and they were told to come back at 11a. Contradictory of the emails that participants received! I definitely didn't want to stay until 11a when my race was done before 8a. -No separate corrals for half marathoners/5kers. -No mile markers. I was confused towards the split - 5kers veered right as the halfers went straight. Would have been nice if there was signage before the split. I almost went straight! Plus I would have totally picked up my pace with a quarter mile left. -I believe their timing system is inaccurate. I looked at the timing chip on back of the bib and it says "patent pending". Sorry, I don't consider your time to be my official "chip time". My Garmin is pretty accurate and I started and stopped it exactly as I crossed the start and finish lines. -Did I miss the National Anthem and the American flag at the start? Kudos for Fallbrook getting a race together. The surroundings are pretty, but race organizers please take heed to these comments from Yelp reviewers. I do appreciate the fact that you put this inaugural event, but please work out the kinks. I really want you to come back as I do want to run this race again. Oh and please consider awards for top finishers in each division. Even if it's a bag full of avocados! ========== STATS: Per Garmin 25:44 1st in 30-39 Female Division 25th in Overall 5k read more

See all

DON'T WASTE YOUR MONEY-RUNNERS BEWARE The 2018 event scheduled for February 24th was cancelled. We were notified via email on FEBRUARY 1ST (that's nearly 3 weeks from race day) that the event was cancelled and postponed several months. No refunds. Participants can either completely change their entire schedule to run in the 2018 race and accommodate for their lack of organization or were given the two following options via the email: Sell your bib (YOURSELF) or defer to the 2019 race. Most of us that participate in running events register, train, book hotels, make travel arrangements and take off work MONTHS in advance. Highly suggest looking for a different race that is more organized or at the very least, will accept responsibility for their mistake and refund runners when they change race date by several months three weeks out from race day. read more

I was registered for the Avocado Half Marathon 2017 and the event was canceled and then move location and date. 4 other members of my running club registered as well. We received an email promising we would receive a refund if we chose not to run the event. None of us have received our refund. Our credit card companies will not refund our entry fee because so much time has passed. If we thought they were not going to keep their promise we could have contacted our credit card company much earlier. I do not recommend signing up for any of their events. Total Rip off. read more

I cannot speak for all the people who have said this was "an unorganized race," or that it "fell short," but I thought the race was run great. It was the city's first race and I'm sure the organizers had a lot of hoops to jump through to get it done. I thought the organizers did a great job of getting the community involved with all of the volunteers. Although it was an out and back course, it was quite challenging. I really appreciated how fast the results were posted following the 5k. Due to the challenge of the hills, I can't even imagine what the half marathon would have been like ;) I highly recommend this event to anyone looking for a challenge. If you are someone who needs to get some avocados or some other piece of priceless memorabilia, this may not be the race for you (right now). But if you're the type of person who runs tough hilly courses to push yourself and be around similar people with the same mindset, then this the race for you! I really hope this is around next year and can get the 20 minute time I originally set out for. Thank you to everyone who set this up! read more

GREAT run! Parking was easy, volunteers were very friendly and there were plenty of them. My favorite part besides the beauty of Fallbrook were the residents cheering us on along the route. Many of them had signs and American flags and cheered us on loudly. I will DEFINITELY be signing up for the Avocado Half Marathon and 5 K next year. I can't wait! Stephanie B. read more

