This was a fun, but tough race! Packet pickup was at Runners Warehouse, which was nice and easy to find. Pickup was quick with not much to it. I loved the tank that we got! I wear mine everywhere! Now onto the race... It starts in quaint downtown San Luis Obispo (where I happened to live), and headed south to Avila Beach. The first 4ish miles of this race are all flat or slightly downhill, before getting into the rolling hills. The rolling hills aren't horrible, until you hit a long, steep incline going into mile 7. From there, it's a nice long downhill, then goes through part of the Bob Jones Hill, before another brutal uphill just as bad as the first. The final miles are all rolling hills, and by then your legs and mind are both exhausted, and it's a mental battle to the finish. But once you do finish, it's fantastic! The ocean breeze feels so good, and the views are amazing! I ran this with my mom on the day before her 50th birthday, and we finished hand in hand! They also had a handcycle division, which my uncle raced in! The medals were big and beautiful, and the post race festivities were super fun. Central Coast Brewing provided the beer, and it was so good! We didn't need to worry about taking the shuttles all the way back to SLO, since my dad drove us. We finished the day wine tasting at Laetitia Winery in Arroyo Grande, which made for the perfect day. If this is a destination race for you, there are tons of wineries in town to hit up once you finish! Will definitely run again, and highly recommend!

This was my first half marathon! I live locally in San Luis Obispo, so it was easy to get to. I picked up my packet the day before the race (my birthday!), and it was super easy to go in, pick up, and go home. The swag was awesome! Nice dryfit shirt, a backpack, a hat, and extra goodies inside the backpack! The start line was easy to find at the Rock in Morro Bay, and there was plenty of parking when I got there. The race went from Morro Bay to the Cayucos pier and back, all on the beach with the exception of a half mile paved loop in the second half. At one point we even had to climb over rocks, which was super fun, but not necessarily great if you're looking to PR (but then again, if you're looking to PR you probably don't want to run on the beach). Aid stations had water and electrolytes, and some people who live right next to the beach came out to cheer and support. Since it is a public beach, it's not a closed course, which meant there were other runners/walkers, beach goers, and dogs throughout. Though I never found them to get in the way or cause any issues. The finish area was small, but there was a band and people serving breakfast which was nice! Temps were nice and cool the whole time thanks to running on the beach! Probably won't be running this one again any time soon, but would definitely recommend anyone to run it once!