I had the chance to run the Hot Chocolate run 15k/5k recently in San Diego and I had a blast!…read more Sign-ups were easy and convenient while I did everything online and the page was easy to navigate around to find all the information you needed to know about the race. It was sponsored by St Jude hospital where they gave you another opportunity to donate to the kids there for free medical expenses provided at the hospital made easy by donors like yourself. The expo was on Broadway Pier located Downtown on the Embarcadero on Friday and Saturday while you had the chance to pick up your BIB and a lovely swag running jacket . I was in and out in no time with all my gear and of course free samples of chocolate and marshmallows! Sunday was race day and the 5k (3.2 mi) started at 645 am while the 15k (9.3 mi) started at 745am at K street in Downtown San Diego right next to Petco Park. The race was well organized with live music and photographers taking pictures. As for the course it was one of the funnest courses I have ran with hills on top of hills. As I runner you always have to remember what must go up must come down! The course was well managed with volunteers giving out electrolytes, water, and of course sweet treats such as chocolates and gummies every couple of miles. The photographers were great while all the pictures they took were were uploaded that same day unlike most races where you have to wait a week or so to view them. Overall it was a fun hilly Downtown race with scenic views and unexpectedly I finished 1st in my age group and 27th overall! Looking forward to run this race again in the future because I had such a great time and the swag they gave out was awesome along with the post race hot chocolate, Graham crackers, oreos, bananas, and of course marshmallows!

I decided to sign up for the Hot Chocolate 15k/5k Run with my friend! Even though I'm not much of a…read morerunner, I had an amazing time. We got dropped off and then took the trolley back after the race was finished

The Color Run is the first and only 5k run I've ran. I've been coming here since 2013, and it…read morenever gets boring. Basically what happens is that for every kilometer that you run, a different colored dye gets thrown at you, so by the end you're all splattered with dyed cornstarch. Best thing to wear is white so that you can see all the colors, so basically wear your complimentary color run shirt! The cornstarch does get in your nose and sometimes your eyes as you run through, so to make it easier I recommend bringing a pair of glasses/sunglasses, and maybe even a mask for your nose and mouth. For the next day I'm pretty much blowing out green and black boogers. 5k is a little more than 3 miles, like 3.1 miles, so it's an easy, flat track. They also have a water station in the middle. You can walk or run it, so nothing's really pushing you, except yourself. The only time restriction is that usually the waves run every 10 minutes from 7:45 am to 8:45 am, so you have to be starting the race before 8:45 in order to complete it. I do, however, recommend getting there early because the traffic is RIDICULOUS, coming from both the south and the north. What should've been a 10 minute car ride turned into 45 minutes because of the traffic getting into the stadium. There's a different theme for every year, so it's exciting and different every year. This year's theme (2015) was glitter, so we ran through clouds of glitter, and it was amazing. After you run the race, there's also a color party at the main stage where everyone dances and throws up color packets. It creates this beautiful colorful cloud that rains color down on everyone. Remember to hold your breath while all the color packets are thrown up! While you're not guaranteed to get one, they like to throw out random freebies out to the crowd, and that includes bags, caps, and drawstring bags. But, even if you don't get any, the complimentary color run packet is more than enough to remember it by. I highly recommend experiencing this run at least once, especially with good company!

I did the Color Run back in 2012 and just noticed on my account that the company who processed…read moretheir race and payments posted an unauthorized charge of $89.95 for a yearly membership 7 and 8 years later! I was charged in 2019 and again for 2020. I just noticed it and tried to call ACTIVE NETWORK but they had heavy call volumes so I reported the unauthorized charges to my bank and BBB.org who are currently investigating it. If you check them out on BBB.org there are NUMEROUS complaints on the same issue. ActiveNetwork.com even has a Q&A on the annual fee. So it must happen pretty often. I logged into the account and looked at my history of charges from them. I attached a photo with this review. I hope races and marathons stop working with this shady company.

So here's the thing…read more.. If you've been chasing the CA Half Series, you'll likely end up at the San Diego Holiday Half medal race. Whether you're completing four races, seven, ten, fifteen, or twenty--even if you're solely running SD--the Holiday Half is where you'll be awarded your much-deserved medals. So since you're running SD Holiday Half anyway--you might as well run the San Diego South Bay Turkey Trot 15K and snag an extra challenge medal for running both. The medal in question: the Winter Exacta Medal! To qualify, you must run the 15K--it's the same medal for all three finished runs--but Rohr Park offers a beautifully scenic course, lots of runners are colorfully costumed to fit the holiday theme, and everyone is in high spirits. After all, a pre-run on Thanksgiving morning is certainly invigorating and refreshing, especially when knowing a turkey celebration and an exciting day of football is soon to follow. After logging a few, early morning miles, turkey seconds (and thirds), smashed cauliflower, and a bit of cranberry sauce is welcomed. Earn it!