Anyone can run a 5K, I just prefer to do my 5k's off the couch. Getting offered a free run on Yelp's tab and running with friends was enough for me to break out the old dusty running shoes. This was the inaugural Avocado 5K & Half Marathon and if you know anything about Fallbrook it's a quiet, secluded and sprawling community. With that being said it's quite difficult to get approval and permits for closing down miles and miles of road, organizing parking, vendors, safety, security of an event like this. Granted this is a fraction of the size of Carlsbad 5000, TriRock or Rock & Roll so I'm sure it will get better, but usually organizers will pay an established organization to get them set up. I'm not sure they did that here. The e-mails could have been more clear, the logistics of the closures were not ideal, shuttles to and from the parking and event were sporadic. The staging and end staging areas were really disorganized and not scalable to say a 3000 participant run. They had less than expected nutrition, vendors, food for non participants to buy. It was a mediocre event in it's infancy. I had a banana, orange and some recovery chocolates. Walked across the street for a coffee. First off you should make the 5k out be uphill and the way back downhill. The weather was great. I didn't do the half marathon so I can't tell you about the full course, but much of it was flat and downhill on the way back along stagecoach. It's always nice to have fan support along the way, but I got the overwhelming feeling from the participants that have done other events that this was lacking. I'm sure they will do better next year, but so will I as I did this one off the couch. Having lots of volunteers was a good and bad thing because they seemed aloof and disorganized. I was impressed with the tech t and medals, both pretty impressive and due to the small turnout the bag check was pretty easy. All in all it was a fun event that I'd come off the bench for again next year. read more

Disorganized is the best word to describe this race. $40 for nobody around to answer questions or information, no signs to tell you which way to the finish, horrible shuttle system, had to run all uphill on the way back, the shirt size I ordered they were out of and I picked up day ahead of time, finisher metals had wrong date 2/22/14, uhhh ... No 4/12/14!!! I want a refund! Will not be doing it ever again. read more

Avocado Half Marathon & 5K - After I took this pic I realized a MAJOR flaw; Wrong date!Disappointed, but glad I finished in spite of ridiculous 1.5 mile hill - Races & Competitions Near Me - Fallbrook, California

Amazing event!!! Thank you so much for brining this to our community! I can't wait for next year to run again. read more

Avocado Half Marathon & 5K - Getting ready the night before! - Races & Competitions Near Me - Fallbrook, California

This review is the for 2nd Annual Avocado 5K. I did this with my Aunt and Mother, and we all agreed this was one of the better runs we signed up for because of all the FREEBIES...and the relatively easy/moderate 5K course to get us back on the fitness track. Yucatan Guacamole really pulled out all the stops at their booth. They had t-shirts, burlap tote bags, chips & guacamole, and coupons for free guacamole at grocery stores. This was THE booth to hit up, but tbh there wasn't that much going on at the other handful of booths. The 5K course was pretty easy, given a few spots with a more difficult gradual incline, and goes through neighborhoods I've never seen before. Several families of Fallbrook residents came out and sat down by their driveway to cheer all the runners on. We arrived at the venue about 1.5 hours before the race started in order to get a prime parking spot and to pick up our bibs and chips. My Aunt responded to the email offering limited parking passes for $10 and fortunately we acquired one. The parking pass spaces were located in the nursery close to Live Oak Park where the event starts/finishes. Free shuttles are available for those who parked at the other lots. At the finish line we received our medal and were given a bottle of water (no more than 1 per person) and an avocado! p.s. An email was already sent out for the following 3rd Annual Avocado Half Marathon & 5K on May 28th, 2016. Apparently the first 1500 runners to register will receive a free water bottle and there's a $500 cash prize in one of the bottles. read more

I didn't run the half. As a new runner the 5k was my race, growing up in Fallbrook, I knew how hard it was getting this race going! Hats off to Vicki! I thought everything ran smoothly! Had I run the half, I may have had constructive criticism but my team that ran all loved it! They said it was a challenging run (more so than the San Fran half that they ran in the fall) all in all for an inaugural race, I felt it was AMAZING. The kinks people talked about can be ironed out next year! I would definitely do it again! Fallbrook residents that ran LOVED it! Maybe next year we will get more local support and participants. Great race! read more

Avocado Half Marathon & 5K - Kaia FIT Fallbrook! We were the crazy Tutu/Green shirt wearing ladies having a blast! - Races & Competitions Near Me - Fallbrook, California

See all

Fun race, well organized, awesome metals & lots of community support. This race has beautiful scenery as you run thru Fallbrook's rolling hills. I'm looking forward to this race again next year! read more

