I had a great experience running the second half of the San Francisco Marathon. Nothing beats the scenery in this city, and the second half is an awesome tour of Golden Gate Park, Haight-Ashbury, as well as the Mission, and Dogpatch neighborhoods, Finishing along the bay running past the ATT Park (San Francisco Giants baseball).

Fast, flat course. Ticket includes admission to San Jose Giants, which is a fun perk! Random distances, and lack of a real expo make this a relatively simple race. Unique route going through Happy Hollow zoo and Historic Park, but not all that interesting overall. I used this a stepping stone to my first half marathon and that was perfect.