It was a cold chilly morning but folks got up, some got dressed and trotted out to Rhor park to…read morekick start the day burning off calories that soon will be replenished. With all the Turkey Trots around San Diego, this one is the only one that gave out a finishers medal at the end. Though the medals were the same for the 5k, 10k ,and 15k the ribbon was a different color. No biggie. The bib pick up was in the same place the day before. Because it got dark, they had to set up lights for people to find their names, sign the liability sheet and pick up their goodie bag which consisted your tshirt. Other than that, there was nothing else in there but a coupon. The day of the run was simple. There were two white signs that said start and orange cones that lead the running path. Parking was tricky since there are several parking lots around the park. They started the 15k people at 8am and then let the other runners go 5 mins later so not everyone bunched up in one area. But you had some faster runners in the 5k who caught up the 15kers pretty fast. The course was a mix of wet grass, dirt trail and concrete. The runners started thinning out by the first mile and there was only one water station along the way for the 5k course. As for the 10k and 15k, I'm not sure if there was any more water stations but it was not expected to be hills! My only suggestions to improve this race is to have mile markers. There was none along the way and folks who never ran the course have no idea where or how far we were from the finish line. And an elevation chart would be great too for those running the 10k/15k. The timing for the course came out the same day which was great and there were plenty of snacks and water to replenish after the race.

2 of 12 in 2016 - DONE!!!…read more Who runs 2 1/2 marathons in 6 days... I DO!!! I earned my "Concrete" Mermaid Athlete status. My friends always call me a mermaid because I love the waters. I thought the Mermaid Series 1/2 Marathon and the pink mermaid medal was fitting for my wall of medals. I had originally signed up for the 10k 6 miles because 6 days prior to this race I just ran the Run Surf City 1/2 Marathon and in 3 weeks will be running the San Diego 1/2 Marathon. Never ran a race back to back but said there's a first for everything so less than 12hrs before start I had asked to switch to a 1/2 marathon (since my body fully recovered quickly) - why not!!! THE EXPO. There really wasn't one. Just a bib pick up at Sports Authority. THE COURSE. The race is on a Saturday morning. After a long week and having to wake up early in the M was a brutal awakening. No PRs just #sexypace. Started out cold and foggy. But appreciate the cold because by mile 5 the sun will be beaming. It was around mission beach park. Parking was hideous. Think about it, the start line and finish line are a mile away from each other and you can either park at the finish line and walk an extra mile back to your car OR you can park near the finish line and walk a mile before running 13.1 miles. There's no shuttle service!!! Choose wisely. The path ways were basically the park paths and side walks. Expect some crowding, especially when you catch up to pacer groups and they block the pathway and you can't get around them. The course is relatively flat with itty bitty unnoticeable inclines around mile 2-4. Mile 5-7 goes by quickly. Mile 8 was a clustered path and you are using mile 10s water station as mile 8s water station - not a good idea because you have to cross the course and get into the ways of mile 10 runners to get a cup of water. Mile 8-9 probably the hardest miles of this course. And the worst part, the hammer head gel espresso flavor on the tables were the nastiest gels I ever had. I had the squirts the rest of the day.... terrible!!! The rest of the way to the finish line you are running on a side walk and by then many locals are entering the park so your sharing a side walk with a lot of others runners and park visitors. And at the end they are having the kid dash on the same path as the finish so as you are running the last 100 yards there's kids and people dashing towards you (that was kind of weird and very disorganized). But overall I'm happy I ran the 1/2. San Diego people are so friendly... A lot of people smiled at me on the course, had conversation with me, etc. cracking up when homegirl and I ran past a volunteer that looked grumpy and didn't want to be there and she said "smile girl" and the volunteer still just stared at us. Hilarious! Anyhow this was a fun run with great people. THE AFTERMATH. Several tents set up for small snacks and drinks and a lot of merchandise on sale. They were serving green bananas. You know how important potassium is after running 13.1 miles and they serve GREEN BANANAS, yuck. But I received my medal and my mermaid necklace... I finished my 1/2 marathon and beat my time from 6 days ago by 5 minutes with no injury. Next race in 3 weeks :)