Avocado Half Marathon & 5K - Races & Competitions Near Me - Fallbrook, California

See all

I ran the Avocado half marathon yesterday and had a great time! There were only a couple thousand people running so it was actually pretty nice compared to some huge, crowded races. I signed up for this mainly because I got a killer living social deal for $35. It was definitely worth the money. Parking: We signed up to get a parking pass and paid $10 to park a block from Live Oak Park (where it starts and finishes) at a nursery. This was a definite plus but there were not many parking spaces available. Most people had to park at a couple churches east of the park and shuttle over. This seemed to be a bad deal for many of the 5K runners since they did not resume the shuttle until a long time after the 5K finished. As I was finishing my half, I saw about a hundred people hiking up the huge hill to their cars. Not sure if these people were happy to walk another 2 miles after the race! Spectators: Unfortunately, this course is NOT spectator friendly. One friend was able to find a place to park near mile 5 but could not get back to the finish. It would be nice if there were some tips for spectators posted on the website. Maybe there could be a spectator bike lane along the route?? Bathrooms: There were 3 public park bathroom buildings (Maybe like 10 stalls?) and a handful of porta-potties. I'm pretty sure some women waited in line for more than 45 minutes to go to the bathroom pre-race. A priority for next year should be more porta-potties at Live Oak and a few more along the course. Volunteers: There were tons of volunteers along the route and they were so nice! I enjoyed waving at them as I ran by. I think their main job was to made sure Fallbrook residents did not pull out of their driveways onto the race course. I was glad they were there to monitor! (And with that, thank you to all the residents who were trapped for the entire morning because of this race. We appreciate your sacrifice.) The Course: I loved it! It is true that you run by more trees than buildings (tagline for the event). It really is refreshing to run somewhere so pretty. I though the double out and back course was kind of strange at first, but after running it, I give it two thumbs up! The first mile and a half is down hill and then everyone turns around and goes back up. The 5K ends back at the park and then the half marathoners go out another 5 miles and again turn around and run back the same way. I ran the race with 8 of my friends so as I was heading back the first time I got to cheer for all of them and give them high fives! I loved this! Normally you never see anyone in your group during a race unless you run the same pace. During the second out and back, I got to do this again and it really boosted all of our spirits. It's also nice knowing what to expect for the last 5 miles of the race. The course was all rolling hills but I didn't mind it since I usually trail run and run a lot of peaks. The downhills were great for getting my legs moving and the last mile and a half was all downhill and super fast! As I approached the finish line, I started sprinting and then saw that I had to make a very quick Uturn to actually finish. I came to the Uturn and heard people yelling "slow down! be careful!". This was the most horrible finish line I'd ever seen. I saw one girl slip and fall and I really worried for people's knees going around that turn. What good is a race if you can't sprint to the finish without fearing for your life!?! Other comments: -The tshirts were awesome! Cool max neon green with a nice logo. The metals were really nice too. -The party pumper/DJ at the startline was pretty fun. I actually liked that he led some dancing because it kept me warm while we waited for the race to start. -There was a drone taking video footage. I already saw the trailer for the video and it looks great! -Finish line goodies were delicious. The oranges were so sweet. The guac and chips hit the spot after sweating for 13 miles. -A couple of my friends finished towards the end and after running for over 3 hours they were horrified to find out that they had run out of water and cups at the finish line. Totally unacceptable. This is the main reason I'm giving 3 stars instead of 4 stars. All in all, not bad for the second time around. I would for sure do it again!! read more

Great course. I have run a lot of rural races and have not seen another one so well staffed with this many volunteers. I think there were some first-year growing pains that will hopefully go smoother next year. Overall a strong first effort. I will probably run it next year. read more

Avocado Half Marathon & 5K - Races & Competitions Near Me - Fallbrook, California

