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    Carlsbad Marathon & Half

    4.3 (107 reviews)
    Closed 9:00 am - 3:00 pm

    Carlsbad Marathon & Half Photos

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    Emil C.

    I love this marathon. It is not a mega marathon and the organization is always top notch. Most participants during the weekend run their other race, an excellent half marathon which I've ran for a couple of years before switching to their full marathon. The course is a roller, you're almost always either running up or down a gentle hill. There are some few flat spots. 80% of the time, you're just a stone's throw from the Pacific Ocean. Carlsbad in my books is a great city to run a marathon. The logistics for this race could not be any easier. You can park your car in the mall parking lot just a few steps from the starting line. This is the first race in the Half Marathon Triple Crown series. The other two races are the La Jolla Half Marathon and the AFC Half Marathon.

    Zoe Z.

    I was a vendor here very welcoming the event staff was so amazing and helpful they brought a very nice set up for all the vendors. .

    Jenny O.

    Absolutely beautiful scenery (otherwise I would have been so bored without the permission to use my ipod). I worried that I might feel cramped running alongside 8000+ people but there was plenty of room to weave through if necessary and the close proximity to hard-working and determined runners gave me that more of a motivation! Oh and the amazing volunteers and spectators who cheered us on all the way, thank you!

    Busy and it is exciting!
    Rom P.

    This is the first of the series for the Triple Crown. I must admit for a large event it was like a well-oiled machine from the start. I am not sure if I remember correctly, this is the only race that you are required to drive to the actual site of the event and not to Roadrunner sports to pick up your race bib. Is it a good thing? I am not sure since it was a drive from where I am coming from. We were able to explore the merchandise after the bib pick-up. Everything was under this huge tent so we were not exposed to the elements (not that it was hot or cold at 70 plus degree weather). The start of the race was on time, we were released in waves according to the time we put down when we first registered. There were water in almost every mile and some entertainment along the way. I would not say the course was flat but the incline was pretty reasonable. Now if I could only train better so that I won't run out of steam at mile 10. After the running 13.1 miles I am ready to relax. At the finish line we were given our medal and a bag with a banana and some bars. I did like the chocolate milk at the finish line, it was refreshing but I do with that they had water near the end. Overall it was a nice experience and I am looking forward to next year.

    Craig F.

    Half #3, 2015! I love this run! It's a moderately flat, out-and-back course, shouldering yet another one of Southern California's picturesque beaches--surfers surfing, dog walkers walking... Meandering first through Carlsbad Village--so quaint and laid back--the race continues south along the Pacific Coast Highway, passing alongside the Buena Vista Lagoon as it makes its way toward the rising sun stretching over the horizon. It's beautiful! Actually, it's difficult to keep pace, as I'm wanting to snap picture after picture during my run. It's okay, though. It's peaceful, and you'll not really be looking for the race to end too soon. Enjoy the morning! This race in particular, by the way, is also the beginning of a super cool trifecta: A trio of Southern California halfs have formed an alliance, creating a Half Marathon Triple Crown award, which honors participants who finish all three half marathons in the same calendar year. (I've specifically planned my 2015 halfs to meet this challenge. I want that Triple Crown medal!) The downside, I suppose, is that if you miss the Carlsbad, you'd have to wait until the following year to chase the Crown. If I hadn't made this year's Carlsbad--and I had to miss Disney's inaugural Star Wars Marathon to do so--I would have passed on the remaining two: the La Jolla Half Marathon and America's Finest City Half Marathon. Nevertheless... The parking is free--always a plus!--since the race begins and ends at the Westfield Mall. (This is also where the expo awaits you.) However, if you decide to opt out of driving down to Carlsbad just for the packet pick-up, you'll be paying an extra $20 to pick up your shirt--a sweet, long-sleeve tech--and bib on the morning of the race. It's kind of a drag, but parking for free makes up for it, I guess; and the fact that any and all spectators may easily applaud your finish (parking parallels the finish line) is also a thumbs up. Thank you to all of Carlsbad Village for cheering the runners on. Having you all there makes for an even more eventful morning! =]

    expo
    Mike C.