This was my first time running a Mermaid Series event. I was lured by the cute shirt, necklace and…read morevery reasonable registration cost for the half marathon ($70). I appreciate when races offer race day packet pickup so I can just drive the 1 1/2 hours on race morning and save money on a hotel room. The parking was free and spaces were plentiful! I picked up my packet before 6am as they were setting up and it was easy. They gave me a temporary mermaid tattoo and a couple of Luna bars. The race started right on time at 7am and it's a good thing because it was warming up quickly. The first 4-5 miles of the course went around Fiesta Island which was pretty boring. The rest of the course didn't offer much visual reprieve as we ran around a park and some residential areas. The last 2 miles cut through a park along a concrete path. There were many friendly volunteers and cheerleaders along the course route which helped break up the monotony. The finish area had plenty of tangerines, bananas, water, Honest Teas, muffins, cookies, etc. They really went all out with the finish line goodies. I've run many more expensive races that didn't have anything but bagels, bananas and water. I'd definitely run another event with them in the future because they're organized, reasonably priced and the swag is pretty great! Overall: 88 out of 518 F 35-39: 11 out of 80 Finish: 1:54:49

I've run this race a dozen times (2005 - 2012, 2014, 2017 - 2019) as it's a well organized race and…read moreI love visiting San Diego. It is the 3rd and final race in the Triple Crown Series (Carlsbad, La Jolla, and AFC). The course is predominantly downhill at the beginning, followed by some flat miles in the middle. Once you get into the downtown area, you will come up to some significant uphill climbs. Be sure to save something for that last climb up 6th Ave. Most years it's hot and humid, so stay hydrated and run through those water spray stations! The race expo is located at the Sheraton San Diego Hotel on Harbor Island just south of the San Diego International Airport. More specifically it's inside the Bayside Pavilion at the southern end of the hotel property. If you drive, they have free parking in the dirt lot just as you turn onto Harbor Island Dr off of Harbor Dr. Important for race day: The start line is located at Cabrillo National Monument over at Point Loma. You'll need to take one of the shuttles from Balboa Park over to the start line. You cannot be dropped off at the start. They have 2 pick-up locations on Park Blvd, one at the corner of Presidents Way and the other at Zoo Place. Currently they reward you with the Triple Crown medal in addition to the finisher medal when you've completed the 3 race series in the same calendar year. They also reward you with the Triple Triple Crown medal when you've completed the Triple Crown 3 times.

I signed up to run this half marathon this past August. The race was cancelled the night before due…read moreto hurricane concerns. Understandable considering everyone's safety. But I, like many others, traveled to San Diego in order to run this race on top of obviously paying for it. When the time came for options after it was cancelled, they only let you defer to next year's, or choose between 3 other races and offered 50% off lol. No option for a refund. We just got our meal with the deferral code to sign up. I paid $149 to run in the race in August, the race is currently $99. I thought it was reasonable to ask for a code to receive pictures/video ($25 value). Since again, I paid $149 initially and was given no option for a refund of my money. The woman who emailed back, Ellen, responded with attitude and with something that had nothing to do with my question. I then had to email back reiterating my question, and she responded back saying no and cited me signing up late last year. Which I don't believe has anything to do with the dollar value that I'm trying to get back (again, considering a refund wasn't even an option). I will definitely not sign up for this one again.

We did it! Fiancee, offspring and I went from 0 to finishers in about 5 months of training. It was…read moreincredible to cross the finish line without getting hurt after so many weekends at Lake Miramar and weekdays pounding the neighborhood pavement. Crowd was wonderful - lots of funny signs, cheering, music, alcohol stops and overall inspiration to complete this hilly course - thank you, neighbors and volunteers! Now I got the bragging rights to say I completed a half marathon while in my 40s, and also motivated two other guys to put in the work necessary to finish ahead of me. Worth it!

They start at 6:30 right on time We were cheers on all the…read morerunners for the Marathon. It was great to see more woman in front pack with the guys We all came out to share involvement Up early 3:45 got there 5:20 Passed out snacks and water We are the Chula Vista Run Club So cheers on our people in the race And having fun Very clean streets and ended by 11:30

This was my second time running the Rock n Roll Half Marathon in San Diego and I can say it is one…read moreof the more well run and signed races I've been to. There was no confusion which course to follow, which has sometimes been the case at some particular Rock n Roll events for me in the past. Having only one course split between the half and full marathons has a role to play in that. This course is hilly, regardless which one you choose and the half takes you through Hillcrest, University Heights, North Park, Balboa Park and then downtown, with the race festival being at Waterfront Park the past few years. The finish line is located blocks away from the festival so there's always quite a bit of walking before you can grab your checked gear back, heavy medals, beer, etc If you have a car, there is no official parking area so you're on your own for that. I would recommend arriving on foot, scooter, bike or rideshare. I have a friend that drove his car and it seemed like a pain trying to find a place to reserve a parking spot prior race morning.