The race was so great. It was well organized , packet pickup was very easy, and the race support was great. It was so great doing a race where I live. It made the race experience so much better having people you know cheer you on. There were tons on water on the course and the race was fun, I can't wait till next year to improve my time. Also as a resident who was effected by the road closure I don't care. If I had not been racing I would have gone done and cheered people I or just spent some time at home. It's not like I don't have things to do around the house. We here giving plenty of notice of what was going on. It is one morning a year, not everyday of the week. Great job to the race organizers, can't wait till next year. read more

See all

SCAM!!!!!!!! Race postponed twice, was promise refund. They refuse to reply back to your email. Kept being told checks were just sent out. Still no refund. Checked their faceboom page today and reviews were removed including all comments posted read more

I wish I could have run this while this was in Fallbrook. However, due to a mountain of excuses that "isn't their fault" or whatever childish story they've come up with, they had to move it to Murrieta, a city famous for...? Like many others, I had signed up for the original date in May 2016, and they had moved it. Ok, September 2016, that's ok, I can make that date. Nope, didn't happen. Ok...how about Feb 2017? Sorry my schedule is full. They offered refunds for people who couldn't make it, but those promises are left unfulfilled. I emailed several times and had no response, and but with the latest one I guess they got sick of everyone trying go crowbar out any information from them, so they emailed me back with a poorly written, unprofessional response with a whole list full of excuses, the tone of which sounded like a teenaged girl crying about how she couldn't get to her homework because something or other came up. Somebody call the Waaaambulance because all they can do is blame everyone else except for themselves for not getting the legwork done in time. I would have been satisfied with a more tailored response from a professional organization. And if you notice, they've removed the ratings from their Facebook and negative comments regarding the changed dates and refunds. Good luck getting your money back if they change the date. Listen up "race organizers," not everyone has a free schedule for you to change Willy-nilly. If they didn't want to give refunds they should have never offered one in the first place. Changing their minds and then withholding the refunds without telling their customers is just passive-aggressive, but I would expect that behavior from adolescent, whiny babies. I wouldn't ask for a race deferral only because knowing this (lack of) organization, they would take your money and run away with it. Oh wait, they'll change the date three times so you can't make it, say it's your fault for signing up, and then they'll cry about how the city is being mean to them. read more

Avocado Half Marathon & 5K - Promises promises(!) they deny they made them but here's email proof - Races & Competitions Near Me - Fallbrook, California

We were looking forward to doing this half marathon, when one week before the run date we were informed the race was cancelled, in a very long email that ultimately blamed the city. Having to lose our money on the hotel, we were informed we could either do the race in February (we couldn't) or get a refund. We opted for the refund as of 9/25, and still haven't received any money back as of December 8th. 2 and a half months later. The staff has been very short and rude in email responses to us, if they even respond at all. I have done many half marathons, and if this is an indication at all how they are run, I'd rather avoid this team and their runs. Hope others have had a better experience than us. read more