    I didn't know what I got myself into... Some of my friends signed up for the half-marathon and I kept procrastinating the signup and it bit me because by the time I did sign up, the half marathon was full...ahh shizz. Well I figured since I was already on the website, what the hey...just sign up for the full. And this was just over 3 months before race day...Ouch!!!! First of all, the full marathon starts at 6am. Well I'm not complaining about the early start time. I'm complaining about the weather, it's January, and it's by the ocean. So on race day...yah it was 37 degrees. Another not so great experience is your departure from the mall parking lot. You guys hired these extra parking attendants..but where the f were they when it was time to leave. Luckily every driver seemed cool, maybe everyone finished their race happy and so I didn't see any disgruntled drivers. For the race itself. Yah it was fast. Not sure why, but there were several major hills that I encountered, that definitely slowed me down including a +4% grade betweens miles 8-9, but overall it was a fast course. I think what made the running experience a lot faster is the motivation that you got from all these random people on the side, the runners themselves and just basically everyone out there. Also, they have pacesetters throughout the race, and you can't miss them carrying the signs with the expected finish times. Nutrition - plenty of water, goo, ultra? approximately every 2 miles or so. Congestion - I think we all met up with the halfers around mile 20 or so. So at that point, things started to slow down, but it was cool since everyone there just wanted to have fun, enjoy the scenery, lots and lots of people cheering you on from mile 23 and up. So it was pretty exciting at this point forward. Not bad for a first full marathon. I've injured myself before because I was acting stupid, but this time I trained conservatively. (Though I don't think 3 months is conservative?!) But it paid off at the end. Sure I'll run this again, maybe just the half, but then again, I'll probably miss the signup and end up doing another full marathon...oh well. Tip: If you're ordering your race photos online from Brightroom, use the code "reorder" and get 10% off. I think you can use that code for any race that is sponsored by Brightroom photos. Another Tip: Don't text and run at the same time. They kinda frown upon that. Carlsbad Marathon 2011, 26.2 miles in 3:48....ahh yah!!!!

    2013 Half Marathon Medal
    Sharon V.

    I think the Carlsbad Half Marathon is a great race to do. It was my first half marathon race in 2006 but unfortunately, I haven't been back to participate...until today. While I've spectated several times, my preference is to do races in warmer temperatures. = ) And of course, the wet weather this morning was all the more reason for this to be a great rule of thumb for me to follow more closely. The expo / packet pick-up was decent and they got you in and out pretty quickly. The vendors seem to be the same at every single expo so there wasn't anything new that I felt I needed to have. I do have to hand it to the official Carlsbad race merchandisers because the shirts, sweatshirts and the jackets were pretty cool. I only picked up a visor but was tempted to get a sweatshirt. As far as the race itself...prepare to face a few hills peppered throughout the course but take my word for it - they're not too difficult to tackle. I love running along the coast and I don't think anyone can complain about the scenery. This year, I thought the medal was pretty lame (http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/carlsbad-half-marathon-carlsbad?userid=rCx7tb3toOJUsvdOeqYY0g#kyLjArFxAKzRpP9pAM2FcQ). They seemed to focus on the ribbon and not the design of the medal which was disappointing. It just had Carlsbad 2013 on it. No distance, date etc. It again was all on the ribbon. As always, the volunteers were awesome. The race could not happen without all these people.

    Start Line
    Ros A.

    First half marathon! This was a great race to run my first half and I definitely recommend. The start/end of the race is at the Carlsbad mall, so there is plenty of parking. There are people directing traffic, so getting isn't too bad. Unfortunately there are only Porta potty available as the mall closed, but there are a ton of them. The course was very nice. Overall it was pretty flat, but some some small hills. The course was awesome, you run through Carlsbad Village and along the coast. There are so many people out cheering and supporting runners. There were also maybe 2 or 3 bands playing and others playing music. The crowd definitely helped and there seemed to be people all along the entire course. There were a lot of water stations along the route. Some stations with sport drinks and a couple offering GU. The beginning of the race was pretty cold, but definitely gets warmer. Great set up and race overall!

    2011 Carlsbad Half Marathon Finisher Medal
    Humberto G.

    Finally, my first half. I get to scratch this off my list of life's goals, so I was freaking excited. My brother and roommate decided to run with me, even though they weren't able to purchase a bib since it was sold out. Since I lived up the street, I was able to walk to and from the event. Considering the traffic I saw when we were walking back, I am glad we made that choice. While I can't speak for prior events, the weather was cool in the morning and warmed up by the time you were 2-3 miles into it. The course itself is relatively flat in comparison to the other half's I have read about. There are a few elevation changes, but nothing that is too terrible. The majority of the course runs on Pacific Coast Highway (The City of Carlsbad calls it Carlsbad Blvd, but we know it's really PCH) for just over half the course, so you get some really scenic views. Since this is where I jog, I knew the course well. That last mile and a half though, ouch. I had trained to just over 10 miles, so the last few miles really, and I mean really hurt. You know how many things go through your head that last mile? They provide plenty of water and electrolytes, as well as Vaseline and oranges at certain areas. I thought there would be GU handed out, but they don't for the Half runners. There is also a lot of people cheering you on throughout the course, which helps get you through it. The expo had plenty of vendors, although you get a lot more "freebies" at the Carlsbad 5000. You get a long sleeve technical shirt, and a finisher medal at the end of the race. I made it (2:19) jogging all the way, although I would have liked a faster time. If I'm still running next year, I'll definitely do it again.

