***4.5 stars***…read more awesome inaugural event that celebrates the spirit of the woman! although i did not have the opportunity to run this inaugural race in palo alto, i did spend time volunteering before the event, checking-in runners, assigning race bibs, handing out goodie bags and tshirts, as well as after the event, handing out water bottles and congratulating runners as they crossed the finish line. volunteering is, in itself, extremely rewarding as you are giving your time and energy to a cause knowing that you will not be receiving anything in return. for me, i got the best thing, which was that warm, happy feeling inside, that i did something good, and that i made people happy. the actual course started at the trail head to the palo alto baylands nature preserve, a beautiful part of the peninsula where many runners, walkers, and bikers can be found on any given day. the course is flat, with a few small inclines, and combines packed gravel/dirt and paved asphalt surfaces. sadly, this trail will close for the next two years due to renovation, but we were lucky to be given this last opportunity to participate in an event here. as a runner, if you registered for this event, you received the following: *woman-cut tank top (different from the usual tshirt that most races give out, the tank was very cute and very feminine) *yellow reusable bag with a small zippered compartment inside (great for groceries!) after crossing the finish line, there was a "night market" which offered: *post race food, including sandwiches, greek yogurt, luna bars, water, electrolyte drink *a "bubbly bar" for participants over 21, with a choice of bellini or mimosa...nothing beats a glass of champagne after a hard workout! *free table massage *free manicure or polish change *"esprit de she" apparel for sale *cocktail lounge style tables and decor my only concern about this event was the parking. as a volunteer, i came very early and had no problems finding parking, but those who came later in the day, even those who arrived an hour before the start of the event, struggled to find parking, as we volunteers had to answer many questions about where participants could park, whether a particular lot was legal or not. overall, it was a wonderful turnout for this event and the organizers did a terrific job in organizing this event. i hope they have this event again next year, and i hope to be on the other side of the timing mats next time, as a participant. congratulations to everyone who crossed the finish line today! power to the she!

The Palo Alto Esprit De She 5k was an awesome 5k run! I felt the warmth of girl power just being…read morethere with all of those women! They had a ton of girlie booths (manicure/massage/girls on the run) in addition to the usual sports drinks and energy bar setups which are typical of running events. That really made this one special for me! My friend and I finished in time to enjoy the sandwiches that they had out. They fed us well and gave us two drink tickets. We loved the wine and mimosas! It was one of the better spreads that I've seen at a running event. The Athleta tanks fit nicely and the event was well organized. I look forward to running this again. POWER THE THE SHE!

Perfect community 5/10k run to support Mountain View fire department! All proceeds go to Mountain…read moreView fire departments random acts of kindness; Where firefighters give back to families, children, and other community members in need. All registered participants were given a shirt and tote bag! This is a very small race and extremely community oriented. It had a perfect route alongside shorelines baylands making the run serene. It is nice because it is not overly crowded. Since there are not very many participants they award first through third place for all ages groups by 10 years for both male and female categories for the 5 and 10k. They also had a raffle sponsored by Google! Last but not least they had a kids run! All of the kids received medals for participating :) At the end the giveaways were fruit, starbucks, kind bars and fitaid drinks. If you wanted you could also get an ice cream sponsored by Baskin Robins! Next year I will be back :)

I ran in this year's 3rd annual race to support Mountain View Firefighters Random Acts!…read more Plenty of free parking available. Picked up my bib early on the morning of the race, no issues. Nice and easy trail with visible mile markers and enthusiastic volunteers ensuring that we go the right way. Two water stations along the 10k trail. It's a small race so we shared the trail with other park goers, but wasn't a problem unless there was a larger group of runners passing by. The trail felt a little too small for all of us then, but that didn't happen too often. Lots of great post-race goodies. I looooved the Noosa Mates and the Bobo's Oat Bar. The fitter goody bags were awesome. They seem to be very similar to the lululemon reusable bags and they have encouraging and inspiring notes on them! I really like the technical shirt. Most shirts that I get from races nowadays feel cheap, but the material of this shirt is very nice. They ran out of small women's shirts at the race, but had xs which ran big so it fits perfectly! Results were available within 24 hrs, but I have yet to see photos. I'm planning on running this race in the future!

