I found this race by searching for half marathons in my area to match specific weekends of my full marathon training schedule. The course was fast, flat and along the Richmond Bay Marina on a sunny Saturday so it couldn't have been more perfect.

I was not able to attend bib pickup as I work 8-5pm 2 hours away and the pickups closed by 7pm on Thursday and 4pm on Friday. It would have been a bit nicer to have a later bib pickup, but I understand they may have not had many people coming from that far out of town.

I knew I would have to arrive early to get my bib, so we got there at 7:15 for an 8am start. The road leading from town to the marina is about a half mile long but only 1 lane, which resulted in quite a large line of cars trying to get in at 7:50am. In addition, the trains coming through town blocked the one lane in to the marina, resulting in more delays for drivers. I know there were some half marathoners out there who were unable to start on time because of this reason. Not to mention, the port-a-potty restrooms were placed on the sidewalk BEFORE the entrance of the parking lot, so you had cars trying to maneuver around lines of people in the street waiting to use the restroom. This would have frustrated me had I not gotten there as early as I did, and Brazen may want to address this issue at future races.

I ran the half marathon, which started at 8am. The 10k followed at 8:15am and the 5k race began at 8:30. The races were well staggered, the starting line was not too crowded and the announcers were loud enough to hear for a few blocks. It was an out and back course that took you along the Richmond Bay Marina to Golden Gate Fields racetrack and back. The course was mostly flat and paved, however only wide enough for 3-4 people at a time. Runners were advised to not travel in packs or run 3 people wide to allow for passers, and overall I did not run into an issue with not being able to get around anyone. It is a public pathway, so there were other runners, walkers and families with strollers out along the paths enjoying a Saturday morning stroll. There was a brief (approx 1/2 mile) single track trail course at the turnaround point, but otherwise it was mostly cement and asphalt.

There were 5 or 6 restrooms areas and aid stations throughout the half marathon course, which is more than plenty and I'm sure greatly appreciated. I did not stop at the aid stations as I carry my fluids and fuel, however I did see a variety of water, electrolytes, snacks, candy, chips, fruit, etc at each stations. Brazen typically does a good job of providing good food and refreshments at each of their races.

All in all, I truly enjoyed this race, I ran it just un 2 hours and 10 minutes. I must give props to the Tri Valley pacers who were there, they all finished EXACTLY on time and were friendly, smiling faces at each interaction. I will definitely be back next year for this race and I will look into a few more hosted by Brazen.