Yay. My first ''race'' since I completely jacked my Knee up 4 months ago! Ok, so it wasn't my usual…read moreHalf Marathon but still fun nonetheless and a great event to celebrate my Birthday. The event organizers did a really good job and setting this event up and getting the word out with lot's of residents of Mountain House getting involved with delivering flyers, myself included. Packet pick up the Friday before was a breeze and with entry we also got ourselves a nice Tech shirt. Sadly the shirts come up huge. I went for the smallest Woman's size possible (a Small) and It's so big I could fit two of me in it. I usually go for XXS or XS so it would be nice to have those sizes as option for future years. Race day was well organized if a little behind schedule. The turnout was pretty impressive with around 250 people taking part with people coming from all over the East Bay to take part, lot's of which were ''serious'' Runners like myself. The course was a great choice of location - on my beloved Mountain House Creek Trail and was marked out with arrows. However, at the end of the trail around mile 1.80 was a little confusing as there were two sets of arrows and I went following the wrong ones, going off course and having to double back on myself (Boo. Lost some time there). One Aid station was placed along the course along with 2 groups of singers at various points to encourage people and singing Christmas Carols. Post race had lot's going on - Refreshments supplied by some of the local businesses (Hot Chocolate, Coffee, Fruit and Bagels), someone dressed as Santa on hand for photo ops and a couple of the sponsors. Home Team Pest Defense were giving out Water Bottles for finishers and lollipop rings and Prime Nutrition giving out goodies in return for Burpees / Push Up Combos - 15 got you a water bottle and 25 got you a T-Shirt. Naturally I carried on my workout and did 25 for the T-Shirt. All finishers also got a medal and additional ones given to age group winners, which most of the age groups were a whopping 10years! * Personal experience * After jacking up my Knee 4 months ago and being in Therapy and resting since then I wasn't all that confident in Running but with a Taped and Braced Knee I went for it as an early Birthday present to myself. The race went really quickly and I placed 1st in my age group and 2nd out of all the Women. Woohoo! I missed out on 1st Woman by like 5 seconds but kudos to the lady that beat me, she put up a good race. This injured oldie just isn't as fast anymore. This was the first ever Jingle All The Way Run for Mountain House and really was a great start to what I hope will be a yearly tradition. It was great to get out and meet the community as well as a few of the people from the Mountain House Running Club I recently became part of. Happy Holidays!

This run is a nonprofit event that benefits local schools. Approximately 180 people ran in 2015,…read moremaking it a great race to focus on running instead of the logistical headaches that larger events bring. The course starts at Central Park with a northerly departure down Central Parkway. The course makes an abrupt U-turn into a sidewalk bottleneck that prevents passing. The course then opens up as it follows the creek and its surrounding open area uphill to the southwest. The grade is slight but after a quick start, holding pace through the third kilometer is a challenge. The race finishes with a descent down the grade on the opposite side of the creek for an easy finish. Information on the race (e.g., map, start location) was difficult to find in advance, doubly so as someone else registered me. The event website wouldn't take my safety waiver and I was unable to generate a barcode for my daughter. This created some concern that was alleviated the next day, as the race is small enough that one can simply pick everything up in the morning. I'll be running this again next year. BELOW is a URL to 2015 times: http://app.lap.io/event/2015-jingle-all-the-way/results

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!

A very well organized race. Starts at the SAP Center and ends at Santana Row. The course is…read moremostly flat, you run under a few overpasses. I did enjoy running through San Jose, a good way to see the city. They were very strict with the corral starts. This was my first time doing this race, so I'm guessing the rain probably limited the crowds lining the streets. I did enjoy the 8K distance, something different. Finishing on Santana Row was cool as you could smell breakfast cooking as the restaurants were opening. The shuttles back were great, well organized, comfortable, and quick. I can see why this event is so popular!!