My first "run" ever! Total success and total fun…read more The event was really well done. Parking wasn't so bad because parking lot had plenty of space. The drive was the worse, though. The event was majority filled with kids as kids run free. Nevertheless, there were still an older crowd. Including in your $20 registration is your number and a color packet. Even before the event, colors were thrown everywhere. There's two options, Day (5pm) and Night (8pm) run. There really wasn't any difference between the times. I would suggest going the Day time because it got really hard to see as 6pm rolled. 5k went by fast. As they had a couple rest stations (water break and color stations). I was pretty excited whenever a color station was coming close. Boxes of color out free for grab! At the finish line, you are rewarded with some nice EDM music. It would be cool if they actually had a famous DJ there. Overall, good vibes everywhere. Lots and lots of kids though. Although I walked 90% of the time, still a fun race :)

I was in the SF Color Run last year, so I knew exactly what to expect at the San Jose Color Run in…read moredowntown San Jose! It was just as great, maybe even better than the one in SF! 1. Downtown streets were BLOCKED OFF especially for the this event, so tons of space for running/walking. Track was visually appealing since it was on the roads and it felt like I was also getting a tour of Downtown SJ. 2. Color Stations weren't visible, while you were going through the track so it was exciting to know it could happen any minute now. 3. Very sunny this year, so the colors were so pretty in pictures. Tons of professional photographers throughout the track to stalk for photos. 4. The crowd seems very enthusiastic. Some teams like to be themed, and I've seen mad scientist and royalty themes. For me, I just like to have a pretty tutu. Also, at the end of the run, there was a concert-like stage and crowd to do color bombing. Food trucks were there and also a stall for the partnering charity was there. This year it was the American Diabetes Association. Very glad they gave us the option to start a fundraising page JUST for donations directly for the charity. Unsure how each Color Run "partners" with other charities and distributes profit, but just go for the experience. The Color Run is definitely something to enjoy with friends and family, sober or otherwise.

***3.5 stars*** i…read moreparticipated in the inaugural summer scamper in 2011, as well as the following year, but have not been able to work this event into my schedule the past two years. this year, i signed up early, with my run group, as we decided to participate and support lucille packard children's hospital together as a team. i love that this event focuses on kids, and even has a kids run in addition to the main distances. for this particular event, there was a choice of 2 distances: 1. 10k (6.2 miles) 2. 5k (3.1 miles) children between the ages of 3 and 10 had their own kids' fun run, broken down as such: 1. ages 3-4, 200 yard run 2. ages 5-6, 400 yard run 3. ages 7-8, 600 yard run 4. ages 9-10, half mile run the pros: +VERY REASONABLE race fees, $30 for the 5k and $35 for the 10k. since my group was registered as a team, i saved an additional $5 on registration. +FREE and EASY PARKING on stanford's campus, in the lot directly across the street from the registration and finish line festival area (which was just a couple minutes walk from the start line) +FRIENDLY VOLUNTEERS directing runners in the parking area, manning aid stations along the course, flagging runners to ensure that we stayed on course, and keeping the refreshments' tables well stocked at the post-race festival area. +LOTS of PORTA-POTTIES by the start/finish line as well as the festival area. we also had access to the proper restrooms at the stanford track which was where the kids' races took place. what you get: *choice of BIB AND TSHIRT PICKUP at campbell sports basement two days before the race or fleet feet sports menlo park the day before the race. for those who couldn't attend either, they could pick up their bib and shirt at the registration tent the morning of the race. *teal, DRI FIT FINISHER'S SHIRT with a white summer scamper logo *VIRTUAL GOODY BAG, emailed to all registered participants the week of the race, with discounts to local retailers *several AID STATIONS with volunteers handing out cups of water *customised SUMMER SCAMPER MEDAL for each child who crossed the finish line at the kids' race. these were super cute and i know that all of the kids loved these special medals that were made exclusively for them! *TONS of POST-RACE FOOD & DRINKS, including assorted bagels, bananas, oranges, KIND bars, and water. *SPONSORS including lyfe kitchen, farm hill, kind water, kombucha, offering samples of their food, including chocolate chip cookies, mango salsa, kale salad, date bars, flavoured water, and kombucha shots. *lots of FINISH LINE FESTIVAL ACTIVITIES, including games, more food, and opportunities to win prizes from local sponsors the cons: -race started 5 minutes late. both the 5k and 10k were supposed to start at 8am sharp, but they did not begin announcements until this time which delayed the start til 8:05am. -courses were not marked properly. when comparing the official 5k course from the website to the course charted out by my garmin watch, the routes did not match and i could see that one section was missed, shortening the course by roughly 0.27 miles, which is about 9% of the distance for a 5k. my friends who ran the 10k with a garmin system reported that they ran about 5.75 miles, almost 1/2 mile short of the official 6.2 miles for a 10k. -i only saw the mile 1 marker along the course, but nothing beyond that....it made me wonder whether this was intentional or perhaps i just didn't see the mile 2 and mile 3 markers. -there were lots of short, sharp turns along both courses, making it necessary to slow down frequently -although i was given the small size tshirt that i signed up for, the shirts were all unisex, and mine was far too big for me. it was even too big for my husband who normally wears a small or medium sized tshirt. it would have been nice to offer both a women's cut shirt and men's cut shirt for proper fitting. -no finisher medals for 5k & 10k participants, only the kids' races since the course was marked short, i ended up with a terrific 5k finish time, one that i knew was not possible given my current running abilities. i still ended up finishing 2nd in my age group, and 12th female, which surprised me considering the fact that nearly 2000 participated in the 5k, with more than half of these being women. i did not walk away with an additional medal or prize since there were only awards for the top 3 overall men and women per distance, and winner for each age group. but i still enjoyed the awards ceremony since the announcer did a good job and many teams and kiddies took photos on stage after. overall, a well-organized event, but i hope they make the necessary corrections to both the 5k and 10k courses for next year so that the distances are as accurate as possible.

