The Seaside Half Marathon race is a fun local race with a 5K, 10K, and Half offered. I call it a local race because it is about 10 blocks from my house. We did have a lot of out of state racers and I think three out of country runners! I finally placed in my age group! 2nd in the 10K with 45:05.8, 9th overall and I was stoked!

The race starts at the Ventura Boardwalk and goes North (West) along the old Pacific Coast Highway. It was my first 10K race so I was only able to see part of the beauty of the Pacific Ocean. I know my friends running the Half Marathon were in awe of the scenery. Since I am a local, I often ride my motorcycle up the coast and catch an occasional sunset.
The course is an "up" and "back", but with that view it is totally worth it. You start on the boardwalk for three quarters of a mile, then the PCH bike path for the rest. It is relatively flat but there are a few "False Flats" that looks easy and then sneak up and kick your butt. You finish through the start in reverse so there is no looping around like some races do.
There were plenty of volunteers at the Aid stations, and they were all supper happy to help. Not a lot of spectators during the course. Although, at the finish, there were way more people out since we are right on the beach.
The expo at the end is really small, but with lots of cool people hanging out it wasn't a deal breaker. Swag was a tech shirt, water bottle, and bag. The medal was simple but still pretty cool.
If you live within a few hours of Ventura, you should totally check out this mellow, easy going, inexpensive race. If you sign up early enough, it might end up the cheapest race you have ever paid for!