I'm a huge fan of the shorter Zoom races that Coastal Trail Runs puts on. The majority of their…read moreraces are on gravel, crushed rock or dirt trail and my joints are so grateful! Also, the races are typically more low key than other options ...so parking, registration lines, and race traffic are never issues. And the noise level is minimal... other races commonly have music volumes that are uncomfortably loud. Check them out!

I've run a couple of their races. The 12 hour New Years run was well organized. I wasn't a huge fan…read moreof the ankle bracelet trackers that just look like you're on house arrest. The Zombie Half Marathon has some great views of SF and goes along the coast nearly the entire time. The signage was mediocre and I felt lost more than a couple times. Every time there's a fork in the road they seem to just put a sign in the middle of the fork which is just confusing. In addition, there were long stretches through residential areas that were barely marked. While this wasn't the worst trail marking job I've seen, its definitely not the best. Also not a huge fan of their shirt designs.

What a fun way to start the year and kick start your new years fitness goals. The run is through…read morethe golden park, down ocean beach and back. I completed the 10k for the first time with friends. I would say the run can be a challenge, there is uphill going back to the park. I run golden gate but if you are used to flat running it can be an adjustment. One critique was the water stations seemed to be poorly stationed out. There were plenty of water during the first few miles but then we couldn't find water for the last end, which is when you need it ! But everyone was friendly and the after hot chocolate was .

A huge race thank goodness they started tying the start lines with the 5K people starting a good 45…read moreminutes to an hour before the 10 and 15 K. There is a cut off for speed with 15 minute mile being the slowest so I'm gonna have to hustle if you're a walker I don't know if it is worth it to do the VIP we did. We just got a little grocery bag with some chocolate and coupons in it at the packet pick up and then on the day we suppose we were to get a hot breakfast and a turkey sausage we wanted to have bananas. Regular people were getting but they ran out. I don't know that I would ever do the VIP again unless it was raining and then it's totally worth it.

This 5k run is sponsored by the United Mt. Diablo Athletic Foundation (UMDAF) and benefits all 6…read moreHigh School Sports & Athletics programs of the Mt. Diablo Unified School District (MDUSD). This includes Northgate, Ygnacio Valley, Clayton Valley, College Park, Mt. Diablo, and Concord High. The 2012 race was held on October 7th at Newhall Community Park off Turtle Creek Rd. in Concord, CA. The 2012 program included an electonically-timed Competitive 5K Run, a 5K recreational run/walk, and a Kiddie Race. Pre-registration was $25, Day of Event was $30, and the Kiddie race was only $10. All participants who obtained $50 or more in sponsorships had their registration fees waived. Net proceeds benefit the United Mt. Diablo Athletic Foundation, a Sec. 501(c)(3) organization, which directly funds the high school sports programs of the MDUSD. Awards were given to top 3 finishers by Age & Gender Groups. The 5k is run entirely within Newhall Community Park. The course starts and ends in grassy areas within the park, but the majority of the course is run on paved and unpaved trails which encircle the park, including an entire loop, with a shortened 2nd inner loop. (See course map uploaded as a photo on Yelp as a .jpg file). The trail includes a few inclines and declines (small hills), but the total elevation gain is manageable. The race is a volunteer-run event, and as you would expect for an event of this type, a large number of the runners are local high school athletes and their family members. Overall, a great community event for the Concord, Clayton, Pleasant Hill and Walnut Creek area . . . and the MDUSD !!

