Latest reviews by Fallon C

(2016)
"Family Friendly 5K"
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*This will look very similar to my 10K review.

The HOB Fun Run is a small hometown race through and through. Always the last Sunday in September, the event has a variety of options for the whole family. A 10K, 5K, kids 1/2 mile race, 75 yard kids dash and a not-so-dirty diaper dash. New this year was the 1 mile race. The race starts and finishes in the city park which has bounce houses, crafts table and a free pancake breakfast. The event still offers cash prizes for the winners of the 10K and 5K. The participants in the diaper dash are entered into a drawing for a washer and dryer.

Being a small race, there is no expo. Packet pickup and late registration are available in the park on Saturday and early on race morning. Race shirts are a super soft cotton t-shirt, babies get a onesie. Medals are given to race finishers. Registration was available online, by mail and in local businesses.

100% of the race proceeds go to charity. The race management team picks 3 charities every year and the race participants choose where they want their registration fees to go while registering. The 10k, 5k, and mile are chip timed and times were up by Monday. Pictures are uploaded shortly after.

The 5K is a 1 loop course through downtown. The roads are 100% closed and monitored by course security at every intersection. The course is almost pancake flat and can boast some impressive times. It is a very PR friendly course. The lead runner is led by a motorcycle police officer. Water stations are at miles 1, 2 and 3. Crowd support is minimal outside of the middle of town but the race typically draws 250-300 hundred runners so there is always people around. The course is great for the speedy and the walker. It draws repeat participants every year. It is very family friendly- people run with strollers, their pets and sometimes kids ride on bikes or scooters while their parents run.

As the 10k starts at 8 and the 5K at 9:15, it is entirely possible for a runner to run in both events. I have for the past 4 years. :)

Names are announced as runners cross the finish line. Once crossing the finish, you get your medal and there is a booth with water bottles, oranges, bananas and pretzels is within a few yards. Race times are posted fairly quickly.

All in all, the HOB Fun Run 5K is a great opportunity to test your skills and see what a runner can do. It's also a great race for beginners and families.

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(2016)
"Flat and Fast- HOB Fun Run"
Overall
T-Shirts/SWAG
Aid Stations
Course Scenery
Expo Quality
Elevation Difficulty
Parking/Access
Race Management

The HOB Fun Run is a small hometown race through and through. Always the last Sunday in September, the event has a variety of options for the whole family. A 10K, 5K, kids 1/2 mile race, 75 yard kids dash and a not-so-dirty diaper dash. New this year was the 1 mile race. The race starts and finishes in the city park which has bounce houses, crafts table and a free pancake breakfast. The event still offers cash prizes for the winners of the 10K and 5K. The participants in the diaper dash are entered into a drawing for a washer and dryer.

Being a small race, there is no expo. Packet pickup and late registration are available in the park on Saturday and early on race morning. Race shirts are a super soft cotton t-shirt, babies get a onesie. Medals are given to race finishers. Registration was available online, by mail and in local businesses.

100% of the race proceeds go to charity. The race management team picks 3 charities every year and the race participants choose where they want their registration fees to go while registering. The 10k, 5k, and mile are chip timed and times were up by Monday. Pictures are uploaded shortly after.

The 10K is a 2 loop course through downtown. The roads are 100% closed and monitored by course security at every intersection. The course is almost pancake flat and can boast some impressive times. It is a very PR friendly course. The lead runner is led by a motorcycle police officer. The 10k is typically small- only averaging around 70 entrants. Water stations are at miles 1, 2 and 3. Crowd support is minimal outside of the middle of town and the small race size means you run on your own for most of the 10k. It is also entirely possible you will be lapped by the lead runners. No lie, that can hurt the pride. :)

Names are announced as runners cross the finish line. Once crossing the finish, you get your medal and there is a booth with water bottles, oranges, bananas and pretzels is within a few yards. Race times are posted fairly quickly.

All in all, the HOB Fun Run 10K is a great opportunity to test your skills and see what a runner can do. It's a race I will run again. Ok, truth, I've run it 7 times. :)

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(2016)
"Holy Hills"
Overall
T-Shirts/SWAG
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Registration- It took me 2 weeks to register as the discount codes were not working properly. I reached to race management via Twitter and email and eventually things were straightened out but it was a little frustrating.

Expo- The expo was located at Fort Mason and it was a very scenic location. That said, I was a little disappointed in the vendors. For some reason, I thought there would be more vendors. Granted, I did not arrive until late Saturday so maybe things were different earlier in the morning and the previous day. Packet pickup and shirt pickup was very quick and separated by race- Full, First Half, Second Half, 5k.

Race day- With the first half and full marathon starting at the same time, the start was a little congested. I couldn't find the portapotties. Runners were told to head towards to corrals. I found my corral and lined up. Wave 7 started exactly on time at 6:22.

The race starts on the Embarcadero and heads out to the Golden Gate Bridge, across it to Vista Point and then back across the bridge. From runners head through the city to Golden Gate park. After 5-6 miles in the park, runners exit towards Haight-Ashbury. The remaining miles were through a more industrial part of town before heading back by AT&T Stadium and finishing under the Bay Bridge.

