I think it should be a requirement for runners to volunteer at a water stop before actually…read moreparticipating. I don't think it will kill them to run a couple more steps to throw away their water cups. I never realized how annoying (and maybe a bit inconsiderate) to see cups on the ground when there's a trash can next to it until I started volunteering for running events. Okay, so that's my rant... Now about the run. Cat N. and I both thought it was a pretty good event with lots of major sponsors. I came to realize this after crossing the finish line and being handed a Smart Water and not Arrowhead or Kirkland, wow! There were also free Jamba Juice, Pop Chips, Honest Tea, Bear Naked and many more! And of course, free chocolate and champagne! Definitely loads of freebies. You also get a medal and champagne glass for finishing, and my favorite, ALL participants get tech shirts. It's very different since most running events only give out regular T-shirts for 5K runners and save the dri-fit shirts for half and full marathoners. But just FYI, the shirts run a little small and short. I'm regularly a small, but I got a medium. Cat N. is usually a medium, but got a large. We both agreed that this will be an annual thing for us. And BTW, it's not only for women, but men are eligible to participate as well.

I'm from Alameda and the starting line is less than a 10 minute drive from my house so I may be…read morebiased about this race since I didn't have to wake up at an ungodly hour to run like I do for most races. I've only gotten an opportunity to do the 5K but I'm really hoping to do the half-marathon one day (it always coincides with the San Diego Rock & Roll, though, and SD is typically where I am in the early summer). But the 5K was great, weather was sunny (which I don't mind for a 5K but for a half, that could be a problem), and the course was extremely flat. The cause is great and as a woman, it's always empowering and nice to run these types of races! It's also nice that it's a small race too--registration is relatively cheap and you don't feel too overwhelmed by the crowds. The only downside for me was that not a lot of people were cheering. More neighborhood spirit please, Alameda!

A major marathon that occurs in mid-March, and starts at 7am (National Anthem gets played 10 min…read moreprior) and is meant to be finished by runners in 3-6hrs. The main hub is set up in Snow Park, which sees an influx of vendors, stage setups, port-a-potties, fencing, the whole setup in short. Love the energy it brings to The Town!

Good Running Festival, good energy, good vibe. I missed the Inaugural running of this last year,…read moremade sure I was able to run it this year. This Race takes place in Alameda Point, basically your running through the vacant Alameda Naval Base. If your looking for big running crowds lining the streets for you, this is not the race for you. It's what I would call a runners race. If you're looking for a PR or just enjoy running for the sake of running, this is your race. Plenty of aid stations, and beer and food after, including a burrito, as well as music if you want to hang out for a while. I'll definitely be back next year!!

This is my very first Brazen Race and trail 1/2 marathon. It was awesome!…read more Brazen did a great job organizing the event from registration to the post race celebration. All the details were thought out. The 5K was entirely on paved trails, while the 10K and half marathon were about 50% paved trails and 50% fire trails. The 5K and 10K were out and back courses, while the half marathon for 2011 looped Lake Chabot. The half marathon was not for the faint of hearts. My GPS showed elevation climbs over 2,500ft! Every mile of the 1/2 marathon was a challenge. Especially mile 3 on the Live Oak trail. Intense incline for over a mile! Mile 8 was almost a free fall with a vertical descent for over a 1/4 mile. And finally, Mile 9 which ran along the dry river bed single track. After an intense course, it was nice to finish with great recovery food (fruits, bagels, pastries, IT-IT's ice cream and cheesecake!) Love the well designed dry-fit tee and finishers' metal. I will wear both proudly!

Despite having run in several races (10k, 10mi, and half marathon) over the past 18 months, I…read moredecided to try my first 5k at the Bad Bass. Brazen Racing has become my favorite race company, since they put on such organized races with great swag. This one was no different. Everything is on time and well-marked. As with any race, I'd suggest getting here early, that way you have time to park, get your packet, etc. The 5k had probably the fewest number of people who signed up, compared to the 10k and half marathon distances. Just so you know, the 10k and 5k distances were "just over" 6.2 & 3.1 miles (call them "ultra" 10k and 5k, if you will, haha). Once again, post-race refreshments were great, with bagels, granola, candy, all types of fruit, etc.

