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!

Coming for CA to race the April Fool's Half Marathon was not my original plan. This was a backup race when the Delaware Marathon was postponed. It turned out to be an amazing experience! Born and raised in NJ, I was excited to finally venture back to the Garden State for a real, live race! There were multiple times for packet pickup the week of the race, however traveling 3,000 the day before, I couldn't make it until the final hour. Knowing I was cutting it super close, I had contacted race management and they were happy to help me by making an exception and holding my bib until race morning if need be. We ended up arriving in time and were greeted by friendly race volunteers who gave us our swag bag. When race week came the weather was the only thing not falling into place. The forecast was light rain, wind gusts up to 30mph, and temps around 45 degrees. This was exactly what we woke up to on race morning. We stayed at one of the host hotels, The Atlantic City Marriott which was about a block from the start/finish line. I'd recommend doing the same. Another option is the Resorts Hotel and Casino which was where the runners congregated in the morning to stay dry and use the restrooms. The race was staggered with starting times due to Covid and I started in the first corral. We started on time at 7:40am and we headed down the Atlantic City boardwalk. I had concerns about running on the boardwalk especially in the rain, but it was a non issue. The wind however was whipping us all over, but mainly from the back for the first 6.5 miles. It was quite a scenic course with the ocean on one side and the hotels, mansions, and shops on the other. Lots to keep your mind off your pace or the wind. There were about 6 aid stations with your choice of water or Gatorade and lots of cheers from the volunteers. Free photos were taken at mile 3, 10, and the finish. Runners leave the boardwalk at mile 4 to run on pavement, straight and fast. At mile 6 was Lucy the Elephant, a small tourist spot in the town of Margate, which also signified that we were just about at the halfway point!! Wind, WIND, wind as we hit mile 6.55 and turned north. I told myself to keep going until you reach the boardwalk again on the out and back course, then until you reach the hotels again... The hotels seemed to block the wind a bit. Then easy running to the finish line! I ran my fastest ever half marathon coming in 14th (out of 134) (F 40-49) and 139 overall (out of 698) I believe the straight, flat, course contributed to my success as well as the cool weather and wind at our backs for the first half of the race. Many runners got PRs!! The medal was super cute and heavy! What a fabulous, memorable race!!! I would definitely sign up for this one again!!