Not being a wine drinker, I signed up for this race to run with my wife. The goal of this race is really just to go out, have fun, dress up and drink wine at the end. Since I wasn't sure what to expect, I got geared up and ready to destroy the course :)
This one was set at Gainey Winery in Santa Ynez, CA... a beautiful winery where we ran through the vineyards. No one talked about parking until a few days before. An email was sent that it was a high dollar parking fee or walk a long way to get to the race. Kind of a bummer.
As I raced to the start, I noticed there weren't really any waves, just a jumble of people piled together between grapes. I made it up pretty close to the front when the horn sounded... and I took off. I'm not used to fun runs, so I was racing. I made it up to 4th place and hung there through the hilly and windy roads of the vineyard. That was challenging in itself because this fun run started at 4:30 pm and the sun was still overhead and beating down on us.
The best part was I got passed and moved into 5th... but caught back up and passed back into 4th! I took 4th overall and was really excited (even though most participants were just out there having fun... at least 5 of us were RACING).
They handed me my wine glass at the end and I saved it for my wife who was cruising through the hills as well. They had lots of gourmet food trucks there, so the eats were happening! No photos taken during and one aid station with two people manning it.
Overall, definitely cool to run through a vineyard, but no medal, no pictures, not much else except wine, if you like that sort of thing :)
Still great to run, race, and finish close to the from of the pack!

Race on the Base... Literally... What a cool thing. Running on the Los Alamitos Joint Services Base runway for helicopters and planes! You are on the military base! I served in the military a long time ago, so it was a really cool feeling to be back among the familiar.... so, about the race:

Race on the Base offers a 5K, 10K and Reverse Triathlon. I haven't really raced a 5K fast, so I signed up for that one. I was happy that my wife signed up as well... her first race! Easy directions to get to the base, and getting on was a breeze with your valid ID. Parking was plentiful since they had us park near the runway by the helicopter hangers. (So cool!) Packet pick up was a breeze. They had plenty of volunteers working in the expo tent. UPS was also there for gear check. I love that... it feels more secure with them in the big brown truck.
No real wave times because it isn't that huge of a race. (for the 5k there was 1143 runners) The course takes you through the base streets and out on the runway. I gave higher stars for the scenery even though it was a flat concrete view. It's because its a military runway! I have never been running on one, looking back at the control tower and blue lights. There were lots of spectators on the course cheering us on. I love that too. For the 5K I only passed one aid station, so I can't really comment on how good the aid stations were. There were lots and lots of people at the finish, making tons of noise. Medal at the finish, banana and water after that.
The expo after was pretty a pretty big tent style, with three rows of vendors. Denny's sponsored the race, so on your bib was a pull tab for a free breakfast. I had a Grand Slam right after the race, and it was GOOD! They had extra medals for the winners of overall and division, and those medals were twice as big! Easy to find out results. They had them posted within 20 minutes of the race finish. I placed second in my division and was pretty stoked! Two medals!! BOOM!
I just found out they do a series medal with two other races: Run Seal Beach, Cypress Run, and Race on the Base and you get a special combo medal. That is pretty cool when they do that.

Overall, this was a really fun race with lots of perks for a really inexpensive sign up (my 5K was 32.00) and for most people that never step foot on a military instillation, this is a great opportunity to see what its like. Come race it next year!! I took lots of pictures with my medals and Helicopters :)

I will start off saying that this was a must on my race list. Surf City is part of the Beach Cities Challenge. You must race Long Beach, Surf City, and OC in consecutive order (no matter which one you start, you do the other two in order) and you get the Beach Cities Medal! Right now it is a huge clam shell with the three medals inside. It is quite impressive. Since I ran the Long Beach Half already, Surf City was next.

This is a huge race. Around 15,000 runners we on hand and it felt like it. I am pretty new to racing (my 6th Half) and these staple races are just crowded! So many people, but the energy level is way up as well! With just two events, Marathon and Half Marathon, you knew what people were here to do... RUN!