I recommend signing up for this clean Spartan Race if you are just getting into OCR's. When I think…read moreof Spartan races, I envision mud, dirt, hills and hills and more hills. This is the complete opposite of that, and for me, does not truly depict what a "real" Spartan race is. This course takes you all around the perimeter of the stadium, both inside and out. The views of the bay are amazing! As with any Sprint races, I never carry along a Camelbak. The water stations are adequate. However, if in complete dire need of hydration, there are water fountains available. The volunteers offer a lot of encouragement and support without physically helping you through an obstacle (other Spartan racers will be there for you!). The staple Spartan obstacles included in this race are Hercules Hoist, spear throw, wall climbs, sandbag carry, rope climb, monkey bars, cargo frame, and crawls. In preparation for this race, do a lot of stairs - stairmaster at the gym, bleachers, take the stairs at work, avert from taking the escalators/elevators, and take the stairs!!! Though this venue is perfect for a novice racer, a more experienced one might find it mundane. I've raced twice in this stadium and my kids have done three Kids Spartan races here. Keep in mind that Spartan Races are not low-cost. You can go on GroupOn to buy tickets, but race times are in the afternoon. I personally like to race in the morning so although these rates are more economical, they do not apply to me. Getting a refund or deferring your race is not an easy feat and is an obstacle in and of itself, so be sure you are fully committed when signing up. *** For any Spartan Race, I suggest looking into Mission Peak Spartans in Fremont for a more in depth training. Mission Peak (the actual hike) is a popular spot for Spartans *** Beautiful Spartan venues to look in to: Hawaii - the course is absolutely breathtaking!!!! Gorgeous throughout!!! Seattle - the Beast in October is quite impressive! Other Spartan races I've participated in: Monterey and Tejon Ranch - hills and dust for days on out!!! Sacramento - my least favorite course. Potholes everywhere!!! Pala Beast - hella hot and dry!!! No other races scheduled for this venue.

So I have a friend/co-worker who has been volunteering and running this race for a few years now…read more I've been meaning to do it, but I either waited too long to sign up or I had other plans. This year I was determined to try this out but of course scared since I haven't been super training and well there was a chance of rain which I wasn't too thrilled about. But, to our luck Sunday was a perfect day to volunteer and race and I was glad I did it. In short, if you're looking to try out a Spartan race, this one is a good one to start with. It didn't particularly kill me too much. I do have bruises to say otherwise, but do it with a group of friends who aren't in it for time and you'll have a blast. L O C A T I O N The race takes you in and around the bellies of AT&T Park. Parking is at A Lot which costs $15 even for volunteers. They used to have free parking for volunteers but my luck, it wasn't covered this year. It's a short little stroll to the park from there. If you're volunteering, you have to walk to the far otherside of the park to check-in. V O L U N T E E R As a volunteer, they send out an email a month in advance to sign up for your roles from Thursday-Sunday. If you do one full shift, you get a free shirt and a free race entry for this race or a future race but you still have to pay $14 for the insurance fee. Any extra shifts you take you get a discount at the store. So don't go thinking you can do multiple shifts and get free races for each of them. We signed up for the 7am-2pm Registration booth spot. They needed to do a little better job to introduce leaders of the area and the lead volunteer cause he kind of disappeared for us. Also they could've told us what we should do if certain things happened like, missing/lost chips, extra questions that we can't field, etc. They just kind of showed us how to scan things and said if we had any questions to go to the other booth where they were at, but there wasn't really time for us to run there and keep registering people. Anyways, as a volunteer we had to sign a waiver...another one outside of the online waiver. We did get a Firehouse sub lunch, chips, popcorn, granola bars, and water. Did we really have time to eat? Not really cause we were one of the first booths for registration. I had time to take bites between waves of people. I also ended up standing the whole time which took a bit of toll on my lower back. Goodness me, I clearly am getting old. After they did shut down our area to limit the registration tables, one of the area leads told us to go walk up and down to pick up trash, which if they had actual trash cans, would not be a big issue. Also they should've had gloves if this was going to be part of our jobs. After doing our shift we walked back and checked out, then straight back to registration to sign ANOTHER waiver...same ones again to run the volunteer run at 2pm which we ended up going closer to 2:45pm. R A C E As a racer, you have to go through security after you register. At this point there's no signs to say "Start" this way. I wish there was a sign, though we just assumed it was go up the escalator as the exit is at the same point. The bag check is inside for $5 and they man the tables until all bags are gone. The race starts towards first base. You get a 5ft wall to go over as a teaser. They also check for your heat time on your wrist so make sure you have it. After that they slowly release people. It took almost 15-20 minutes from that first wall to actually starting. The race itself was a lot of stair climbing which killed my calves and there's really no real space when you're in the stands to pass people, so you just have to take your opportunities to pass outside of the bleacher runs. I would suggest to look up videos for techniques to get past all the different obstacles like the herc hull, wall climbs, rope climb and spear throw as the other obstacles really don't have much technique. You just do it. Fortunately for us, the penalty for any incomplete obstacle you do was only 15 burpees. Standard is typically 30. So do lots of burpees for training. O V E R A L L Volunteering then racing is doable. Do it with a group of friends as it was super fun doing it with two of my friends. We all celebrated as we went over the 6ft, 7ft and finally 8ft walls. I wouldn't recommend this to people who don't already workout. You do have to train for this a little. I do cardio 4-5 times a week, weights or crossfit for 2-3 times a week and go on a hike at least once a week. So I wasn't too afraid of this though those walls were very intimidating. But as my first Spartan I thoroughly enjoyed it. I just wish there was more signage, and a better map to better plan for obstacles, though you can definitely youtube a course run to get a feel.

