• Santa Barbara,
    California,
    United States
  • May
  • 13.1 miles/Half Marathon, Relay
  • Road Race
  • Event Website

Carolyn Gardner

Los Angeles, California, United States
27 19
2017
"Running with a side of wine"
Overall
T-Shirts/SWAG
Aid Stations
Course Scenery
Expo Quality
Elevation Difficulty
Parking/Access
Race Management
Carolyn Gardner's thoughts:

Finish line wine and vineyard views..I didn't need my arm twisted to run this event.

Santa Barbara wine country half is a beautiful yet hilly course with a post race wine tasting party.
This running event takes place just north of Santa Barbara in the Santa Ynez valley deep the heart of wine country. The first half of the race is definitely uphill with a peak at about 7 miles on "corkscrew hill". The reward for reaching that peak is a killer vineyard view and a mostly downhill course to the finish.
Once you reach the finish line, grab your wine glass and head for the post race party. There are wine tastings, beer tastings and a nice park area to lounge in. This is a perfect race to run with friends but keep in mind, the post race party can get a bit congested.

What did I like:
**Loved the views!!
**The hosting towns were quiet accommodating to the running tourists. Its a very quaint area of California and definitely one I'll head back to. (The local coffee shop opened early for runners and were so patient with everyone needing their morning fix)
**I really liked the post race party, even though it got crowed it was fun and loved tasting so many wines.
**Packet pick up was seamless, there was even a race day pick up option (for an additional fee).
**Since it was a point to point race, shuttles were available to the start line and seem to run very consistently.
**Aid stations were well stocked.
**Free race day photos.

What did I wish was different:
**Post race traffic was packed, wish there was an easier way to navigate out of the area in a car.
**Would have been better if they expanded the wine tasting area to a larger space to accommodate the amount of runners.
**Not really a complaint, but this is definitely a route with rolling hills so make sure you are well prepared.

Overall I loved this race and will definitely be back next year to run with friends....and drink more wine.

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