If you’re looking for a scenic, net downhill race with typically great running weather, then add this event to your itinerary! The Napa Valley Marathon, half marathon, and 5k take place in the heart of wine country in early March each year. The marathon itself draws a few thousand participants and tends to sell out well before race day. The race organizers do a phenomenal job with registration, communication, transportation, and swag! I attended the expo the day before the marathon to pick up my bib. There were several photo opps and freebies even though the expo was small. All participants received a T-shirt and heavy duty backpack which doubled as your drop off gear bag. Merchandise available for purchase was also plentiful at the expo and at the finish line. Race morning, I opted to use the transportation available from Vintage high school (finish line). There was plenty of parking, real restrooms, and no issues at all finding an available bus to hop onto. Arriving at the start line we were allowed to stay warm on the bus for as long as we wanted to. Porto-Johns had about a five minute wait. I dropped off my gear bag about 10 minutes before the start without any stress. The race began on time and was absolutely gorgeous the entire course. Professional pacing teams were on course and aid stations were plentiful and fully stocked. Photos for purchase were taken at several locations on the way back to Napa from Calistoga. The weather was mainly overcast with a few showers later in the race. Temps in the mid forties. The net downhill course made the miles fly by. (My garmin registered 577ft of gain). Crowd support was sporadic but enthusiastic! The finish line festival included photo opportunities, hot soup/roll, snacks, water, fruit, and additional food truck offerings. The finisher’s medal is heavy and beautiful, high quality as with all the other aspects of the race! 5 stars for this fast, scenic course!

The typical Bay fog lingered all morning for the 2022 Santa Rosa Marathon. This kept racing conditions perfect with temperatures in the low 60s. I arrived to Old Courthouse Square 45 minutes before the 6:30am start, quickly and easily found parking close to the start line then headed to gear check and porta potties which both had no waiting. Since I opted for the “Mail me my bib” option for $25, I had not attended the expo. Race management, however, did a spectacular job keeping runners informed, excited, and organized down to the details in the weeks leading up to the event weekend. There was a 5k and 10k on Saturday and the half marathon and full on Sunday. Challenges were available for those who wanted to run both days. I decided to focus on the full and try for a BQ. Both the half and the full courses are certified if your looking to qualify for NYC as well. Beast pacing is on hand with motivated professionals to help you achieve your goals. My goal was to stay with the 3:40:00 pacer as long as I could. I made it to mile 24 with her, finishing at 3:44, reaching my BQ and NYQ goals with plenty of time to spare. The course views are beautiful as a majority of the time your running on the Santa Rosa Creek Bike Trail which is lined with vineyards. At mile 10, you’ll take a detour through DeLoach Winery, running through their barrel room! Be ready for your photo shot as you exit! You’ll experience a few small rolling hills between miles 12-14, but for the most part the course is flat. My watch measured about 400 feet of gain total. The aid stations were every few miles and offered water and electrolytes. One station I saw around mile 9 had GU energy gels. The volunteers were enthusiastic and helpful on course and at the post-race festivities. This is where I collected my fabulous swag including my finisher’s jacket, free bottle of DeLoach Vineyard’s “Runner’s Red” wine, tote bag, free beer vouchers (4of them!), and of course my finisher’s medal! The party at the finish was energized with music and the announcements of the winners. Hen House Brewery outdid themselves with a customized beer can for all finishers this year that I really thought was a cool perk. Results could be scanned from your bib and were available immediately. If you’re looking for a flat, end of summer (last chance BQ), professional, well executed race in Northern CA, I’d definitely recommend the Santa Rosa Marathon events weekend in late August. I’m already looking forward to 2023!