I have been attending the Celebrity golf events for a few years now. Each year gets better and…read morebetter! See you in Sept!!!

We went to compete, volunteer, and cheer in 2011. Last year was just competing and cheering. I'd…read moresay we have a pretty good idea of how this triathlon holds up to others and it's terrific. Things of note to racers: - The race talk is important. - Pay attention when they tell you about the currents. They're not kidding! - There's a bagpiper at the start of the race (LOVE!). - They sang the national anthem. - There's carpeting leading in and out of the water so that racers don't hurt their feet on stones. - Some parts of the course are confusing. The bike and run involve a few loops and are sometimes biking/running along side one another. It's not always clear which way bikes should go and which way runners should go. - Both the bike and run start and end near a challenging hill. Things to note for volunteers: - Although there's a sign-up online, it's not necessary to do so. You can volunteer where needed the day of the race. - The volunteers are SUPPOSED to have specific time slots, but I witnessed several volunteers who were never given relief and felt compelled to stay MUCH longer than they agreed. Things to note for people cheering: - Be careful not to walk on the course. There are many places where it seems okay to stand or walk where it's not. - Since everything starts and ends close to the transition area, it's convenient to set up camp in a single location and cheer on your racers. - You should bring snacks and drinks as there isn't a whole lot available at the race. Not to say that there's nothing. Just not much. - Cell phone reception is spotty. We had three different carriers between us and none of us had a consistent signal. There were times when we didn't have signal at all.

Is this where I can meet my husband? In San Francisco?…read more Ode to pancakes and virgin bloody mary's..as well as my prize medal for running the presidio 5k that also is offered by SF Marathon...even this year..thanks for telling me these tips the hard way. Running is a nice way to socialize and meet people in a new city or old city.. As long as you can practice for the real thing. As long as you bring your kids...as long as you forgot to get married. Don't forget to wake up after your hangover and head over to brunch in San Francisco CA bro--kay?

Picture perfect views on the course, fun after party at the finish line all in the name of charity,…read morewhat more could you ask for?! The guardsmen have been hosting this race for some time and every year ( this was my 9th) it gets better and better! Pros: well organized and supported course Well staffed aid stations and awesome volunteers Race day packet pick up Staggered race times for each race Cocktails and breakfast at the finish line Newly upgraded race finisher shirts ; no more cotton Proceeds go to fund activities for underprivileged youth Great music and party atmosphere post race Beautiful, scenic course Cons: Tough to get into your own groove/pace as the stretch on the bridge is crowded. Bottlenecks when connecting from the northbound to southbound side of the bridge As you can see, the pros outweigh the cons, I am looking forward to my 10th year and many more in the future. Thank you guardsmen for hosting an A+ event.

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

This is a USATF certified, hilly 5k course that runs through the picturesque town of Piedmont. This…read moreis one of the only closed course races around that has a spot for families/walkers and four legged friends. This race offers something for everyone. A speedy start for those who are going to run it under 20 minutes, a challenging course for the weekend warrior or a great stroll with your family and friends. Street parking is free and easy. Race shirts are high quality wicking fabric, timing provided by race roster. Snacks and prizes post race. https://raceroster.com/events/2018/18942/2018-piedmont-turkey-trot