Participated with a team of seven friends in the second annual Packard Summer Scamper this past…read moreweek! It was my first race, and I commend the volunteers, staff, and organizers for having a very smooth and well-organized race, making it quite enjoyable! Signing up, registration, packet pick-up, and pre-race communications were all seamless, and the course was well-marked and had plenty of volunteers showing us the turns. I only have two minor quibbles - first, there was a last minute change in course from what had been posted. Granted, it was a very minor change and was due to construction closing off some paths, but this made the course non-USATF certified, and probably a tiny bit shorter than 10K. Second, the spacing of the two water stations on the 10K wasn't great - the first one was pretty close to the beginning, and there was a significant distance between that one and the second (and final) water station. A more even spacing would be beneficial. Overall, though, the race was a ton of fun - the post-race expo was also tremendously organized, with plenty of food, vendors, etc. The 5K and 10K were staggered (and run on different courses, for the most part) so there wasn't great congestion, and they also have fun runs for kids. The run is very welcomgin for runners or walkers of all levels - there were walkers, runners, and even people with strollers there! Something for everyone, and the event supports a good cause!

+++review #2200+++…read more this was my first in person race for the year, and the first time this was was held in person since 2019! the beneficiary for this race was the stanford center for inherited cardiovascular disease, an organization that raises awareness and does research for i.c.d. i had the pleasure of meeting terra, the race director, when i volunteered at the race packet pickup the day before the race. as a long-time runner, i love to be able to give back by volunteering at race festivities and meeting the other runners. packet pickup was hosted by sports basement and went quite smoothly. race day weather was near perfect, parking was free & easy (stanford track parking lot, about a block and a half from the start line). there were restrooms at the track house as well as portapotties near the start line...fortunately i never had to wait very long (or at all) to use the facilities! the race started a few minutes late since they were waiting for officials to confirm the course was clear and safe for us runners...nbd, i just spent a few more minutes stretching and mentally preparing myself. i had actually trained hard for the 10k, but clearly didn't run enough hills b/c there were plenty in the first half, especially miles 2 & 3, and i definitely slowed down with each passing hill. fortunately, the second half was mostly downhill so i was able to pick up speed and pass many runners here. unfortunately, the 10k & 5k courses merged around 4 1/2 miles in, so i was forced to come to an abrupt stop, which was a bit frustrating since i was cruising and wanting to finish strong. i kept yelling out, passing, 10k runner coming thru, hoping that the slower folks, walkers, strollers, kids would move aside for those of us running. as i approached the finish, i noticed on my timing device that the course was short, as i had only run 5.85mi instead of 6.2mi (10k), so this was a bit disappointing. i heard that the 5k course was very close to 3.1mi so that was encouraging to hear. after crossing the finish line, i grabbed my finisher's medal and continued to walk for a few minutes so that i could catch my breath and let my heart rate come down. upon entering the finish area, i was able to grab a bottle of water and a pack of fig bars. i guess they were tight on resources since each runner could only have exactly 1 bottle of water and 1 pack of fig bars. there were no other refreshments post race. there were quite a few vendors & sponsors on site which was great to see..i always like to learn about who supports a race, and this was such a great cause to raise funds for and race for. for the future, i'd love to see the course marked accurately to a true 10k (6.2mi) and some more refreshments at the end. but otherwise, this was a great event and i had lots of fun participating with my friends.