    2012 medal
    Son V.

    Even though the race sucked for me personally, this was one of the more enjoyable events out of all the halfs I've done. The weather cooperated on race day which was the best part and organization was pretty good. Expo/Bib pickup - 3/5 Not a fan of having to drive up to Carlsbad to pick it up, especially in the rain but they can't change the weather. These expos are useless for me so having to go all the way up there to pickup my number and shirt killed a good part of my Saturday morning. I would have gladly paid $5 for them to mail it to me. Getting there - 4/5 I got there in plenty of time, coming up on the 5, exiting Tamarack, and going north on El Camino Real. A little jam getting into the mall parking lot but not bad at all. The course - 5/5 Very scenic course hugging the coast and working through the mall for just a bit. Nice variety with some hills but not bad at all. Plenty of aid stations, probably the most I have ever seen for a half course. Seems like there was a station at every mile. Lots of spectators on the streets cheering which is fun. Getting out - 2/5 I didn't see any but it would have been helpful if there were some traffic coordinators helping with getting out. At the same time, this lot was probably not engineered to have this volume of cars going out at the same time. It just sucked. I don't know if I will do the Triple Crown again next year but I will do this race again. The course is nice, the organization is excellent, and I want to redeem myself.

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    Page 1 of 3

    Ask the Community - Carlsbad Marathon & Half

    Review Highlights - Carlsbad Marathon & Half

    Both the expo and the race are at the Shoppes at Carlsbad mall, so there's plenty of parking on race day.

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    Boomers Vista

    Boomers Vista

    3.0(446 reviews)
    6.8 mi

    What a fun place to bring students to! You pay one price for a wristband and get to play miniature…read moregolf, drive go-karts, drive water tubes, and hit the batting cages! It's a great place to let teens just been themselves and have fun! I didn't try any of the attractions because I was only visiting the group for a short time. There is also an arcade that had some fun games! If I was hungry, I would've ordered food. They also have some beers on tap, but that will have to wait for another day.

    Thank you Carol for helping in getting my team set up for their team bonding experience. The…read moreminute I walked through the door Tyree openly greeted me and shook my hand welcoming me to the establishment. Zion was so helpful no matter how many times i had to come back and get more bands for my teams parents or other kids. David jumped in with running food, and helping with our drink pitchers. Such and awesome and pleasant staff. Im only reading the other reviews now, so i guess we got lucky on coming on a day it wasnt busy. The food took a while to come out, but Im sure the kitchen wasnt ready for hte amount of food we were going to order, so it was no problem at all. Everyone had a great time with all the rides. The only suggestion i would make is to make a bigger sign for the laser tag area - none of my kids knew there was laser tag until I asked them toward the end. The other suggestion - is a stronger margarita slush - it was premixed but i honestly think it didnt have any alcohol at all. Definitely will book our next team bonding when we return in July. Mahalo guys!

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    Boomers Vista
    Boomers Vista
    Boomers Vista

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    She Runs Half & 5K - Shirt design sans the flowers & cute little pink medal.

    She Runs Half & 5K

    4.0(1 review)
    9.2 mi

    Zombies beware... this girl can run trails! Yes... I climbed over the boulders (at the time, they…read morefelt like mountains) and ran through the woods! She Runs was the smallest local race I've ran... so far! I wasn't planning on running this race because of that fact and I loathe trail running. But, I happen to be "given" the challenge when a friend couldn't run it due to a dreaded runner's injury (I forgot which one she had). I've been told before that if you're used to running on pavement, running on trails can be more difficult because the surface absorbs more of your energy. In other words, you're using energy to compress the ground and you get less of it back as "bounce"; therefore, you have to put more in to go at your normal pace. Well, I found out during this race that the difficulty applied to my running life. Lesson learned from my 13.1 trail run: 1) It is more mentally and physically demanding. 2) Due to the trail's uneven surface, I had to use more stabilizing muscles that I don't use much on the road. And... once my muscles got tired, my form went to crap. No wonder my entire body is hurtin'. 3) It felt like I burned twice the calories from this race than any other race. 4) The reward is definitely worth the work = more food consumption and dranks to numb the sore muscles. Ha. Your swag includes a cool shirt & a nice "pink" medal. At the end, you are greeted with healthy goodies (bananas, grapes, oranges) & yummy goodies (cakes, muffins, cakes and cakes) and liquid replenishers (water and gatorade - what no beer!? ). I normally crave healthy snacks after a long run, but I exhausted all calories during this race. Therefore... I am guilty of devouring all yummy goodies available - but after the healthy goodies. I will probably think twice about doing this run again (like ever). Trail runs are fun in a way that they are very scenic... but the beating my calves, ankles, & toes took makes it not worthwhile. Overall, I think She Runs did an awesome job coordinating this race. The race starts at 8 am so be prepared to run in dry heat. Parking was not a problem... you get directed to a trail type dirt parking area. Just give yourself enough time to use the porta potty coz they only had three at the finish line. That is all. Happy Running.

