Thanks to a partnership bt BibRave and the RNR Series, I got a comped entry to RNRSJ here in SJ for the 13.1 race. While I knew I wasn't going to be racing it as a HM run, I couched the 13.1 into my planned 20-miler for the morning and really had a blast with it, despite the unseasonably warm weather for October (90+, pure sun).

Admittedly, I do not particularly enjoy RNR races and haven't run one in years, mostly due to the enormity of the events, the high price tag, and just kinda the over-hyping of the race/race weekend. Having just moved to SJ in Dec '13, though, I wanted to give RNRSJ a chance, and after I ran the entirety of the course a few weekends ago, I quickly learned that the course could make for an extremely fast race, if desired. If nothing else, it's a pretty course and shows off some really nice areas of town...and some really flat portions!

The course starts downtown and winds runners through parts of downtown, near the SJSU campus, Japantown, along the Alameda, through some quite mansion-filled neighborhoods west of downtown, and back, so it is a bit turn-y but still has plenty of straightaways. Lots of HS volunteers managed the aid stations well, and there were tons of cheerleading groups on the course on both the front and back end, which just added to the positive and fun environment. RNR usually markets itself as having tons of bands lining the course, and there were, though probably more on the front end than the back end (and a bonus: the bands were actually good!). With the really warm weather that we had, RNR also did a good job of managing things as well as they could by having several hose/misting areas and cold sponges available for runners. Ultimately, it's up to runners to run within their abilities--and to run intelligently--when the conditions dictate a change in plans, but it's also nice to see a race be proactive like this, in an effort to help runners not be idiots and seriously harm themselves on a blazing hot day.

The 10k and HM runners split on the Alameda, and while things could have gotten really ugly (bc the 10k runners were instructed to run in a lane demarcated by cones, while the HM runners stayed to the right of the cones), things were actually surprisingly controlled, even when I came through and came upon a ton of 10k walkers and HM run/walkers. Obviously, if you're gunning for a PR, it can be super shitty to have to trudge through a ton of slower-moving runners or run/walkers, but the system seemed to work pretty well.

All told, really well done, and I was pleasantly surprised. As is the norm with RNR races, the expo was enormous and had tons of stuff for sale; the medal was heavy and race-specific; and the premium, a tech short-sleeve, was nice and emphasized the CA/SJ connection to the RNR race series. I enjoyed the experience far more than I anticipated I would, and by the looks of it on course and on social media afterwards, many other people, too, had a blast out there--toasty temps be damned. Thanks again for the race opportunity, BibRave!

http://www.dailymile.com/people/ErinAMG/entries/30665858

I ran the nike women's SF 13.1 as a fundraising participant with team in training. 2014 was the first year that nike eliminated the 26.2 option from this event, and it was also the first time in race history (a decade, I think?) that they completely changed the course. admittedly, I went into this race a bit skeptical for a number of reasons: a) all-women's or women-centered races typically aren't my cup of tea; b) I didn't really care a lot about the Tiffany necklace or the firemen (which is blasphemous for this race, I know); c) I had heard horrible things about the race overall, the management and execution of it, how things flowed on course (see: runners/walkers strife), so suffice it to say that I went into this race with extremely low expectations.

Turns out, I was actually fairly surprised, and Nike can put on a good event. some highlights of good stuff and bad stuff and stuff that'd be worth keeping for future years:
a) free race pics, c/o gameface media: lovely. they've also captured pics here at the SF marathon and the jungle run 13.1 in los gatos (CA), and as has been my experience so far with this company, they're good photographers. bravo!
b) expo nonsense: Nike calls their "expo" an "expotique," so don't go to it thinking that you'll have a typical pre-race expo with loads of vendors. admittedly, I had heard horror story after horror story about how crowded things are at union square (in SF) in the days preceding the event, so I saved myself the hassle and just went to the Nike store at Stanford the weekend before. (doing so probably saved me a lot of money, too, since I more or less removed myself from all the nike merchandise for sale.) :)
c) race start: this year, they had seeded people into corrals, so I think that helped with the congestion of years past. I was slotted into a 9-9:59 corral (minutes slower than my typical HM pace), but I had no problem gettin to the front of my corral and getting out quickly. the race started about 5 minutes late this year, however-- not a big deal, just a tad annoying.
d) swag: a Nike racerback tank top (really like it) and the coveted Nike/Tiffany necklace. there were tons of premiums/giveaways from a lot of different sponsors after the race as well (including smoothies, tons of food [with vegan options!], makeup, sunscreen, snacky stuff, whole foods grocery bag, etc.).
e) scenery: nice and interesting tour of SF on a course that seemed to overlap parts of the Bay to Breakers and SF marathon courses. I enjoyed the hills, especially the very long one between miles 9.5-10.5, up Lincoln :)

Overall, then, I had a really positive experience with this race. I just used it as part of my 23-mile long run for the day, so it was a really fun and lovely way to see the city and to go back out to support the other 25k runners :) My review from my blog: http://www.runningruminations.com/?p=1974

Finally, I'd say that if you want to do this race in the future, don't bother with the lottery and just fundraise for it as a member of Team in Training. You'll have a far richer experience.