The Avocado Half Marathon & 5k is was located in Fallbrook (Live Oak Park). I came from Long Beach so it was a 1.5 hour drive. There were 3 locations to park for the event: Live Oak Park (reserved for those who e-mailed in advance as only 120 slots were available), Fallbrook High School, and a church in the area. Those who parked at the church / high school had to get shuttled two and from the event. I planned to arrive early and expect delays since I was coming from Long Beach. I had no trouble waiting for the shuttle as I did not have to wait long nor were there a lot of people waiting for the shuttle. There could be a little more signage as to where to pick up the packet (day of) as I mistaken the tents at the finish line area where I would pick up packets. Regardless, Packet Pick up (day of) was easy. The line was short and volunteers were prompt in expediting the process of picking up packets. The bib is not generic and contains the picture of an avocado with the timing chip in the back. The T-shirt is a very nice white tech T shirt that with a large picture of an avocado on the front and the text " 1st Annual Avocado Half Marathon & 5k". There were no porta potties, even though this were a small event. I would recommend adding a couple since lines to the ladies restroom varied. Since this was a smaller event it was easy to just jump in to the start line compared to large events, great for having just come from the restroom! Course: Fallbrook is a small community wedged between mountains and rolling hills. The course was on the road with an abundant amount of foliage. Since I reside in Long Beach, I definitely took the time to enjoy the scenery of Fallbrook. This course was just a little on the hilly side, but having trained on hills prior to the event, did not affect my running, I actually welcomed it. Aside from the scenery, what stood out the most of the Avocado Half Marathon was the people of Fallbrook. The Avocado half marathon was anything but a lonely hilly country course and long periods of quiet running - the people of this town cheering on the sidelines were full of life and excitement which made running it more fun. I was surprised at the turnout of people at the end of their driveways cheering my fellow participants, ringing cowbells, passionately yelling words of encouragements, waving motivational posters, and even handing out goodies (oranges or small gatorade) to help replenish our lost nutrients. My particular favorite sign was of a girl who was holding a sign that said "Touch for POWER!" I've participated in smaller half marathons and never had this much participation from the community, Fallbrook's Avocado Half Marathon & 5k set the bar in that category. There were water stations at every couple miles of the race. If I had one request it would be to provide a porta potty at every few miles. I was perfectly fine running the whole way without stopping but I did overhear a group that asked me if I knew there would be restrooms along the way. Finishing was great having a line of cheerleaders and people from the race cheering. A person at the finish line was announcing each person who crossed the finish line. Post Race: When I reached the finish line I received my medal. A Gold medal shaped like an avocado with the text Avocado Half marathon and 5k 1st annual. Although, the date of the event was wrong 2.22.14 instead of a 4.12.14 (I figured the medals were made for when the event was previously to take place on 2.22). Instead, just have the year? Half Marathon finishers received the same medal as the 5k participants with the only difference being a beautiful green ribbon for the medal with a picture of a avocado and text "Avocado half Marathon" and "1st annual" for the Half and a standard green ribbon for the 5k. At the finish line there was plenty of water, orange slices, bananas, granola bars and jelly belly sport beans. The finisher times were updated frequently and posted on a board for participants to view. There were a few vendors there to check out as well. The shuttles to the church & high school were prompt and we got to our car swiftly. Overall: I'm so glad that I decided to sign up for the Avocado Half Marathon. Even though it is a 2 hour drive from home, it was well worth it. I loved the country/rural hilly course. The people of Fallbrook along the course at the sidelines were amazing. I really like the design of the medal & ribbon (for the half), and the T-shirt is a nice white Tech shirt. Of course, being the 1st annual Avocado Half Marathon and 5k there could be a few details ironed out, like adding a few more porta potties at the beginning, along the course, adding more signage, and maybe avocados at the end. Regardless, I really enjoyed running the 1st annual Avocado Half Marathon and hope that it continues in the years to come with much success as I will make sure to be signing up for those as well! read more

Had a great time at the race. I ran the 5k. It was wonderful to have our own race here in Fallbrook. I loved the course and found it challenging. I can't wait to run it again next year. read more

Great race! I ran the 5k and the course was beautiful, plenty of room to run, clearly marked miles and supportive volunteers along the way. I noticed a few reviews regarding no portable bathrooms. There were several at the top parking lot along with several park restrooms. Although, there were lines, I've never experienced a race where more bathrooms weren't a concern! Maybe it's the nerves but everyone seems to line up! The scenery was beautiful, the medals were high quality and the overall experience was an A+ for me! I will definitely do it again next year! read more

They tried really hard! I've had an amazing time. The volunteers and cheerleaders were helpful and enthusiastic. I am so happy I finished strong and with great motivation from my ladies in Moms Run This Town. I cannot wait to come back next year. read more

This was my first 5k. I was a little disappointed it was postponed twice, but it turned out to be closer to home and was a lot of fun. Those of us who signed up for the original race were promised a half zip jacket. Instead we were given a long sleeved tech t. I have emailed the organizer twice asking what happened to the jackets, but no response. It's not that I need another jacket, but it's the principal. Have some integrity and respond if you don't follow through with your promises. read more