** The following review reflects my experience DURING the COVID-19 pandemic. **…read more I know this wasn't technically the annual Temescal Street Fair, but I don't believe the event on Sunday, October 25, had an actual name. It was referred to as a picnic which made sense if you took advantage of the neighborhood restaurants offering outdoor seating. Jamie W. and I did by having our first real outdoor dining experience together right outside of Daol Tofu & BBQ, a relatively new Korean spot that made an excellent Bo Ssam for two with tables that were properly distanced from each other. Even more than that though, this urban picnic offered us an opportunity to roam the neighborhood and take notice of all the ethnically diverse array of eateries at our own pace. I actually found the absence of mobile amusement rides, performance stages, and free salsa lessons blessings in disguise. This was held in response to Oakland's Flex Streets initiative, where restaurants and shops take over closed blocks for brief periods of time. During these challenging times, I welcome these picnics and hope more are scheduled. RELATED - Exploring Temescal? Here's a collection of places I've visited and reviewed: https://bit.ly/2I0RAHj

This is a big Street Fair!! I decided to take BART here, a super convenient way to go, just get…read moreoff at MacArthur station, and it's literally around the corner. I also took my bicycle, lots of bike parking here also. Lots of food choices here, and I like how all the businesses in the area are open also for even more choices. There are 2 music stages, the one at the end had salsa going when I got there, with everybody doing the salsa. Lots to see, buy, and taste, I'll definitely be back!!!

Great course along the Embarcadero. Flat and fast, and the last two miles of the 12K are on comfy…read moregravel along the beach at Chrissy Field. Not the fastest or most serious running crowd. With the upside of low stress and less formality around registration, slightly disorganized start corral, etc. A little pricey at $75 for 12K on the day of. About 2,400 runners, so way more sane than Bay to Breakers. The other B2B is more competitive and more fun, but you can't beat the course and Marina Green is 15 degrees warmer than the OB end of Golden Gate Park, which makes for a more enjoyable post-race scene for runners.

Decided to do the sf original run series which includes 4 iconic runs of SF…read moreBay to breakers SF marathon The giants race and lastly Glide bridge to Bridge Relatively nice run by the Embarcadero to fisherman's wharf and aquatic park, then go up hill towards fort mason and then down hill all the way to Crissy field Marina to the finish line for the 5k run. The expo and after race concert are there too. PROS I liked this run, great views and scenery. The Glide booth had tons of giveaways. The lady there was piling the floss pick into my bag, there were also notepads, tee shirts and earphones. Also had my photo taken by Glide and photo can be seen online. Picked up my signed poster from the artist of the poster for the run at the Dignity health booth. Was happy to pick up my SF series medal and tee shirt at the booths. Shuttles were announced clearly for the return to downtown. The race started at 9 and the weather was way too hot to run. Would prefer an earlier start time like 8 or 8.30am to avoid the heat. CONS Wish they had some mile markers along the way, so i can pace myself and give it my all at the last mile but I did not know when that was, because there was no signage. Unlike other runs, there weren't a lot of food. I managed to get a protein milkshake, water, banana, tangerine and nuts. I guess it's better than nothing. Was disappointed not to get a medal for this run. Would have been nice to have the SF series medal as a bonus for doing all four, as well as a medal for the bridge to bridge run...disappointed. Even though bridge to bridge, it's not literally, because the race ends on the marina but you do get to see both the Bay bridge and the Golden Gate Bridge in the distance. The material of the tee was cotton, not the same dri fit material of previous races. Overall, a great run to end the SF series. But should give out finishers medal anyway.

I love this race so much! Specifically, it's the course that is ABSOLUTELY perfect for beginners…read moreand advanced runners alike. It's been a few years since my last event here, but it's always a good one. There's ample parking, the grassy field is huge to support all the runners and event staff, like I said the course is the star, and post-race snacks are great!