I've had great experiences with previous Brazen Racing events in the past, and the Western Pacific…read moreHalf Marathon was no different. Though Brazen Racing organizes trail runs which can be grueling, the Western Pacific was fortunately a mostly fast and flat course. The route began at Quarry Lakes, followed the Alameda Creek Trail, and returned to Quarry Lakes. The path was mostly gravel with some pavement. There wasn't much to look at along Alameda Creek considering the drought we're in, but the lakes and hills of Quarry Lakes were beautiful. Parking for the event was free, and the lots provided ample parking. Just be sure to give yourself enough time to walk over from the parking lot to the start line, which is a few minutes' walk inside the park. If you're aiming for a certain time, there are pace runners you can follow. I didn't follow one myself, but my boyfriend did and found his to be incredibly friendly and supportive. I also saw and passed several pace runners and their group, and they were all so positive and helpful. Thanks to their inspiration, I actually aspire to be a pace runner someday to help others! Race photography was provided by volunteers at several points throughout the race and at the finish line. The quality for some of the photography on the course wasn't very good, but I still appreciate the free photos, which you could find online and attain for free. You just have to search through the tons of pictures they have. It helps to wear colorful clothing that stands out. Brazen Racing's medals are always big and shiny, so that's definitely a plus. At the finish line, they also always have a smorgasbord of food including trail mix, crackers, cookies, pretzels, chips, fruits, cakes, pies, and ice cream. They really know how to make a runner happy! There were also some sponsors giving away bottles of protein drinks and Zico. I'd highly recommend any Brazen Racing event, especially one that's flat like the Western Pacific!

i participated in my 8th brazen event yesterday which took place at quarry lakes in fremont. this…read morerace is titled the "western pacific" b/c the western pacific trail was used to transport gravel for construction of the western section of the transcontinental railroad back in the 1800s when trains were frequently used to transport cargo for longer distances. although trains no longer run along this trail, we, runners, can now haul ass hoping to hit a personal record on these historic, yet very flat trails! for this particular event, there was a choice of 4 distances: 1. full marathon (26.2 miles) 7.30am start 2. half marathon (13.1 miles) 8am start 3. 10k (6.2 miles) 8.30am start 4. 5k (3.1 miles) 8.45am start i chose to run the half marathon since i'd been training hard and going long, and wanted to see if my hard work would pay off and result in personal record. the pros: -GREAT RACE DAY CONDITIONS at the start, around 55 degrees with overcast skies when the gun went off -MARATHON is a certified usa track and field course and can be used to qualify for other marathons such as the boston marathon which requires a time qualification on an officially certified course -STAGGERED START TIMES for each of the 4 events to avoid congestion at the start and along the course. despite some overlaps in some of the course routes, and some narrower sections along the course, i actually never got stuck behind someone or felt congested which was great! -PACERS for both the full and half marathon, holding coloured signs on a stick with estimated finish times and wearing fluorescent coloured shirts to make it easy to follow them -COLOURED FLAGS to mark each mile (a different colour for each race distance to avoid confusion) -FLAT and FAST course on crushed dirt/gravel, with a small portion on paved road -FRIENDLY VOLUNTEERS directing runners in the parking area, manning aid stations along the course, handing out medals at the finish line, and keeping the refreshments' tables well stocked after the race -FREE and EASY PARKING inside the quarry lakes regional park dedicated lots which were right next to start/finish area (note that the free parking was only for those participating in the race, if you came for another event on this day, you still had to pay the $5 entrance fee) -LOTS of PORTA-POTTIES near the start/finish area as well as access to several park restroom structures (wait time was no more than a few minutes pre-race which was great!) -COMPLIMENTARY BAG CHECK near the start/finish line, with volunteers to guard your belongings until after the race. parking was so close to the start that most of us just left our belongings inside our trunks, but it was nice to know that there was another option available just in case. what you get: *choice of PACKET PICK-UP @ sports basement in sunnyvale the two days prior to the race or on site pick up the morning of *BLUE, DRI-FIT RACE TSHIRT with a logo of a steam locomotive to commemorate the western pacific trail (shirt is optional, so if you don't want the shirt, you can save $5 off the registration fee) *FULLY STOCKED aid stations every 1-2 miles with water, electrolytes, gu gel packets, salty snacks...quite an impressive array of offerings for an aid station! *BIG MEDAL with a locomotive, displaying event name and date (option to engrave name and finisher time on back for an additional fee) *AGE GROUP FINISHER MEDAL if you were one of the top 3 finishers in your age group. despite a disappointing finish time, i still ended up placing 3rd in my age group and took home a "bronze" age group medal *TONS of POST-RACE FOOD & DRINK, including it's it ice cream sandwiches, chocolate cake, red velvet cake, cheesecake, bagels, peanut butter, nutella, rugelach, goldfish crackers, pretzels, potato chips, trail mix, mini muffins, gummy bears, jelly bellies, cookies, coconut macaroons, water, and electrolyte drink. best part is that the food never ran out! *SPECIAL VENDOR on site sharing free samples....the muscle milk vans were parked near the finish area. the cons: -the half marathon course was slightly long, as my garmin read 13.22 miles for the haffie, which is a bit longer than the official distance of 13.1 miles -the 5k course was measured as a 3.2 mile course, which is slightly longer than the official distance of 3.1 miles (read: harder to pr on this 5k course) -most of the course was not shaded, and since it was sunny with temps in the low 60s by the time i finished, it made for a very hot run -the finishers' chute leading up to the finish arch had a couple of sharp turns on an incline which made it very difficult to sprint to the finish, which many runners like to do although i did not do my best, and certainly did not finish anywhere near a personal best, i still enjoyed this event and thank sam, jasmin, the rest of the brazen staff and volunteers for organizing another fabulous race.

