When people ask me what my favorite local race is, I never
hesitate to say the San Diego Half Marathon.
So it’s no surprise that I was back to run it for my fourth year in a
row. Because I’ve run this race before
and not much has changed about it, I’m going to talk about the things I love
about it and a couple things I think can be improved. So what do I love about the San Diego Half Marathon?
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| #FlatJenn was ready |
Legacy Perks
Unlike some races that consider you a legacy runner if you’ve
run every year, the San Diego Half considers your legacy status based on consecutive
years run. And you get extra perks from
year 3 and up. Since this was my fourth
year, I received a ¾ zip long sleeve tech shirt. These legacy perks definitely encourage me to
come back each year.
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| Source: www.sdhalfmarathon.com |
Runner Perks
The legacy runners aren’t the only ones who get perks with
this race. Not only does every runner
get a tech tee and medal, but this year we also got one ticket a San Diego
Padres game and a ticket for the USS Midway Museum. How awesome is that?! This year’s medal was a little different than
previous years and started a four year series of medals that complete the
course map once you earn all four—I know I’ll be back! (each medal is pretty
awesome on it’s own too!) There are also
several restaurants around the downtown area that offer $1 pint beers and deals
on brunch for runners—it’s a win-win for everyone!
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| Source: www.sdhalfmarathon.com |
Communication
From the time you register to race day, the communication is
on point. Every question is answered
before you realized you have it. I even received
a text reminding me to change my clocks since the race always falls on the
weekend of Day Light Savings time.
The Course
The course for the San Diego Half takes us through some of
my favorite places to run in San Diego and if I’m being honest, I don’t completely
hate the hill at mile 9. (And how awesome
is November Project San Diego who runs runners up the hill, encouraging them
and supporting them) This year’s race
brought back something that hasn’t happened since it’s first year and that was
the finish inside Petco Park. I love our
local baseball stadium and it was fun to run into the park, shown on the big
screen with supporters in the stands cheering for you. After I finished, I hung out for a bit
catching up with friends, taking fun pics and watching other runners finish.
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| Source: www.sdhalfmarathon.com |
The Aide Stations and Volunteers
I have never run this race and thought afterwards, “I wish
they had one or two more aide stations.”
Not only do they have enough aide stations, there are amazing volunteers
handing out the electrolytes and water along with words of encouragement. The best part of the stations—they have signs
telling you when the next aide stations and restroom would be available, for
example you next water stop might not be for two more miles. In areas of the course that are a bit harder
for spectators to get to, they have local high school cheer groups and bands
for entertainment. It feels like there
is someone cheering you on for the entire 13.1 miles. I also like that they have medical tents as
well as Race Guards on the course—after the half I ran last year when I needed
medical attention, I am now always grateful to see this. I hope I never need them again, but I feel
better knowing that they’re there.
The People
Running a race where you live means you’ll usually see a few
people you know. But this race (as well as
the Rock n Roll San Diego race in June) seems to bring out so many of my local
runner friends. I love being able to see
so many of them in one day, whether they were out running the race, on the
course spectating or just happen to be running in the area.
| Runners make the best friends. |
With so much that I love about this race, it really is hard
for me to come up with things I think need improving. The only thing that really comes to mind is
the expo—in my opinion, it’s a little small and a little chaotic to get
to. Although the location is nice,
having to find parking in a touristy part of San Diego can sometimes be
difficult. The long, narrow space of the
Broadway Pier makes some of the booths harder to access especially if it’s a
busy time at the expo. For these
reasons, I usually grab my bib and shirt, bypassing the booths all
together. But really in the big picture,
if the expo is the only thing I don’t love about a race, then it’s a good
race.
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| Fun photo spots inside Petco Park |
Without a doubt, I will be back to run this race next
year. Do you have a race you love
running every year?
Until next time, happy running.
Jenn13.1
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