"Summer Breeze, makes me feel fine..."…read more I've forgotten how great smaller, local races are. Are all Brazen Racing events like this? Because if so, I need to run in some more! I think Ellen L's review really sums up everything I love about this race: Extremely organized, hassle-free bib pickup morning of the race (I got there at 7:45 AM and got my half marathon bib within 2 minutes...if you're doing a different event, however, you may want to get there earlier), free parking at start/finish, the fact that the start is also the finish, perfect weather, no race congestion (even though some parts of the course are narrow, I never had to slow down because of traffic nor did I have trouble passing other runners), free post-race photo downloads (everything is uploaded online so you can download/print yourself), and the best fuel stations and post-race food goodies ever! I was seriously shocked at how much food and goodies there were!!! Ice cream sandwiches? Fig newtons? Cookies? Gummy bears? Bagels? Watermelon? The list could go on, I'm not kidding you!!! If you're looking to PR in any of the 3 distances offered here, this is the course to do it. I do zero hill training and I usually run on a treadmill or on extremely flat terrain. If you're doing the half, the toughest part is the fact that there are only 5 aid stations and the middle three are at the 3, 6.5, and 10ish mile marks. So you definitely need to plan and hydrate/fuel yourself accordingly. I normally don't need water at the pace I was going until the 6 mi mark and some calories at the 9-10 mi mark, but because of the relatively long gaps in between stations, I forced myself to stop to get water at mi 3 and gummy bears at the halfway point. And the planning paid off as I did indeed PR this race! :) In sum, one of the most enjoyable races I've done in recent years and one I'm hoping to continue running in the years to come. A big thank you to all the volunteers helping out at the aid stations and taking photos of us runners!

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

San Francisco's greatest event is back after a 2 year hiatus!…read more Run it, walk it, or drink it...I did the later two combined. Like every time, I crashed the event and enjoyed a nice carless and drunken stroll through San Francisco. The overcast weather was great. The costumes are great. I did Squid Game this year, and met some other fans too! Not too much nudity this time, but 90% of it is usually older men, so I'm okay...though I did see a fair share of male crotches. The SFPD officers were all friendly and cheerful all while keeping the peace. Can't wait for next year!

Read all my other reviews first, because they accurately represent about what Bay to Breakers meant…read moreto me in my late twenties and through my mid-thirties. But a funny thing happened about fourteen years ago. My parents happened to be in town on the weekend of Bay to Breakers. They were babysitting my then very young nephew and niece, and I had to explain to them that we either had to go to church at six p.m. or go to a different church altogether--which we ended up doing--because Bay to Breakers would make parking at St. Agnes annoying, if not impossible. So that morning, for the first time since the noise of Bay to Breakers drew me downstairs at some godawful time on a Sunday morning in 2004, I actually pre-planned and parked my car on the opposite side of the course so that I could easily drive it to my brother's house to meet up with my parents. When I returned much later that night, there wasn't too much physical evidence that Bay to Breakers had even occurred, although there were people dressed in costume remnants milling around Divis. And that's when it came to me. I used to love Bay to Breakers. I still love the Bay to Breakers experiences I experienced, even in the rain, even as it got less and less fun and I knew fewer and fewer people. But I had either outgrown Bay to Breakers, as in I was now too old to enjoy it properly, or time had actually made Bay to Breakers worse, as in if I had been in my mid-twenties in 2012, I wouldn't like it, because it just wasn't as fun and weird and strange as it had been circa 2004 through 2009. So rather than rely on chance to miss Bay to Breakers, I would plan out-of-town things for that day each year. That was my solution to both ignoring Bay to Breakers, not being annoyed by Bay to Breakers, and having massive, total-system FOMO from missing out on the entirety of Bay to Breakers each year. And I did it. Mostly. Even when I didn't live here. I planned these things in SoCal or the Midwest or near Monterey Bay. And even though I sometimes arrived home in time to see the dregs of B2B all over my neighborhood's streets, bushes, Panhandles, and front stoops, I had somehow convinced myself that I had just missed it--there was nothing to be done. It has worked out pretty well, and I've discovered all kinds of places because of it. I needed those first eight years or so to understand my (then) new corner, neighborhood, and city. I've needed the years since then to be one of the locals who plans to be out of town on the third Sunday of May. One day, I might stick around. I'll sleep right through everything and not really notice (much easier now, because of how my Sunday evening routine has changed geographically) that it even was B2B. Or maybe I'll go downstairs and ponder the wonder of these poor drunk kids and formerly drunk adults and people too old to be walking around naked--because I can tell you that most of the people in SF these days who walk around naked are too old to be walking around naked--and it won't make me feel sad or left out or wistful or nostalgic or even annoyed by all the metal barricades piled up and having to remember to check whether where I parked my car has temporary no-parking signs. Who am I kidding?