Attended the Walk to End Alzheimer's on 10/10/2015 and it was a great experience! The energy of the…read morevolunteers and the other people in the walk was infectious and I really enjoyed walking with everyone. Registration was handled efficiently by last name lookup split up into several different lines and an easy way to make additional donations. The pre-event in Arena Green was decorated nicely and the shows beforehand included a martial arts performance as well as a zumba warm-up that had even the awkward uncoordinated dancers (like me) on their feet and having a good time. Overall I had a great morning helping awareness and raising money for a good cause! I am already looking forward to next year's walk!

I have participated in this walk for the past 2 years now & it's a great walk to do! I work with…read morethe frail elderly population so this is something dear to my heart. You can choose to do the kids 1-mile loop or the 5K. I love how this walk has grown just in the 2 years I've gone. However, it does come with it's own growing pains as it took my group 30 minutes this year to get to the half mile mark. I'm sure they'll work out that kink for next year though. Be sure to grab a flower to represent your reason at the walk! All the money donated will go to funds to research/find a cure. If you reach your goal of $100, you get a shirt! Each walker gets a free water bottle :)

the proceeds for this run/walk event go toward a very good cause, so hubby and i signed up to run…read morethe 10k distance. note that you can also choose from 5k or 2mi distances. each course goes through a part of shoreline/baylands park so you get to take in some beautiful scenery while you run/walk. the pros: -since we did the early bird sign up with a special discount, hubby and i only paid $23 each for registration -mostly flat course, with a few small inclines -kid, walker and stroller friendly -easy parking in lot right next to start/finish area -staggered start times for each of the 2 events to avoid congestion at the start -lots of volunteers helping out, directing traffic for parking and helping runners/walkers stay on course -local vendors and sponsors on site, i.e. sunnyvale sports basement and road runner sports san carlos -perfect race day conditions, 57 at the start with overcast skies (which eventually turned sunny) what you get: *packet pick-up @ road runner sports san carlos the friday & saturday before the race *cotton finisher short sleeve t-shirt *lots of post-race food, bagels and cream cheese, bananas, oranges, vitamin water the cons: -no mile markers along the course (for any of the distances) so you never knew how far you had gone or how much further until the finish -no timers along the course, only at the start/finish line -no timing mat at the start, only at the finish, so unless you started at the very front of the pack, you lose some seconds/minutes (essentially, it's gun time, not net time) -for the 10k, the course was way too short. my garmin measured 5.45mi for something that was supposed to be 6.2mi, so it was disappointing. had i known at mile 5 that there was only 1/2 mile left, i would have kicked harder to the finish line. -for me personally, having skinny ankles was a disadvantage b/c the velcro timing strap came undone around mile 2, so i lost 10-15 sec turning around, picking it up (a fellow runner was nice enough to pick it up and hand it to me), and re-strapping it onto my ankle. definitely a good event and great cause, but i hope they mark the course more accurately the next time they hold this event.