Just finished my first half marathon! At first I was little concerned since all the bathrooms…read morebefore the race had started ran out of toilet paper but as the run started there was multiple well stocked rest stations. The course itself was beautiful and well versed from long flat stretches to hills for all levels of runners. Multiple water and Gatorade stations. The only time I felt uncomfortable on my run was during the last stretch where we had to run through a tunnel with multiple homeless encampments. I will be doing this run again the only thing I would ask them to change is a safer ending to the route and better stocked restrooms at the start. There is also a lot of medical tents and personal on site in case of emergencies!

fun event with high energy music to get everyone amped for the run. food trucks are there if you're…read morehungry which doesn't make too much sense to me because you're running, being healthy, being fit and here's a taco truck haha anyways.. if you plan on bringing your expensive camera or even your phone, be warned that they most likely will get the color powder thingy on them. Use a zip lock bag or something to protect them. The event was held at 9am which is good, because its not too early so it won't be as chilly and also not late to where the sun is out burning you. At the finish line volunteers pass out drinking water, so drink it and stay hydrated. Overall a great event. Oh bring a towel too to wipe all the color powder stuff off your face.

Fun run benefiting the Boys and Girls Club of North County! Packet pickup was easy as was parking…read morethe day of the event. Perfect for families and groups. Fun announcer at the starting line and isn't of color to go around. Nice to get a bottle of water at the finish line but would prefer more than one water table on the course. 5 star would be tunes rocking throughout the course. And to be even more exceptional a course photographer that sends you links to photos you can buy wherever your race number showed up. The candids turned out so great that I can only imagine if we had access to action shots.

Ragnar Relay was on my bucket list for only two months before my team and I checked it off…read more It all started when I was showing off my Tough Mudder headband at work when my homie asks, "You wanna do something crazier?" So I sez, "Who you tryin' to get crazy with ese? Don't you know I'm loco? Cue Cypress Hill...anyways, he showed me the website and I was hooked immediately. I got over the shock of running over 200 miles non-stop as a team and when he showed me his medal...dooode! It was huge...TWSS! So determined to get my own medal and not be the weakest link, I ran hills...tons of em, I ran at night...super dark, I ran forever...yelling at the world. All that prep got me in perfect Ragnar shape but it was the kills that pushed me over the edge. Anytime you pass up another Ragnar runner it was considered a kill and I wanted to be the top assassin in my van. As runner five, it was torturous waiting for my turn to run as it almost was four hours before I started pounding the sidewalk (in my blue tutu). My first leg was 2.4 miles with a killer hill in the blistering heat, but I turned beast mode on and I never turned it off til the finish. I gotta say my night run was the best; it was a downhill leg at two in the morning with zero sleep and quiet as hell. There's nothing like running on an empty road with no one around you with your headlamp as the only source of light. My third and final leg was the longest but it also got me the most kills, 33 to be exact, and I passed the "baton" with a fiery yell. So after 38 plus hours of running 203 miles, we racked over 300 kills (50 were mine!), received one amazing medal, had millions of laughs and memories, and not a wink of sleep. You also become a porta potty professional! I recently ran the OC half marathon and it's true that all your other races seem rather pedestrian after you do a Ragnar. I'M ADDICTED!!!!

