"Ice cream in the morning...because I ran? YES, PLEASE and I'll be back tomorrow too!"…read more This past 4th of July, I took a lesson from our country's forefathers and became independent of a negative thought I've had for quite some time. Due to knee injuries from school yard basketball, ankle injuries from pure clumsiness, and just lack of physical endurance, I have never really liked to run. But exactly one year ago today, I made a promise to myself to workout more and eventually try to run a short race. On Independence Day, I made good on this promise. In preparation for the LIVESTRONG run (Support Team YELP! - http://www.yelp.com/events/san-jose-dyf-destroy-your-fat-livestrong-challenge-in-san-jose), I decided to run a practice 5K just to see what it was like running 3.1 miles outside. Waking up at dawn and after taking the morning poop, I head out to a very organized staging area. The staff and the volunteers were very helpful and friendly. With a ton of race day registrants, they were also super efficient at getting everyone through. Music was being played to pump up the runners as well. All of a sudden though, I hear someone on the loud speaker say: "10 minutes until the start! Please make your way to the starting line!" Nervousness, anxiousness, and excitement all began to rush through my body. Making my way to the start area, I just kept thinking "All I need to do is finish." The gun shoots off and I find myself amidst a pack of moving people. Overall the course is very flat and has people guiding everyone through the route. Split time markers were located at every mile, so you could gauge how fast you were going. The only thing that confused me was that you couldn't tell which times were for the 10K runners and the 5K runners (the 10K folks started a few minutes earlier). When I crossed the finish line, I was welcomed by a cheering crowd, ice cream, popsicles, bagels, muffins, oranges, bananas, and sports drinks. Today, I found out officially my time and place (136th place and 27:52). I've never been so happy to finish in 136th place. Overall, this was a great beginner run and I had a good time. Tips - *If you are a beginner runner like me, its important to get shoes that fit your gait. I'm overpronated and ran with neutral shoes, which really messed up my knees. Hit up a running shoe store or Sportsbasement and get the right shoes. You won't regret it.

I just ran the 4th of July 10K…read more This is a nice "small town" race. It's very simple; no chips, the 10K is just a double loop of the 5K, having to find a place to store your t-shirts because there is no pre-registration, and it took forever for the pictures to be posted. But it was nice. Sometimes the larger, more crowded races are overwhelming and too time consuming. The race started at 8:15 and we got there at 7:15 but really didn't need to be there until 7:45 or later. It wasn't crowded, and we could move around and easily got out of the crowd and found a nice running pace quickly. My biggest issue was that it overlapped the Town of Danville parade so I wasn't able to attend the parade with my husband and kids. I REALLY want to do this race next year but unless it's an hour earlier or the parade is an hour later, I don't think I'll be able to. I did come in 3rd in my age group though and that always feels good especially when you just took a year off of running.

Event Date: 03/30/2008 This small hometown half marathon was…read morea perfect training ground for my upcoming Santa Cruz run. The course consisted of 13.1 miles of residential streets and valley roads with several rolling hills. The start and finish line was at the San Ramon Dougherty Community Center and organized by the city and local residents. This was its second annual half marathon with nearly 1,000 participants making it a perfect start for first timers and heavyweights like me. This was cool because I was able to work on my pace and breathing without being distracted by elite runners. I was able to stay focus and really concentrate - getting into the zone and testing my limits. I did really well the first six miles. My past injuries didn't resurface. My momentum stayed consistent. And my thoughts of the Santa Cruz Half Marathon were in motion. Once I reached the ninth mile, I started to run out of gas. The fear of fatiguing out was upon me. I took a short pause, fueled up (gel pack), and finished up at 2:35. Not bad considering that this had several tough hills. After crossing the finish line, I was totally surprised that they had finisher medals! OMG! I totally stoked! Moments after the adrenaline faded away I fatigued out and felt a sharp pain on the arch of my right foot. I suffered a minor injury that's going to take my off my feet for three days. Now I got two weeks left before Santa Cruz and a bottle of Motrin to ease the pain. Thanks Omar T. for joining me at this event. This was his first half marathon and he kicked ass. Onward to Santa Cruz my brotha!!! Notes: All flat course. No. Inclines ranged from 15-25. Running shoes: Merrell Overdrive Continuum Timing chips: No Restrooms: There was only one portable at the seven mile marker Water stations: Two. Will do this event again next year? Yes. It's a great warm up to future events, but wear long compressions (spandex). It's cold as hell when you "Run Like the Wind" in San Ramon.