I had arrived Saturday before to get my packet. I think with that many runners, they weren't able to accommodate same-day packet pick up. That could be tough for some coming from further distances. After the pick-up, the expo was pretty amazing. This three tent size circus was filled with many vendors selling merchandise, talking up future races, and offering samples of their yummy snacks. Of course this was the best spot for race buddies to meet and share their ideas about the plan of attack for the next day. I saw lots of selfies being taken, and I joined right in.

Race morning came early. With the idea of 15,000 people coming to run and however many more spectators, I knew parking would be tough. And it was. Arriving early was the key. Got parked, closed my eyes for a few, then got dressed for race time! 6:30 kicked off the Full Marathon and I walked up right as they left... it is such a cool sight to see take off from the side line. My Half start time was 7:45 and I was worried about it. This is Southern California and the sun was going to be up and at em'.

Race time... In my wave, race starts, and now I am dodging lots and lots of runners to get up to my pace and feeling comfortable. That is probably the hardest part about big races like this. I ran with a buddy and she and I did ok swerving through traffic. At mile five we split off and I tried to speed it up for a PR. Lots of aid stations to help along the way and the volunteers were supper supportive and motivated. There were a few small inclines that were a lot tougher than they looked. I had to slow up a bit and lost my pace. Coming around the 6 mile mark you could see the most amazing view of the Pacific Ocean. It was just beautiful. Then the rest of the way was on the Pacific Coast Highway. No trees, no shade, and the sun was blazing. It was probably 73 degrees on the last 6 miles and you could definitely tell. The last 3 miles or so felt like a steady incline. I powered through and had to slow up a bit again. The last mile was full of spectators screaming and cheering. That feeling got us runners to pick up the pace and finish strong. The finishers medals are unique every year and this years was called the Riptide (a longboard surfboard). One of the coolest medals I have seen. End of the race they had plenty of volunteers giving goodie bags that were much appreciated.

I was having an off day and ran a 1:47:14. It was the second slowest run and I was bummed about it. It could have been the weather (HOT!!) or that I had the flu four days earlier, but whatever it was I let the course beat me. I still had fun, but I will always push for the PR!

All that aside, this is an amazing race with lots of positives. Great course, great views, great finishers medal, and just a whole lot of fun! Please come to SoCal and run Surf City!

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!

Camarillo is pretty close to where I live (Ventura) that I had to try this race. Close proximity and a fairly cheap race was my main reason for signing up. I think I paid 49 dollars for the Half... and thought maybe I could get a PR as well.

Packet Pick-Up was easy but the swag back was kind of a let down. The shirt was about all that was in there. Oh and a bicycle style water bottle.
When I got to the race, the expo was so small I thought there wasn't an expo. Maybe three exhibitors? And they weren't really running related. They had real bathrooms, which was a plus. No long lines at a port-o-potty.
The race started and I hung with the 1:40 pacer. We were running through California farmlands which can be pretty, but I think we were in the vegetable area of Camarillo. Nothing but the smell of cilantro and cabbage. Basically, the scenery was nothing to write home about. Since it was farmland, there wasn't much spectator action unless your loved ones purposely came to cheer.
I always appreciate the aid stations and there were plenty of those. The course was pretty flat as described, so one could grab a PR on this course.
The finish had quite a few more people (I think from the 5K and 10K races) so some nice cheers to help me finish! Afterwards they offered some bananas, pretzels and orange slices. I wasn't stoked on the medal either. It was pretty small and the ribbon holding it was cheap and generic.
Overall, it was a very small race that seemed to me like a "locals only" race. The only reason I wouldn't recommend it is I think you would be unhappy with the whole thing if you came from any distance to run it. I love to run and race and hate talking down about an event. But if you are looking for an exciting, great scenic, highly energetic crowd kind of a race, this is not it.