The Bumble Bee Tuna 5K takes place immediately before the Big Bay Balloon Parade. There are plenty of people lining the race course waiting for the parade and cheering on the runners. When you finish the race, stick around and watch the rest of the parade.

It's a fun, family event and there are always kids running it and parents pushing strollers. Plenty of people walking as well so there's room for everyone. I run it and my parents walk then we meet up after and watch the parade. It's a fun morning.

The course is fast and flat and the weather is perfect for running so you might even get a PR out of it too!

This was an inaugural race so of course there were some small hiccups but overall, it was well organized and the volunteers were great.

One of the big selling points was the jacket (instead of a T-shirt) and it was very disappointing. The jacket was poor quality with an iron-on transfer which started coming off after 1 wash.

The race expo was also pretty small and disappointing.

But the race itself was good. Even though it was downtown, parking wasn't an issue. (I arrived super late (see why here (https://gratefultriathlete.com/2015/11/22/usa-half-marathon/) and I still found a spot) There were plenty of port-a-pots and water at the start.

The course was mostly rolling with one long hill (about a mile long) leading up to the flat, fast finish. Plenty of aid stations and caring, helpful volunteers made for a good morning.

This race is trying to be the Boston of Half Marathons but not sure how that is going to go. The current qualifying times were not that hard to meet which turned some people off. I think if it goes well, the times will get tighter. Time will tell.

This race has kind of a mom and pop feel to it. There is no chip timing, no age group awards, the volunteers are very nice but not always that knowledgeable. But given all that, there is plenty of parking, plenty of port-a-pots and plenty of runners dressed as pilgrims or wearing turkey hats. It has a festive feel so if you are in Myrtle Beach for Thanksgiving I'd still do the race. It's a great way to start your Thanksgiving Day!

There is a 5K and a 10K option to choose from. Both courses are flat but have a lot of turns. The turns are all well marked but don't make for as fast of a course as the elevation profile might suggest.

The one thing that might make me skip this race in the future is the race expo location. It's a pain to get to and a pain to park plus you have to pay to park there. But once you survive that, you're on your way to a fun event. Don't think that because it's downtown San Diego it's going to be flat. Nope. This is a hilly course. But it's a well run, well supported event and a lot of fun. Plus, who doesn't like chocolate?!?

This is a great race! The timing isn't great for me personally so unfortunately I can't do it every year but when I can, I do! The whole weekend has a party atmosphere and it's just plain fun. The expo is good, the location is great (right along the coast), the weather is perfect and the volunteers are the best. And if you live somewhere cold, this is the perfect excuse to come to some warmer weather for a weekend.

The only thing is you really need to time your packet pick-up. There are times when you can just walk right in and other times when you'll be waiting in line for an hour or more. The worst time seems to be right when it first opens so you might want to chill for a bit before heading over there.