I was very disappointed! This time they were not organized at all! They started late; Parking was…read morehorrible, there were bunch of obnoxious people leading before the race started. And worse of all, I didn't get the T-shirt size that I wanted. I look forward to this event every year. But unfortunately, this year, it wasn't what I was hoping for, at all! And this is not going to stop me from participating next year! Thank you!

First off, I'm not a runner. I do not run for recreation or fitness, I prefer other cardio with…read morechoreography. Having set that premise, this was my FIRST half marathon and I finished sub 2 hours! I ran it with my ultramarathoner friends and it was a wonderful experience. Great support from the locals throughout the route. Weather was overcast and cool. We came early for parking which is free on Sunday. Gear check had the most amazing volunteers and even when the organization system failed, they still had smiles on their faces. Please come and create your own adventure.

Review #3001 Cross…read morecountry meets are good---running for 30 minutes---1 hour etc Cross country is good..running with groups is good..because humans have to run This generation---YMCA 5k Turkey Chase! Berkeley was nice to visit---it's always a positive place--weather is good---fall is nice---campus is grand---fun to run and be out in a community

I'm unable to run in the 2026 race due to an injury. I started the process to defer my entry to…read more2027 before the deadline. The website wouldn't allow the change so I emailed, again this is BEFORE the deadline. I received a response that I could not defer as the deadline had passed. After I described the technical difficulty (again), received the same response.

Livermore Half Marathon is art of the ''Golden State Series'' where if you complete all 3 events…read more(Town's Half Marathon in Oakland and US Half Marathon in San Francisco also) you get an additional medal. It's for that reason that I signed up for this event, you also get Wine sampling after the event but I'm all about the bling. Sign up was easy and if you purchase the 3 event entries together you save a few bucks. as I was a Pacer for the US Half I didn't do this but still make sure you sign up early to get the best rates! This event also sells out so don't wait too long if you want to Run it. The weeks before the event I didn't get any information about the day or packet pick up but it is all located on the website. Packet Pick up: Located at the Performing Arts Bankhead Theater Plaza the day before it was easy to get to but is only from 2-8pm so if you work late or far away you need to plan accordingly. Everything is done by number so you just provide that and they look up your Bibs. As Wine tasting is part of the post race fun you get given a wrist band to prove you're of age to drink but they make you put it on right then so you ''can't give it to someone else''. Kinda silly as I had to walk around with it on for almost a day before the event. T-Shirt is cool but the sizes run large. Course: Lot's of scenery to take in as you go through various parks and Wineries, there are some mild hills but nothing too taxing. Volunteers: Fantastic! The group at mile 11 were so full of energy. Post Run: Chaotic. There were a few bites of food (Banana's, Chips, KIND bars) with drinks of Water, Coconut Water and of course 13 Wineries for those over 21. The medal is kinda cool (doubles up as a coaster but cannot be removed from the lanyard) but not very pleasant to look at, last years way much nicer. A Nice event to do for locals and if you like to collect bling.