I had the pleasure of running Brazen's Trail Hog half here in San Jose a few weeks ago on a comped entry, thanks to Brazen's policy of giving volunteers/pacers from previous Brazen races free entries for their races later in the year (which rocks, by the way). Brazen is a staple running/race series in and throughout the bay area, so when I learned that they had one here in SJ, on Mount Hamilton, I was in. I knew from the get-go that the half marathon course would measure closer to 13.5, and even the announcer reminded everyone of that aspect before we began--not a big deal, and kinda the norm, with trail races. I registered morning-of and everything was a breeze; Brazen volunteers know what they're doing, and race morning is a well-oiled machine.

Mount Hamilton, and the route we took, was really pretty fun. We had some rolling sections, some really steep sections that necessitated walking/hiking, and some descents, all to the backdrop of some seriously gorgeous views of the hillsides. Things were dusty (drought, boo), sunny, and warm, but again, the views made up for everything. As usual, Brazen's aid stations were veritable Old Country Buffets and had everything you could ever want--the typical water/electrolytes/gus but also pretzels, candy, cookies, fruit, everything--and as usual, there were also plenty of photographers on course who'd later post their pics for free in an online album for runners. Registration costs also covered a shirt (tech or cotton, your choice, though there might have been an upcharge for one of them), a medal for all finishers, and AG medals as well.

I decided to run this race about an hour before it began, and I'm glad I did. I think it was a great 50k training run, had around 2k elevation, and again--Brazen knows what they're doing with their races. There's not necessarily a ton of fanfare to their races, but I think that's why I like them; they're races for runners, by runners. Not a lot of song and dance required.

I'd definitely recommend this race or any other in the Brazen racing calendar.

http://www.dailymile.com/people/ErinAMG/entries/30331907

I had the pleasure of being a 3:35 marathon pacer at the 2014 SRM. It was my 25th marathon, and my first one as a pacer, and it was a great experience. Some things that stand out:

1. the expo is at DeLoach Winery, the same place where you run through the barrel room around mile 10/10.5 of the marathon. It was unlike any other expo I've attended: wine tastings, outside, at a winery... very neat. It still had the typical expo stuff/vendors though and was a good size.
2. the swag: nice. We were supposed to get 1/4 zip-up tech jackets, but the production company had something last-minute go awry, so full participants ended up getting a LS tech shirt and then, after the race, a zip-up cotton hoodie. They were both nice garments and gender-specific. Also, if you like medals, you'll love SRM's because it's the size of a small continent and is a double-spinner.
3. the course: quite flat, aside from a few little hiccups. It was a bit crowded in the first 3 miles, when you go through downtown, but it evens out a bit. many of your miles are on a bike path, and that has the potential to get crowded later in the race, when (depending on your speed) you might run into slower-moving half marathoners who start an hour or so after the full. even with our large 3:35 group, though, we didn't encounter too many problems with the HM runners.
4. aid stations: this is where SRM can improve in future years, and I think it'll be an easy change. The stations seemed short and understaffed to me, which makes things a bit chaotic mid-race. I think with some additional personnel and maybe 1-2 tables more per aid station that things will be significantly better. the volunteers themselves, though, were fantastic-- super enthusiastic. bigger cups of fluids would also be nice.
5. finish line: this year's race had small glasses of water at the end, and I think it'd be a good idea to hand out more water (or at least make it more readily available). They don't necessarily need to be plastic bottles of water, but even just bigger cups (again) could be nice.

All in all, though, it's a good race. I think I read it's 5th or 6th in the nation, in terms of how many BQs it produces, so if you're eyeing a potential course, this one may fit the bill. I had a really lovely time at SRM and was told by many afterward in my pace group that they PRed and/or BQed :)

aaaand, for more info, here's my blog post about it: http://www.runningruminations.com/?p=1898

I last ran TSFM in 2010 on sub-par training (and pregnant), so I was really excited to see what I could do on the course this year with significantly better training (and not pregnant). Folks can run 26.2, the first 13.1 of the marathon, the back 13.1 of the marathon, a 5k, or 52.4 (the marathon twice, beginning at midnight). It's a tough course, especially the front half, but you get some terrific views of the city, the opportunity to run on the Golden Gate Bridge, and some vehicle-free running in Golden Gate Park. Just like with any urban marathon, there are some sections of the city that are perhaps more industrial than others, but it's minimal; also, with a 5:30 start time, you're usually guaranteed cool weather but, depending on your pace, fairly minimal spectators... in case that's important to you.

This year's aid stations had water and nuun, and while I didn't have any problems at all with the stations' frequency or fluid availability, I'd recommend that the race use bigger cups next year, instead of the little Dixie-sized cups, just so runners can ingest more fluids, more quickly (and on the go, no less).

New this year, too, were free race pictures, courtesy of Gameface Media (provided you 'liked' their TSFM facebook page), and of the 24 marathons I've run--and many of them use major service providers like MarathonFoto--my 26.2 pics from TSFM '14 are unquestionably my best.

Aside from the small fluid cups, my only other suggestion for the future is to ensure that there are mile markers at every single mile in the 26.2. It's highly likely I missed some, but I feel like some weren't around.

The swag was great this year--nice, gender-specific LS tech tees; the medals are enormous (coaster-sized); they had a lot of neat sponsors for a marathon (NUUN, Boxed Water, Pebble); and I really think that this race will just keep improving over time. Definitely plan for and prepare for some hills, and you'll have a great race. (My garmin indicated nearly 1,500' elevation).

TSFM is a blast and is totally worth the pricetag. Sign up early! (and for more details about my actual race, check out my entry at runningruminations.com) :)