The views in the first part of the course were great but the bridge was mired in fog and very slippery. The park started out very pretty but there were a lot of miles looping around the park, they began to drag on. But that is also just my opinion. The park is also where the First Half runners finish and the Second Half runners joined the marathoners. Haight -Ashbury was fun to run through but the industrial sections were a little mind numbing. Running past AT&T park and then under the Bay Bridge to the finish was kind of awesome.

There were plenty of on course aid stations but they were having troubles keeping up with the demand. A few had run out of pre mixed Nuun and others were having troubles filling the water cups. Once across the finish line, there was little direction from the volunteers, I was a little confused where to go. Granted, this was my first marathon and I was on the slower side so I know the volunteers had a lot to do and were probably tired too but I had hoped for a little more.

That said, I really did enjoy the course and the race. It has a lot hills (Garmin showed 1500+ elevation gain) but they kept things interesting. :) I would run this race again but probably just one of the half's- a few less hills that way. :) They also offer a variety of challenge medals for running the various distances in consecutive years.

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(2016)
"Sand, Sun and Fog"
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This is a small town race with a big crowd. Most local races draw 200ish people, this one pulls in over 1000. Cramming that many people into one 6 mile stretch of beach sounds claustrophobic but in reality it's awesome. The 10K is point to point- from the rock to the pier- while the half marathon loops around the pier and back to the rock with a 1 mile detour right before the end. The 10K actually only measures 6 miles. The half marathon is limited to 350 runners.

Packet Pickup can be done the day before or on race day. There is no expo to speak of just a pickup. That said, this race always delivers with great swag. This year included a tech tee, 13.1 running hat, sling bag, race specific bib along with the usual paper flyers and free samples. 10k's received a cotton shirt and a drawstring bag.

Race management was on top of communications prior to the race. Emails were sent out detailing the course and the areas of the beach to avoid. They were also very clear on notifying us that due to some large winter storms, the shoreline had changed and as a result part of the course included large rock outcroppings to cross. They also had signs up reminding runners of that at packet pickup.

Race start depends on the tides and this year that was 8:30. Both races start at the same time. The start line had plenty of port- of potties which is nice as there are no on course bathrooms.* The race started exactly on time. Running on the beach in July is gorgeous, even with the marine layer, you cannot complain about the scenery. There were 2 Aid stations on the way to the pier and 3 on the way back.

Running on the sand uses all your muscles so it's definitely a different experience than a road half. Runners hit the rocks around 2.3 miles in and they were tricky. They were not runnable and people got a little backed up as we all picked our way across. Then it was back to the sand. At the pier, the 10K's split off to the right for their finish line and the half runners stayed straight and looped around under the pier to head back towards the rock. The rock patch was trickier on the way back. Also the source of my one complaint- on the way out volunteers pointed out where to cross- on the way back there was no volunteer in sight. About 1 mile from the rock runners head up off the beach onto soft, sand for a mile loop on a paved path through a park. *There are beach bathrooms here if needed as well as an extra aid station. From there it's back down the soft sand to shoreline and back to the rock. Again, it's the beach in July so at this point there will be more beachgoers out and about. They do not always yield to runners.

You finish back at the start where you recieve a medal. There is also water for the finishers and a giant breakfast being served. This year they also offered free race pictures. Both timing results and race pictures were up on race day, impressive turn around.

Overall- this is a great race, just the right size and fun to run. The beach will never be fast territory for me but I love this race. This was my third year running one of the distances. I will be back next year.

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(2016)
"Sand and a Drumline"
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Expo- As a small race for the local high school music program, there is no expo just a packet pick up. Pick up can be done at high school the day before the race or the morning of. Packet pick up the day before takes less than 5 minutes. They are very well organized and prepared. T shirts are cotton with the race logo on the front while the back has the tagline of " I ran with the band". The bibs are designed for the race which is nice as most small races use the free Road ID ones.

Race day- The race starts and ends on the high school track. Prior to the races start, there is a warm up led by a local fitness instructor. Then the flag is presented while everyone says the Pledge of Allegiance before the school choir sings the National Anthem.

The race starts and ends on the high school track. From the start, you run out through the parking lot to trail through a tunnel of cypress trees. The trail has some troublesome roots that could trip you up but they are spray painted a bright pink for visibility. The drum line plays for you as you prepare to leave the cypress tunnel. From there runners traverse 100 yards of soft sand before arriving at the shore line and running along the beach until the respective turn around points for each race. There are 2 more music stations up to the 10K turnaround where there is also a water station. From there it is back the way you came along the beach and through the tree tunnel (drum line!) to finish on the track.

The race offers AG awards but no medals for finishers, which is typical of races in the area. Finish line food was great for a small race- bottles of water, orange slices, bananas, and pretzels. There are also bands at the finish line.

The race is small but organized well. My only gripe was the start time. This year the races started at 10:00. That is very late for a race in CA in May. It warmed up very quick out there. I know that it must have has something to do with the tides as they were highest I've ever seen for a beach race. High to the point where I wondered how the half marathoners were going to be able to finish. Other than that, I would totally recommend this race to anyone. I look forward to running it next year.

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