Great job on an inaugural race! Beautiful countryside and the community support was fantastic! I'm not from the area and so grateful I made the trek. My favorite part was the residents in their driveways cheering on the runners - a special shout out to the couple waving American flags! So awesome!! Kudos to the organizers for pulling this off and making it fun and safe. I'm looking forward to it and I'm bringing friends!! read more

My sister, Neice,nephew, and I all ran in the first annual avocado run! They drove from San Clemente to enjoy the weekend. I live in Fallbrook and the half route past my house twice which was very nice for my husband and neighbors who in turn helped hand out water to all the runners. We all had so much fun and so many people made awesome signs of encouragement and I especially liked the Kid on the loud speaker at the high school, It was a boost to see all the supporters along the route. What a great morning and finally a VERY special thanks to Vickie Barr Knox who had the strenght and fortitude to put this all together ! I am looking forward to next years race as I know it will be even better! read more

For a first time race, I thought the organizers did a great job and I am sure in the years to come, this race will only get better and better. It was my first half marathon and I am proud to say I finished it! No, I'm not very fast, 2:45 for me, but again, for a first timer, I am proud of myself. Yes people, there are some hills. Maybe it's because I live and train in a hilly neighborhood, but I really didn't think it was so bad. As one adorable kid's sign said, "It's a hill. Get over it!" Yes, they needed porta potties along the route, and I'm sure they will be there next year. As for the avocados, I'm sure there will be plenty of those next year too. But seriously, did you run 13.1 just for the chance to eat a post race avocado? As for some reviews that complained about the mile markers. I agree, they need to be clearer, but they did have markers that I saw on orange cones at miles 8, 9, 10 and probably after that. Also, the race route with elevation was posted on the website, along with lots of instructions about parking, shuttles, etc. Just make a little effort pre-race to be prepared. Check out the website. Simple. As for the date on the medal, I know the date of this race had to be changed pretty late in the game, and no doubt the medals were already ordered. Oh well. No biggie. Bottom line, a beautiful course, and for a first time race, well done. It will only get better and better and I for one will be looking forward to running it again next year! read more

My new favorite race! Born and raised in Fallbrook it was so much fun running the hill of my home town. Great support along the hilly course. Friendly staff, tons of volunteers. Great small town feel. And the medal is beautiful! Love love, I will be back next year! read more

I really enjoyed this race, it was challenging and scenic, running 13.1 miles of rolling hills through rural Fallbrook was the perfect way to spend my Saturday morning. I think the organizers of the race did an excellent job and if there is one next year I will definitely be signing up. read more

I had a blast!! Great job organizers and volunteers!! You rock! I have run in many races and I loved it! I believe the Avocado Half Marathon will be extremely popular in the future...I mean who doesn't love avocados? I met people that came from Long Beach just because they love avocados! I know a running group from Boise ID planning to come next year because they saw pics on facebook and decided this is the destination run to do!! See you all next year! read more

Got the parking pass for Live Oak Park which was nice and close, start line was right there too. Pick up of bib on day of was smooth. Shirt was white (bleah, and kind of see through) but has a neat avocado design on it) However there were no port-a-potties along the way (or none that I noticed) which was weird. Luckily I didn't need it. Lots of support and spectators which was nice. Lots of rolling hills which made it challenging. Disappointed that the medal had the old date (event date change) and that there were NO avocados at all when I finished the half (2:11). No one I saw had any either. Apparently on their fb page they said they had plenty of avocados in buckets in front of the bananas. I'm guessing that they were left unsupervised and the people that ran the 5k probably took all, if my lost of them. (We started at the same time, so I still had 10mi to go when many of them were finishing.) or maybe someone just took off with the entire bucket of avocados. I was really really disappointed. They promised to have 'plenty of avocados' and there were NONE. I get that this is an inaugural race, but seriously?!? Very disappointing to say the least. Drove 80+ mi out for this :( read more