Registration: Super…read moreeasy. I got the $39 opening special. Email updates get a little tedious after a while and I ended up getting 2 or 3 of the same thing in the 2 weeks before the event. Packet Pick up: I really wish they had day of pick up as I live over an hours drive away and had to make the trek to San Jose twice in one weekend. That said it was really easy to get my packet, you just needed to know your bib number and they check it against your name. The TShirts are pretty cool and something I will actually wear. Course: Nice and flat. Nice addition to have the different ''miles'' (Veteran / Mariachi). The mile markers were not completely accurate though (yup.. the serious Runner in me notices these things). Mile 2 was actually 1.1mi and mile 3 was just 0.9mi. The event started right on time as planned and without any hitches however I do think that some kind of enforcement of the waves has to be done. Upon coming to the start line there was no one checking bibs. I was put in wave 1 for my sub 8 min mile pace and standing at the start with about a dozen people deep in front of me I noticed a lot of the people around me were wearing bibs marked waves 2, 3 and even 4. Once we started it was also made clear that some people placed in wave 1 really should not have been there. I had to zig zag around people that were not going the correct pace for the wave. Had I been out to PR I would have been really pissed off. Post Race: I didn't experience the ''hearding'' that people had mentioned in previous years but I guess that could have been down to the fact I was one of the first 90 people to finish. There was some walk to the end to get our bibs but nothing major. The post race food was really lame and looking at the pictures from previous years I was expecting to get more than what I did - a bottle of Water, Apple and some Fruit chews. NO BANANA! Really? That gives me the sads. It's common knowledge that Runners eat Banana's. The occasional Orange slice, yes. Apples No. Unless they're in some form of Pastry (Mmmm, Carbs). The medal is also pretty cool, it can be removed from the lanyard and used as a bottle opener and overall I am glad I can now mark this event off of my Running Bucket List but I doubt I will do it again. Way too far to come for what it is. Additional: This event is 1 or 3 of the ''Run the Bay'' series challenge where if you complete all 3 events you get an additional medal.Other 2 events are the Across The Bay (12k or 5k) in San Francisco and Let's Go 510 in Berkeley. Personal shyt: Time: 34:54 / 6:58 min mile. I intended to do a moderate 45:00 / 9 min mile and for the first half mile I was well on track but then some dude with a stroller ran past me. That's never happened to me before and I didn't like it (I now know how my poor husband feels. lol). So I had to speed up to my comfortable ''Aaah yeah, It's on!'' pace. Competitive much? Place: 90th out of 5,000+ and 18th Female. BOOM! -Crazy Runner Girl.

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4.5 / 5 Great…read moreevent!! Tony and the Fleet Feet crew really did a great event with this event from responding to emails right down to giving me an extra medal for Run buddy and my Running Club VIP tent access. + Nice swag bags with color specific tech shirts for Male / Female + Medals for all finishers + Awards + 2 Wine pours for each finisher + VIP tent with unlimited pours and extra snacks. + Punctual start + Pacers from the Tri Valley Running Club (another I am a member off and almost paced the the event myself) The run itself was a bit of an odd one for me.. the course was all road which I was totally unprepared for but made it great for a new PR. The first mile I had a few wardrobe malfunctions - My hydration vest was bouncing about so I had to re-adjust it and then my Pandora kept cutting out every 60 seconds so I spent a good 10-12 minutes playing with that trying to fix it. I swear the Runners behind me must have thought I was already on the Wine because I was I all over the place! Once adjusted thought and found my ''happy pace'' all was good and I spent about 6 miles right behind another members of Mountain House Running Club. The course marshals and volunteers at the Aid Station were great and full of energy encouraging us all as we paced though. I'm not sure if he was a volunteer but right around the 12:75 mile mark there was one guy who really encouraging me as I sped down the home straight.. not going to lie, I was really feeling the many miles of asphalt (trail runner here) and getting pretty tired so his enthusiastic cheers gave me that last little push I needed to get across that Finish Line. I really am not a road Runner but overall this event was great and I will likely do again.. The whole experience was made better by the fact that I was here with an awesome group of supportive people.