I have run this race several times (I believe at least twice, but I have lost track; my lifetime…read morerace count since taking up running in 2014 is north of 250 at this point). I would run it again. It has a big bonus for anyone who wants to be awed: you end up inside the stadium, and they allow you to lounge around on the outfield. Even if you are not a baseball fan, that is a once-in-a-lifetime experience (well, more than once if you sign up, but you get the gist of it). It has an oddity of organization: they announce the date very late, so you cannot plan. I cannot figure out why that is, since it is professionally run. In addition to the medal, you get a bobblehead. (You can pay extra for the bib to be mailed; I always look for that, because my time is worth it to me, avoiding a needless trip to the Expo.) The other aspect of the race that should be mentioned is how flat the course is. It is an out and back along the Embarcadero, not too far from the Ferry Building (to the southeast of there), along Fisherman's Wharf, to the far side of Crissy Field. For the Bay Area, it has to be among the races with the least vertical gain. The field also has participants of enough different speeds, you won't feel as if you're doing terribly. There is a three hour time limit, so if you a pure walker (versus a run walker), you might need to speed up a bit. I am at the back of the pack myself, so I pass no judgment. (I've been finishing the race slower than 2:45, and it's fine.) PS I looked it up on Athlinks. I have run it three times. In doing that, I saw something I had not expected. The field has been shrinking. It was 3500 plus the first time, and 1200 the last time. That is a considerable change.

Of all the years of being a San Francisco Giants Fan!!! The Giants Race was the one event that.. I…read morehave never thought about doing it and It's a once in a year event!!! I was one of them shy and chicken type person that was afraid of doing it!!! And a lot of former co workers and also my brother has done it before!!! And most of my co workers had said to me, William you should go and try it out and have don't worry about being afraid!!! A lot of Giants Race runners start out slow, and with a lot of encouragement from my co workers and family!!! As when the new year of January 1 2018 came around... Okay I have said to my myself my goal of 2018 was go and try doing the San Francisco Giants 5K Race!!! And on that day of July 4th 2018 the time has finally come to me... I signed up for my very very 1st time on the Giants Race website and the rest is history!!! And from there, I started training & preparing myself by running around Lake Merced and other places in San Francisco... So I had 2 months to get ready for 2018 San Francisco Giants 5K Race!!! As the month of July and August which went by quick and when the month of September 9th 2018 was here!!! My time and day has finally arrived to go and run the Giants 5k Race!!! When I got at to AT&T PARK I was amazed to see a lot people who had signed for the 5k Giants Race!!! When I lined up at the starting line with my brother who also ran with me at the 5k Giants Race... When the timer has finally started, I said yayyyyy I am finally here and doing it!!! In the beginning, I started out slow with a normal pace and then started jogging little by little and some running by not over doing it towards the Embarcadero Ferry Building... From there it was a turn around and back to the Finish Line inside of the AT&T PARK BASEBALL FIELD!!! As I started running back towards the Finish Line inside of the Baseball Field I have said WHAT HUNTER PENCE WOULD HAVE SAID YES YES YES!!! Now that I have finally conquered my fears by not being afraid and I can now say I DID IT I DID IT I DID IT!!! I definitely would wanna come back next year in 2019 for the 10th Anniversary of the San Francisco Giants Race!!! ~JUST TAKE A LOOK AT ALL OF THE POSTED PICTURES THAT I HAVE POSTED FROM THE SEPTEMBER 9TH 2018 SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS 5K RACE~

Inside Trail Racing is a AWESOME!!!!…read more I only volunteer with them but my boyfriend runs a few different distances with this race. He says that the aid stations are well stocked and have great volunteers there to help you if you need it. The trails are marked well and he hasn't gotten lost on the trails compared to other races he's done. My perspective as a volunteer is that all the runners seem to have a good time and the volunteers are fun. Some of them will work either before or after they race. There is still volunteers there till the end to cheer on that last runner in. Since there is usually around 400 racers it has that family feel. You see some repeat racers/volunteers and new comers which is great. The race director "Tim" is wonderful and will work with you either as a volunteer or if you need to get registered last minute he can squeeze you in. Great prizes for the winners and the t-shirts are "tech" shirts which most people enjoy! If you haven't done his race yet, you should come check them out

What a good bunch of folks! The energetic race directors and volunteers are just fun to be around…read moreand you can tell they are passionate about making sure you just have a blast. Courses are amazingly marked, aid stations are well stocked with all your needs, and make sure you are worry free upon arrival to enjoy your race. The races are casual but draw often times the areas top competition. I also like having so many distance options to chose from. I look forward to participating in any of their events I can!

