The AFC race is one of my favorites in San Diego. You start at a Nationals monument and end at a historically San Diego location. I don’t think any other race parallels the views seen on this course.

Firstly, the expo is easy to access on Harbor Island and I like how they allow you to pick up bibs for others. (Sometimes work duties call and it’s tough to make it to packet pick up.) Luckily, this time I made it to the expo. I thought there was a decent amount of freebies and photo opportunities to make the expo worthwhile to walk around. They also had running fuel/apparel available for purchase, which was nice for any individuals who had last minute needs before the race. Packet pickup itself was quick, painless, and easy! I thought the shirt given to registered runners was of good quality, too.

The day of, parking was well organized. I opted to park at the finish and shuttle to the start. If I recall correctly, they do have limited parking about a mile from the start which they will shuttle you to from the finish. Personally, I feel parking at the finish is the best way to go as Balboa Park does not lack any spaces.

There are plenty of shuttles and the shuttle locations are easy to spot. (There are two different shuttle locations for runner convenience.) The shuttle drivers are nice and efficient, and it’s nice to not have to trek to the start as you have to in some races. I hopped on a later shuttle (whoopsie) at around 5:00 and barely made it to the start on time, so do plan on arriving earlier than expected and don’t wait for the last shuttle.

The start had gorgeous views of the San Diego Bay and there was some room to warm up. You won’t have enough space to go crazy with your warm up, but there is enough space to stretch. Also, they have plenty of portable bathrooms available for use at the start. I feel it’s a rare occurrence when a race gets this right, so huge plus from me. Once the race started, there was some bottlenecking before the start line due to a narrowing of the road, but it was nothing unbearable.

The course starts down some gentle, rolling hills next to the military graveyards (still with that beautiful view of the water) and transitions to Point Loma neighborhoods where people cheered the runners on. Next you ran by the airport, around Harbor Island, and into downtown. The next part of the race took you up some hills in the downtown area into Balboa Park.

There were plenty of aid stations throughout the course, as usually San Diego is scorching in August, but luckily this year the marine layer stuck around to keep the temperature a little cooler for the runners. (Thank you, Mother Nature!)

At the finish line there were plenty of spectators cheering on he finishers. You received your medal and a goodie bag filled with some snacks. The post race hunger was real after this run, so it was nice to have the snacks quickly given to me.

The finisher festival was on a grassy area in Balboa Park where you could visit booths, pick up any gear you had checked, and take photos. I didn’t stick around for this, so I can’t speak much on it.

My favorite part of this all was the ease of getting out of the area. Some half marathons create huge traffic issues when leaving the race, but it took me all of five minutes to get out of the area and on my merry way. Huge plus from me for this.

Overall, the views of this race are gorgeous and the race organization is top-notch. I have zero complaints for this race (minus the heat some years, but that’s not the race’s fault) and I cant wait to run it in 2018 to get that snazzy “three consecutive year” medal.