The race was great. The race is put on by experienced organizers. I had a really good experience.

Pros:
You're running through a redwood forest on a paved trail. Gorgeous.

The canopy of trees helps keep you cool.

Plenty of close parking.

Cons:
There's no close hotels, gas, or food. 30 minutes away is the closest.

The medal was cool, but the rest of the swag was, eh.

The drive out there and back is long. About 5hrs from the San Francisco Bay Area.

I ran this with a couple of training/teammates, one of whom has ran the race every year. The first half of the course is up. The view at the top is worth it. The crowd support was awesome. The community really comes out. I had the unique experience of volunteering for this race the year before I ran it. Let me tell you, the race staff has so much respect for the runners, especially the slower ones. Do this race.

The race is point to point. So it's an early morning to get to your shuttle pickup location. The race is very well organized. The shuttles, the sweat check, the course, the aid stations, the crowd support, the after-race support. Everything went smooth. It is net downhill course, there are some hills. You definitely start noticing them in the second half of the race.

This was a great race. It was my first marathon and everything went really well. There's no big hills, but be prepared for long inclines.

Things I liked:
The start and finish are at the Santa Cruz Boardwalk. You finish on the beach next to the boardwalk. Since the finish was on the beach, my wife and son had something to do while waiting for me, plus the quick dip in the ocean was just the ice bath I needed. You have ocean views through most of the race. There's plenty of affordable hotels in the area.

Things that could have been better:
There was a lack of real food at the aid stations. There was water, Gatorade, and gels. It's a road race but there were a few miles on a dirt trail.