***4.5 stars*** i…read moredon't normally trek all the way out to east bay to run races, especially an event that is 40+ miles away from home, but since i was going with a group of friends and we planned to make it an all day event in livermore's wine country, with running, brunching, and wine tasting, i said "why the heck not?" also, the proceeds from this event benefit the livermore-pleasanton firefighters foundation, which supports injured and fallen firefighters, burn foundation and local charities in the tri valley area. definitely a worthy case to run/walk for! for this particular event, there was a choice of 2 distances: 1. 10k (6.2 miles) 2. 5k (3.1 miles) i originally planned to run the 10k, but later downgraded to the 5k b/c i didn't want to tire myself out for the rest of the day's festivities. note that i was able to change distances simply by calling the phone number for on your mark events, the official race organizer, and telling someone what change i wished to make. easy peasy! the pros: -VERY REASONABLE race fees, $30 for the 5k and $35 for the 10k if you register during the early bird period -takes place at WENTE VINEYARDS in livermore, a beautiful vineyard with lots of scenery, definitely a unique venue for a race -CLEAR MILE MARKERS for each race distance, in different colours so that participants could differentiate the 5k vs 10k -ACCURATELY MEASURED DISTANCE, as my garmin read 3.12 miles upon crossing the finish line which is pretty much spot on with the official 5k race distance of 3.1 miles. my friends who ran the 10k informed me that they calculated exactly 6.2 miles, which again, is spot on with the official race distance. -FORGIVING TERRAIN as most of the course took place on crushed dirt, gravel, or grass, which is easier on the joints! -FRIENDLY VOLUNTEERS directing runners in the parking area, manning aid stations along the course, and keeping the refreshments' tables well stocked after the race. i especially appreciated that every volunteer i asked a question to knew the answer, so they prepped well for race day! -FREE and EASY PARKING just inside the main gates of the vineyard and along the street -SWANKY, CLEAN PORTA-POTTIES near the parking and start/finish areas. OMG, i've never experienced such nice porta-toilets before! these individual stalls had very secure locks on the doors, FLUSHABLE toilets, liquid soap, clean running water, and paper towels. i was very impressed by the quality of these portable restrooms supplied for us runners! -COMPLIMENTARY BAG CHECK at the finish area tent (a couple minutes away from the parking and start/finish line) with volunteers to guard your bags until after the race what you get: *choice of PACKET PICKUP @ fleet feet sports in pleasanton the two days prior to the race or on site pick up the morning of. since my friends and i live in south bay, all of us arrived early for on site pickup and experienced no wait. *white, cotton, FINISHER'S SHIRT with a colourful hook & ladder race logo *GOODIE BAG filled with race schwag, a chap stick, pin, id holder, pen, key ring, discounts to local retailers. the actual bag was a reusable safeway organics bag which was very pretty. *several AID STATIONS with volunteers handing out cups of water *TONS of POST-RACE FOOD & DRINKS, including chocolate chip and oatmeal raisin cookies, mini clif bars, bags of salted pretzels, assorted muffins, jelly beans, apples, bananas, zico coconut water, coffee, and water *COMPLIMENTARY CHAIR MASSAGE, compliments of massage envy, underneath the finisher's tent (in the shade!) although i didn't have time to take advantage of this, it was definitely a nice perk! bonuses for top finishers: *a white, dri-fit shirt for the first 20 men and 20 women to cross the finish line in each distance (this is based on order of finish, not chip time) *customized finishers' medals for the top 3 men and top 3 women in each age group *a bottle of wine for the winner in each male/female age group the cons: -it was a HOT day in the tri-valley wine country, already well over 60 when the gun went off and nearly 70 when most of us finished, without a cloud in the sky or even a gentle breeze to keep us cool -the 5k course had quite a few sharp turns, with some portions on tall, thick grass, which made it difficult to accelerate -this course was also not very scenic. although we ran through sycamore park, we didn't actually see much other than trees and grass. although i was dying from the heat, i still managed to finish with a pretty good 5k time, my second best ever, placing 7th overall female, and earning the bonus dri-fit shirt, and second in my age group, earning a customized event medal. i was definitely a happy camper heading home! thank you, to on your mark events, for putting on this terrific event!

