This was the hardest 13.1 miles I’ve ever traversed. The 2017 course is basically 3 giant hills. I’d run the Miwok loop a couple times ahead of time, so I knew what was coming, but man, this race was humbling.

Getting to the race was a bit of a hassle. The organizers ran shuttles from SF, and riding on a school bus kinda sucks!

There is no expo, and you get a cheap TNF shirt. If you love swag, this isn’t for you.

Post-race celebration was fun, but a fatal flaw cut it short. They had a Sierra Nevada beer garden, which was great. But there really wasn’t that much food. We left because we were starving! And of course we then had to get on a bus back to SF.

The course does seem to change year over year.

My husband and I ran the 5 miler, and my 3YO ran in the Wibble Wobble (basically across a soccer field, short side). Both were a lot of fun. The 5 mile course is surprisingly challenging, sticking mostly to the trails in Golden Gate Park. Not stroller friendly, but I love that the race showcases these trails. The Wibble Wobble was a little disorganized, but in the end, it worked out. And it is possible to participate in both!

I’m a New Yorker born and raised, but now live in San Francisco. This was my second marathon and it lived up to all of my expectations.

Crowd support is incredible. Everywhere there are people cheering, and then you get these somewhat magical quiet moments when you’re on the bridges because there are no crowds. I will never forget running into Manhattan and hearing the roar of the cheering crowd. It was incredible.

Aid stations are, if anything, too frequent. So I felt very well supported, but because they were so frequent, I felt like I was slowed down by the congestion.

Which brings me to a big point. This marathon is crowded the entire way. I never felt like I was able to settle into my ideal pace because I was always navigating around others (I ran 3:55 and started in an early coral).

The start in Staten Island is pretty brutal. Just bring a bunch of clothes you’re ready to throw away and you’ll be fine.

I highly recommend opting for the poncho over bag check- not only do you get a cool poncho, but you get to exit the post-race chute faster. You end up walking a couple extra blocks if you have to exit via bag check.

What I particularly loved about this race is the distinct character of each neighborhood you get to run through. It’s so interesting, and so heartwarming to see all sorts of people come out and cheer for the runners.

This race needs to be on your bucket list.

This is a fun, relatively flat half marathon course- running alongside the water. It's a course that's pretty easy to run on your own, without an actual "race". But then you miss out on the expo being inside the stadium, and the finish line being inside the stadium. What a great way to finish the race. The only drawback is that the half marathoners intersect with the 5K runners and it gets pretty congested in the blocks leading up to the stadium. I wouldn't go out of my way to run this race, but if you have a fall marathon on the calendar, this can be a nice addition to your training plan.

This was my first full marathon. In previous years, I had run both the first and second half. I also live in San Francisco, so I’m very familiar with the course.

It is a challenging, decently supported race, with somewhat lackluster fan support. San Franciscan’s just don’t come out to support this race unless they have a friend or family member participating.

In 2018 there was a lot of drama around running across the Golden Gate Bridge. To be honest, I think this race is better without the bridge because it is very crowded (even on the actual roadway), and it is likely cold wet and foggy! I recommend running across the bridge on a weekday on your own, during the day. It’s the best way to experience the bridge!