I was very disappointed with a few things about this race: 1.) parking at the expo was a ridiculous $8- do yourself a favor- park across the street and walk into the fairgrounds 2.) the race shirt was terrible and the logo was shredded even before I received it at the expo 3.) the race itself was the MOST crowded race I have ever run (and I have done SF, Long Beach and Surf City). People did not follow the corral "suggestions" and everyone just crammed in the front of the line. Which made my run very difficult. 4.) getting to the starting line was an absolute nightmare. Traffic was backed up for miles.

However, there are a lot of things I was very happy with 1.) The post race celebration concert was FANTASTIC. The band is awesome and plays great 80s music, which was so much fun (and my post-marathon beer buzz helped as well). 2.) The expo booths were great- ProCompression, Nuun, and GU were a few that I personally hit up. 3.) The course scenery is GORGEOUS! The majority of the race is along the marina, which is an absolute beauty to look at 4.) Crowd support is high. There were people cheering along the entire course, which is not usual and was much appreciated. 5.) The course is hilly, but not too hilly. In my opinion, it was the right amount of hills.

A couple of things that I learned: 1.) Study the course map! I knew going into the race that there were hills at 7 & 11, so I was prepared, but I don't think most people were. 2.) UBER! Get an Uber or a Lyft to the race start- this is a point to point race and I am sure that riding the bus back to the starting line with 50 other smelly runners isn't fun. 3.) Park and walk to the expo. Save yourself $8 and park across the street and walk... paying to park is totally not worth it.

Link to this review