I enjoyed this local race. We did the 10k and it was my first and only trail run. The course is not…read morethrough the wineries as I initially expected, but through the trails near Wente Vineyards. Though the website says the course is fairly flat, there are a couple of steep hills, so steep you have to walk. And judging by the top finisher's times, it is not the easiest course. I remember wanting to quit after mile 3 and asking myself why was I doing this. This race benefits the firefighters of Livermore, and there were plenty of firefighter volunteers and racers. Now there's a perk for you single running ladies, come out and take pleasure in some eye candy! It's a fairly small race, probably just a few hundred. The aid stations, and post race food were good. Also, each racer is given a raffle ticket at the finish line so your chance of winning something is pretty good. My brother in law ended up winning a free round of golf for two at Wente golf course. This race isn't chipped timed which I didn't like but a well organized event and I would do again in the future.

2013 was the 4th annual Concord Police Association's July 4th "Stars and Stripes" 5K. I am so glad…read morethat I chose a hometown event that supports the Monument Crisis Center (http://www.yelp.com/biz/monument-crisis-center-concord) for my first 5K! The event was well coordinated with good communication by the planners before and after. It was especially nice that we could pick up our bibs and such the day before. The volunteers, of which there seemed to be a ton, were all extremely supportive and helpful. Since the course goes mostly through neighborhoods (with streets closed) it was also nice to see so many people outside their homes, cheering everyone on. A special gratitude shout out to the family who were standing outside their house at the top of a big hill on the route, pumping disco hits and offering to hose us down. You, my fellow Concordians, are wonderful people. After completing the 5K, we stayed in Todos Santos Plaza, grabbed our usual spot on the patio at EJ Phair and enjoyed the parade. One area for possible improvement... The event continues to grow each year (there were over 600 people registered this year) so it would be nice if they added wave times to pace out the participants, especially to get the runners in front of the walkers. I'm looking forward to participating again next year!

At the end of every 5k my husband and I hold hands as we run through the finish line. (Ok, I know,…read moreI know...cheezy...but I love it.) This was the first 5k my husband and I have run where our names were called as we crossed the finish line together. It was so cool to here the announcer say: "And here come Amy and Casey (P) from Concord". We met our goal of completing another 5k, once we'd only registered for the day before. I found out about the 5k in my hometown a few days before it was to take place. I didn't mind paying the higher entry fee (it was still only $30) but it did mean we couldn't pay $7 extra for the nicer, non-cotton shirts. We did still get a goody bag filled with tons of great stuff! Thanks to all the nice sponsors. The CPD organized this event. If you missed the online registration deadline, you could still register in person at the police department the day before the event. I sent my husband to do this and he said it was an easy process. On the morning of the 8am run (Happy 4th of July), we parked at Todos Santos Plaza and listened to the clear voice of the announcer over the loud speaker. We even saw the A's mascot: Stomper!! Then 3-2-1.... we were off! We ran a mostly flat course around Concord near the downtown plaza, high school, and John Muir hospital. A BART driver honked and waved at us as the train flew by. It was so much fun. The water station volunteers were friendly and many of the police men and women that stood with volunteers around the course cheered us on. We walked and ran and enjoyed watching the families around us. A 40 minute finish wasn't very competitive, but we were just there to have fun. Some people brought dogs, which were not allowed. And we also saw lots of strollers, which were allowed. So it was definitely a family event, and the no-dog rule wasn't really enforced. Saw some kids on scooters as well. After the run we bought breakfast for a $5 per plate donation for two pancakes and two sausages and a juice. A parade followed the 5k at 10 am, so we had to wait around a while for that to start, but it was nice out and we talked with other runners and families. Thanks CPD for helping to organize this event. We heart Concord.