Definitely a fun race with lots of fun people and some seriously fun costumes…read more Good Stuff: The course, through Golden Gate Park, is beautiful. A bit hilly at times, but manageable. It was easy to get in and out of the event and we arrived an hour before the start time and had no problem finding free street parking. It was also not too congested at the start and, although they didn't do waves, they kept it slowly moving through. Nice shirts and medals. The Not-So-Good Stuff: There were a few narrow spots along the route and apparently a lot of people don't understand the concept of "slower people on the right, faster people on the left." Seriously. Stop walking four-wide. More importantly, what was with the lack of water stations?! And by "lack" I mean there were none. Zero. When we got to the end, they were handing out water bottles but is was a flavored kind...tasted good but I would have preferred plain water.

I know that races that are more of "fun runs" are not generally as organized. And I completely…read moreunderstand that as the first time to be hosted in SF, there might have been a few glitches. But seriously - the ENTIRE race was poorly organized and there was NO SUPPORT on the field at all. If I were you, I would save my money for the Color Run. Awesome support and atittude by staff and volunteers, as well as participants.

I will start out by explaining the need for better communication amongst the participants prior to…read morerace day. We registered through snail mail to avoid the processing fees, and a week later my check was cashed and that was the only way I knew they received my payment and registration! No email to confirm, so I had to email to verify a few weeks before the event that we were registered. It took a few days to get a response and when I did I was informed in fact we were not registered! I emailed back confirmig the date my check was cashed, then reply was sent back saying our registration was misplaced but they found it. Whew! But no other information is provided prior to race day, and that's frustrating to first timers as myself. Day of Event: I will say the preparation for race day was much more organized. We arrived at 5:45am and everything was practically set up, easy to retrieve your bib with plenty of friendly volunteers. I had to ask around a lot where to go, what to do, it was our first sprint triathlon, but everyone was helpful. There is a pre race speech given by past participants who were very informative and motivating! 400 yard swim: They break you up into age and male/females. Which I liked, easier to swim next to my fellow women especially when you may be in really close proximity. I hit a few people with my arms and legs but everyone was really friendly to my apolgies. The water at Shadow Cliffs I will have to say is DISGUSTING! Seriously, just walking to the starting point of the swim, makes me gag thinking about it. Gooeuy, seaweed type algae in between your toes that goes up past your knees when you step in it! The visibility in the water is zero, but the swim not bad physcially. 3 booeys that form a sqaure with the shoreline and easy to see. I had been training a lot in a lap pool and did one one open water swim, and was prepared for this portion of the triathlon. 11 mile bike: LOVED this route! A few hills, but overall a nice flat ride with pretty views of wine courntry in Livermore/Pleasanton. Traffic is blocked off and we get the road mostly to ourselves. 3 mile run: This was torture for me, it was hot, and there were a few more hills than I expected. But water is provided along the trail, it switched back a lot, but try to follow the chalked in arrows and you will be Ok. The finish line MC was awesome, saying your name and where you are from loud and clear with enthusiasm! I finished in 1hr 32 mins, I timed myself on my watch, but for $15 extra you can request a timing chip. I didn't make my goal of 1.5 hours but was pretty close, and didn't train too much, mostly only for the swimming portion. A check off my bucketlist, and it's local so have to be appreciative to OnYourMark Events to continuing this tradation of Sprint Triathlons in the area. Just wish for better communication and a better swimming location!

I completed the July 2018 Tri for Fun as my first triathlon and it was a great experience. I can't…read moreimagine a better sprint distance triathlon for the first timer and/or beginner. The event was well organized, well staffed, had plenty friendly volunteers, and was chipped timed. Post race results and pics were made available immediately after the event and showed your times in each of the 3 disciplines and the 2 transitions. Very useful info for future events and training. The water was warmer than most pools and I never felt cold while swimming in just shorts. Check-in was quick and easy and the morning participant meeting was informative and clarified any questions you might have about the course. Easy parking and decently clean bathrooms. Great event and highly recommended. Liked it so much, I am planning on doing the August event and this time with my wife.