Running just got a lot sweeter! The Hot Chocolate Race series is such a fun event. I ran the 15k distance in Golden Gate Park in January of 2022. I had heard so many great things about it and couldn’t wait to experience it myself. The race organizers kept us well informed despite pandemic concerns. Registration, gear check, volunteers, photo opps, and music were top notch! There were 2 race distances, a 5k and a 15k. It was a great opportunity for thousands of people to take advantage of healthy new year’s resolutions. All ages and abilities were present in the corrals. Parking was a breeze. I parked at Kezar Stadium which offered a $14 flat rate for the day, and was about a half mile from the starting area. I can’t say enough about the beautiful course. Golden Gate Park is pristine with waterfalls, statues, and gardens. As you continue out of the park, views of the Pacific ocean distract you for about 3 miles until you return to the park and up to the finish line. Aid stations offered water, honey stinger hydration, and a surprise treat! Beware, the last 2 miles are uphill but they aren’t too bad. This race has the best swag! Everyone received a super cozy finisher’s jacket, medal, and hot chocolate treats! I devoured mine while taking in the music at the post race staging area. I highly recommend this race for anyone looking to run a beginner-friendly race or experienced runners looking for a gorgeous course.

The Santa Rosa Half Marathon takes place in late August in the heart of California’s Wine Country. It’s a beautiful out and back course that starts at 7:30am (an hour after the full marathon start on relatively the same course) It’s location near the coast keeps temperatures cool (60 degrees at the start) despite taking place in summer. Race management is top notch with communication, registration, and overall organization of race details. I chose the bib mailing option for $15 dollars and my amazing swag was perfect when it arrived a few days before race day. And this race can brag about their swag… A finisher’s jacket, medal, wine tumbler, personalized bibs, and a bottle of wine! There were 978 finishers in the half marathon in 2021. Your finishing time could be found by scanning a code of the front of your bib! Pretty cool! Aid stations with water or Gatorade were plentiful as were spectators. The course starts on city streets then pops onto a bike path for 11 miles or so. Although there were thousands of runners in total, there was plenty of room to spread out on the bike path. I crossed the finish line with a new PR, 1:49:17 and immediately grabbed a soy protein drink box, granola bar, and water which were offered at the finish. The finisher’s medals are heavy, solid and beautiful! Drop bag location was centered in a convenient location and was well organized. Porta potties were plentiful with no waiting. After the race, beer tents host a festival with drink tickets for purchase, however each runner does receive one free beer. Most runners congregate in Old Courthouse Square for these post race activities. There was also a tent selling merchandise. I parked just a block away from the start in a free parking lot without much searching around.
I highly recommend this race if your looking for a fun, fast, well organized event!!

I've had my eye on this race for a few years! The draw of a gradual downhill race located in the beautiful PNW is hard to resist especially when it falls near my birthday! We flew into Seattle and stayed in Bellevue at one of the host hotels, Hilton Garden Inn. This proved to be a great location since it was less than an hour to the start line but still close to sightseeing in downtown Seattle. Bib pickup was in North Bend and was set to begin at 12 noon. Race management had a few hiccups which delayed this until 12:30 causing a line to wrap around the building. However, this was only a minor issue and management was otherwise top notch!! They were quite informative prior to the race, the swag was awesome, the food spread at the finish was over the top, and the free photography was some of the best I've seen! No masks were required at the start since vaccination proof was needed to register so it felt so good to be "back to normal" at the start line! The course is located at 2,500 ft in Snoqualmie Pass and is a gradual downhill losing 2,100 ft in total. It is a crushed, packed gravel, dirt trail which was muddy this year because of the light rain but easily run even by a road runner like me. It was a perfect 55 degrees and misty running through some of the most dramatic scenery in the country. The course, which was once a railroad route, features a pitch black tunnel at mile .6 which is 2.3 miles long!! I brought a flashlight that looks like a pen and fit easily into my pocket, but since I was in a pacing group didn't use it. The headlamps from other runners lit up the tunnel. Be careful upon entering the tunnel as it's quite uneven to start. It flattens out quickly and is a lot of fun especially with everyone hooting in excitement! It was a little cooler inside the tunnel with water dripping down and muddy puddles but what an experience!! Be ready for a photo when exiting! Then you will be impressed by waterfalls, trestle bridges, and deep forest views for the next 23 miles! Aid stations were every few miles and were well stocked with water and electrolytes. A few offered Honey Stinger gels. My Garmin was about a quarter mile off the mile markers, most likely due to the tunnel and gps signal in the mountains. I ended up with a PR and was so happy to add another state to my portfolio! I would definitely recommend this race to anyone looking for a PR or a BQ! And I'd love to run it again someday!