Race Communication- about one email every few weeks until it was closer to race day then the emails increased. All were very clear in providing helpful information about hotels, parking, race times, entertainment or spectators, and wave starts.

Expo- The expo was held in the San Jose Convention Center. It seemed smaller than other Rock N Roll expos I’ve been too but it was very organized. It had a large apparel booth from Brooks as well as the usual booths you would find at a good sized expo

Bib pick up- Bib pick up was organized by number which you needed to know first, they went paperless this race, so runners claimed their race numbers via the Rock n Roll app. Timing chips were located on the backs of the bibs. We then headed into another section to pick up our shirts and goodie bags. The shirts still run very small though, I really need to start asking for mens shirt at this point.

Race morning- My hotel was within walking distance of the start line, it took me less then 10 minutes. There were plenty of porta potties scattered up each side street along the length of the corrals.

The race started at 8:00 with a wave start. The elites and the first few corrals went off without a hitch and then we ground to a halt. There was some transit delay and the rest of the corrals were delayed. I couldn’t quite understand the announcer, but the corrals got really messed up and I didn’t end starting until 8:30.

The course- The course runs you north before looping back down towards Santa Clara. It runs through some cool business districts as well as some amazing residential ones. There wasn’t a ton of crowd support but Rock n Roll provides for you via live music, DJ’s and having the so many local schools’ cheerleaders come out to cheer you on. The cheerleaders were awesome.

Aid stations- The half marathon had 7 aid stations which had water and Gatorade Endurance. It was warm and very humid day and the stations were always well stocked and ready to go. A couple of stations offered SIS gels as fuel.

Elevation- In my opinion, this course is pancake flat but full of turns. For some it could be a great PR course, for me, I really needed some rollers.

Finish- There are multiple photographers around the finish area as you finish. You are handed your medal then funneled towards finisher’s photos then towards the food. Offered was a bottle of water, Gatorade Endurance, Chocolate milk, Cheese-Its, granola bar and a banana. Once again, I wish they would give you something to carry everything in.

This was a great race but a few things seemed squirrelly. The 8:00 AM start for a CA October race is too late, I wish it started sooner. Rock n Roll sent out a heat advisory email the night before the race which is good thinking on their part but an earlier start would have helped that too. I get that any race in a big city is going to have transit issues, but the start delay was a surprise. I read the pre-race info thoroughly and there was nothing about delays. Combine that with the later start, the heat and I was moving slower than planned and I had to hustle back to the hotel to check out immediately crossing the finish line. I barely glimpsed the finish line festival in the park as I was hustling.

I love Rock n Roll events and for the most part this was no exception. I hope to give it another shot next year.
Oh and the medal was awesome.

Link to this review