12 Friends, 2 vans, 2 days, 200 mile relay = an unforgettable experience…read more I've done many races from Triathlons (Olympic to Ironman 70.3 distances) and countless half marathons -- but SoCal Ragnar was by far the hardest race I've done to date. From a physical standpoint, each of the legs assigned are completely manageable as they range from 3-9 mile legs. Throw in logistics, schedules, lack of sleep, and weather, you feel like you've just been put through the ringer. In 2 days, I probably got no more than 2 hours of sleep. Rough... Our start time was 5AM on Friday so heading north to the start at Huntington Beach was pretty rough. We were van 2 so technically we did not have to be up there until 8AM but we got an early start because we wanted to allow enough time to get checked in, go through our security and safety briefing and perhaps do a little bit of shopping at the Ragnar merchandise tent. CHECKING IN: For van 2, this was at Exchange 7 and the scene was epic. There was excitement in the air, tons of vans decorated with hilarious team names and sayings and just tons of peeps getting ready to cheer their runners on and sending another one out. I thought the check in process could've been organized more efficiently. You stand in a long line to be handed a waiver, only to step aside and step back in line to turn it in. After that was done, you had to seek out an official volunteer to confirm you have the necessary safety gear for the race: headlamps for night running (2 per van), vests (1 per person) and tail lights for night runners (2 per van). Then...you had to attend a safety training which was about 10 min. long but was very difficult to understand because they have 2 of them doing it side by side over intercoms and you cannot understand a word coming out of their mouths. It was rather ridiculous and obvious it was just a formality. EXCHANGES: I realize the some of these exchanges were in the middle of no where and for some, in the middle of the night or the wee hours of the morning but put out more than a cone and tape out for these exchanges. Also some did not have porta potties so we were looking for gas stations in the middle of the night that would allow us to use their facilities. This was difficult because legs in the middle of night and early mornings were shortest for our van so we had little time to do this. AID STATIONS: Aid stations were not identified in race bibles. Some noted that there would be a certain amount of aid/water stations but did not tell you at what mile. For us, this was a concern on 1st day through Corona, Temecula and Lake Elsenoire, temperatures were gnarly and runners were really overheating - one started showing signs of heat stroke and we even gave water to other runners who's teammates didn't think to follow them. We had no clue when and where there was support so we followed them nearly the whole way to ensure they were ok. Clearly state support at mile markers so teams can plan accordingly. RUNNING AT NIGHT: Running under the stars and in the still of the night was pretty darn amazing. My 2nd leg started at 2am and this by far was my favorite leg. I was a little spooked at times because I was running along the canyon and I could hear things moving in the tall grass BUT the cool morning air, open roads and the twinkly skies above was truly spectacular. How blessed I am to be able to enjoy this. I took it all in and enjoyed every moment. MEDALS: Awesome! SOMEONE BUILD A TRACKER APP: I would've loved to have tracked other teams we knew out there on the course. Someone create a tracker app for next year. = ) I know I'd pay $ to have this on my iPhone. Overall, the race was organized really well all things considered. Catching Zzz's in sleeping bags on the side of the road or in parking lots with any sort of grassy area at random points along the race course was the pits while we were living through it...but have been the source of many funny and great stories now. Race amnesia hasn't set in (YET!) but i'm sure i'll be looking forward to next years race very soon. I hear talk of our team potentially doing Napa later this year. Not ready to commit but would highly consider. This is a race like no other and while I'm still completely exhausted even after a day of rest, I'd highly recommend. Hats off to all the Ultra teams out there who did 200 miles between 6 people - I've got mad respect for you guys and gals. P.S. While I may not be an Ultra Runner, this 5' girl has mastered driving a 14 person van and even parallel parked that beast with inches to spare. I should get an extra medal for that. = )

"What do you want me to do? Dress in drag and do the hula?" - Timon, The Lion King…read more One of my favorite local runs! My only "Hawaiian" type of outfit is a wrap I bought years ago from the Bahamas. If it weren't for this race, I probably would have worn it twice. Now I can say I wore it at least 4 times now. Lol. As the years progress, the amount of participants increase. The course they have choose for the 5K is along walkways which are split into two way traffic areas, and still shared by pedestrians. They should make the walkways one way thus giving runners more space, and kick out the pedestrians. lol. For 2016, I believe they changed the route a bit, and even added a 10K. I remember last year, there was this lady looking for her son. I guess he was taken the night before. She was on the side asking runners if anyone has seen a little boy; it was quite the downer. Anyway, it's a fun, easy run for the whole family, and they always provide cute medals. Anything Hawaiian themed means you'll have a good time. :) TIPS -- It is alway hot, so be prepared and wear sunscreen. -- Parking can be a little tricky, so come early -- If you cannot pick up your gear at the day before at Road Runner Sports, you can pick it up on the day of the race. Shirt sizes may vary at that point. -- A timer is provided -- No gear check -- There is a "virtual" version of this race. You pay the fees, run/walk at your own leisure, and your medal and shirt will be mailed to you. -- Long Beach also has a Aloha Run! If you are that desperate, you can go to Long Beach. lol.

A fun festive event,love the good atmosphere live entertainment and the course. Can't wait for next…read morerace.