    GOVX San Diego Half Marathon - Mile 9 up the hill!

    GOVX San Diego Half Marathon

    4.4(53 reviews)
    0.0 mi

    The San Diego Half Marathon is an annual event held in Downtown San Diego that has a starting point…read moreon Harbor Drive and ending the In the historic Gaslamp quarter. I signed up for the race online, which was fairly easy to complete, and they had an expo at the Hilton hotel 2 days before the race to pick up your BIB. At the expo, they had many vendors selling items as well as free energy drinks. They also handed out the free shirt you got for entering the race, which was really nice, and the quality was great! On race day, which was on a Sunday, the run for the Half Marathon started at 650 am. From all the emails I was receiving, we were told to show up at least 40 minutes or even 1 hour prior to the race due to all the runners being in the location, giving you enough time to find the wave your in. The Half Marathon or 13.1 miles course had a beautiful layout that started by the convention center, bringing you up through the Embarcadero to Harbor Island and through Point Loma. The course was a nice flat course until mile 9, where you are running up Washington Hill, gaining elevation into Hillcrest and throughout Balboa Park finishing in the Gaslamp. When we finished the race, we were giving our medals or bling and were handed a goodie bag with a Monster, crackers, and a protein bar. They were even handing out chocolate milk, water, and bananas. They had photographers on-site taking pictures and a small after party in the park aside from the finish line. This was absolutely my favorite race I have run, and I had a blast doing it. The course was perfect and well organized. They had volunteers handing out water and Gatorade approximately every 2 miles. They had porter pottys all throughout the course, and the crowd was very motivating. I'm looking forward to come-back and doing the exact race next year as well since I had an amazing experience. Thank you to all the volunteers and the organizers who made this race possible.

    Sadly, along with other events of this magnitude, this event was canceled and made into a virtual…read morerace (to be ran on your own). I was really looking forward to running this particular half marathon for the first time. There was no expo with vendors, just a pickup at the Gaslamp Hilton. What was really special is the volunteers/organizers did a cheer as we were handed our medal so a big thank you to them! Besides the medal, what was picked up was the bib, shirt, and tote bag which included the Friar hat, snacks, and chocolate milk. The tech shirt was pretty unique. In my collection, it's the first to be patterned in camo style. I'm signed up for the challenge which consists of completing the Mammoth Half Marathon in June, thus receiving an extra medal. Crossing my fingers that event is allowed to take place. I crave the crisp mountain fresh air.

    Photos
    GOVX San Diego Half Marathon - Half marathon start time wave 1 at 650am

    Half marathon start time wave 1 at 650am

    GOVX San Diego Half Marathon - 2023 medal swag!

    2023 medal swag!

    GOVX San Diego Half Marathon - 34th in age group finisher 13.1 March 26 2023!

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    34th in age group finisher 13.1 March 26 2023!

    Alba Action - Wrong spark arrestor sent to me by "Phil" - which obviously doesn't fit - but he won't make good on it!

    Alba Action

    2.8(5 reviews)
    5.4 mi

    Oh man, I really dont know where to begin. The only reason they get two stars and not one is…read morebecause they are not total screw-ups, just mostly screwed up. They suffer from what most motorcycle sales places suffer from, pretty girls working who were obviously hired for looks and have little to no knowledge about motorcycles, and mechanics who probably passed their training less than a year before getting a job there. I purchased a motorcycle there in 2006, and was told I would receive a 10% discount on any parts I purchased form them. There was no limitation on "items that were on sale/clearance" mentioned. I only ever get flak from the sales staff when I try to get it applied, and have had them flat out refuse to give me discounts on items that are on sales (I had to talk to a manager, but he eventually approved it). I had them do two valve adjustments, the first one came out ok, but the second time they had my bike for 2 1/2 weeks until they finally were able to finish it and give it back. In all, if you have to shop there, make sure you know exactly what you want and don't let sales/parts people push you around. If you want good service, I eventually tried out Poway Motorcycle near Alba and have never been dissatisfied. I continue to use them today even though I've moved to La Jolla for school.

    NEW and Better then Ever!!!…read more Talk about a dream come true, the original owners of Alba closed their doors August 2009 and the employees loved the product so much, they bought the place!! I buy all my aftermarket ATV parts here now and the Team at AlbaAction.com rock like no ones business! I highly recommend calling them or stopping by the website to get whatever you need because these guys (and gal) ROCK!

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    Alba Action
    Alba Action
    Alba Action - Wrong spark arrestor for an Alba Racing exhaust

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    Wrong spark arrestor for an Alba Racing exhaust

    Carlsbad Marathon & Half - races - Updated May 2026

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