Can I give negative stars??? 1st-They changed the date and location of the run 2nd- Packet pick up was a disaster! On their own website they stated if you were picking up for someone all you needed was that person's registration information. Well I drove a hour to pick up the packets and when I arrive they say you need a copy of the ID for the person you are picking up for. It was also ridiculous that I received an email with my bib number but my boyfriend did not receive any such email. So I had to stand in a different line to just get his bib number. (When we signed up at the same time) 3rd- When they sent out the email of the change of location and date they promised everyone a jacket. I was at packet pickup a hour after it opened and they only had half zip pullovers in a men's extra large and everyone else got a long sleeve shirt. 4rd- They ran out of water cups at about every water station! The website stated "7 aid starions" "Aid stations will consist of both water and sports drink, as well as nutritional food products". The first station was way to close to the start so I did not stop. The next two stations ran out of cups so you had to use your hands if you wanted anything to drink. Finally around mile 8 they had water bottles with less than 1/4 water in them. (This was actually the best water station) when I stopped at mile ten to get a quick drink of water the volunteer informed me that she was on her last bottle of water to fill up the cups. (The race still had over a hour and a half to go when she said this) The last water station was giving out full water bottles with the cap still on. (It's a good thing I was not concerned with my time because having to remove the cap and also carry a full water bottle was not ideal). I was never offered any sports drink and did not pay attention to any food becuase I was in need of water. If they would have stated on the website bring your own water becuase we are not prepared for this race that would have been a correct and honest statement and I would have been able to come prepared for the race. 5th- From what I remember the medal looks a lot different as advertised in the beginning, The medal for the half and 5k is the same and states half and 5k. So I have no actual proof that I ran my first half. 6th- They did not close down any lanes on the roads. I was running on the sidewalk or on the road with traffic for the entire race. 7th- I hope most of the money that I paid for this race went to the charity and not to the race or in someone's pocket. I want to thank all the volunteers and also all law enforcement that helped direct traffic. read more

Seems like the organizers are crooks. Race postponed twice and they promised a refund. They don't even respond to your e-mail even when they request that you only contact them by e-mail. I highly recommend that you don't sign up for this race. read more

Beautiful race and so many fun volunteers, however...............the big issue................no bathrooms along the entire route. I thought there would at least be one at the halfway point. I had to use it so badly, and had to hold it the entire time. Besides that, the minor issues.......no mile markers, and no avacados! I heard there were avacados there, but I checked the whole area after I finished and didn't find any. All in all, I liked the run, but they really need to get some bathrooms on that course. read more

Signed up for this race with a group of friends-they canceled the race and told us they would give us our money back -it has been 6 months and they have not given us a refund. This same group is advertising the Murrieta Avacado Half Marathon and 5K. Beware! read more

This race is unsafe. No wave start, you run miles without an aid station or water. Only nutrition besides small cups of water or sports drink were jelly beans offered on mile 12 (You need it earlier then that). I went 4 miles without seeing any race support. You run down a country road with no employees around incase you get injured. DO NOT DO THIS RACE!!!!!!!! read more

Race rescheduled back in September 2016, Avocado Half offered refund and I requested one the day the rescheduling notice was emailed out. Checked again for refund end of October, was told that I would see one by the end of December 2016. January 20, after submitting a negative review on their facebook page they asked me to message them my contact info, which they have had but I provided again anyway. Now February 1, 2017 and still no refund. They refuse to reply to my emails. I know for fact that I'm not the only runner who has not received refund since more and more comment on my facebook review. This company is shady and unprofessional. Their lack of response and action is just downright unacceptable. I will not be participating in any of this company's runs...EVER. Avoid this event unless you like throwing money away. read more

I am very proud of my small town and this amazing race! It ran so smoothly and the volunteers were amazing! I am looking forward to running it again next year! read more

I had a wonderful time running the Avocado Half Marathon. It was the best weather we could have hoped for, a beautiful course, challenging hills and I got to see many of my running friends along the course. And my son decided last minute to run it with me So, there were a few first year hiccups, that only means next year will be even better. I know how much hard work you guys put in the past year to make this event happen, and I truly appreciate that!! The volunteer and community support for such a small town race was amazing!! read more