Race REVIEWS
Here you can read my various reviews of races… because some races are pricey, some courses are boring, and some races simply aren’t worth the time or money.
Others are so awesome you want to run them year after year. My goal is to let you know which of those two categories a race falls into.
I try to give some helpful tips for each specific race so you can be as prepared as possible, have a great time running, and beat my time. haha, um, no.
Note: I don’t run many 10k races; if given the choice, I’d rather run more miles for the entry fee. And I never run 5k races… unless they’re giving out free diamonds. You just have to run too fast in 5k races. And I don’t do fast.
But I do do costumed runs…
If you want me to run and review your race, believe me, I’ll do it. I might put makeup on for you… or even a shirt.
The races are listed in order of the time of the year when they occur. Please also note the year that they were reviewed; some races I ran in 2010 so they might have changed slightly for the better since then.
JANUARY
Southern California Kaiser Permanente Half Marathon (no pictures)
A well-run race with good logistics but BORING course. First week of January.
Rock ‘n’ Roll Arizona Marathon
Big race, great expo, flat, fast but boring course. 3rd week of January.
Very scenic, gorgeous course but register early! Third week of January.
Middle of January, beautiful, tough hilly course, sells out
An expensive but very fun race at Disneyland, flat, fun to dress up for, mostly women
FEBRUARY
On Super Bowl Sunday, flat and fast near the beach
Very small race in Western Washington, gorgeous course, no frills race.
Middle of February in Phoenix, very flat and fast, great weather for fast running
MARCH
Rock ‘n’ Roll Dallas Half Marathon
Fabulous race, one of my favorites. Great weather, good course. Mid March.
March, outside of Vegas, very beautiful and hilly course in the mountains. 4 mile climb!
LA Marathon (no pictures)
Big race from Dodgers Stadium to Santa Monica. Very poor logistics, wouldn’t recommend it at all. Middle of March.
Improvements made the race much better, still very expensive and not worth the $$.
Great Race of Agoura Chesebro Half Marathon
Very fun trail race, awesome after-party. Definitely recommend this race. End of March.
Great Race of Agoura Chesebro 2012
Hot Chocolate 15K race in San Diego
A pricey but fun, hilly race where you get chocolate afterwards!
APRIL
Camp Pendleton Hard Corps Marathon (no pictures)
Small, rolling hills race on the base. Lots of friendly marines but no frills, ran on boring fire roads. Middle of April.
Very small, qualifying only race in Rhode Island, pretty and scenic but windy.
It’s Boston, need I say more?
A great, small town race with big time amenities.
MAY
A smaller, scenic race that’s flat and fast, finishes in Track Town. Beginning of May.
PCRF Cinco de Mayo Half Marathon (no pictures)
Mostly flat course, nice weather, family-focused event. Beginning of May.
Palos Verdes Marathon (no pictures)
Very hilly but beautiful, scenic course. Mid May.
JUNE
JULY
A small, local race outside of LA, boring course. Hot weather.
SEPTEMBER
Pasadena Say No to Drugs Half Marathon
At the Rose Bowl, warm weather. Part road, part trail, small race.
A great destination race but hot and humid. Middle of September.
OCTOBER
Small race through farm roads, kinda boring, wouldn’t recommend it. Beginning of October.
Larger race in October, great support but be prepared for rain!
The Nike Women’s Half Marathon (no pictures)
HUGE race in San Francisco; crappy corral system and logistics. Middle of October. I reviewed the half.
Nike Women’s Marathon San Francisco
A large, girl power race in the Bay area. Mid October.
A small race through vineyards with great volunteers, rolling hills. Mid October.
HB Distance Derby 10 miler (2010)
The whole race is on a bike path right next to the ocean, flat. Third week of October. Also a 5 mile option.
Rock ‘n’ Roll LA Half Marathon
Downtown LA, right before Halloween, dress up!
NOVEMBER
Largest marathon in the world, amazing experience but hard to get into through the lottery.
The inaugural year, first week of November, not that great of a race.
Santa Barbara International Marathon
Smaller, great race, couple large hills, in mid November.
Smaller, windy and hilly race along the coast. Not enough aid stations but beautiful views. Mid November.
Very small, local race all run in a local square mile park. Mid November.
5k/10k beautiful, scenic race in Dana Point along the harbor on Thanksgiving.
Right after Thanksgiving. Smaller race, awesome course. Be prepared for any sort of weather!
DECEMBER
The Rock ‘n’ Roll Las Vegas Marathon 2010 (no pictures)
Big, fun race but cold weather. First weekend of December.
Rock ‘n’ Roll Las Vegas Night marathon 2011
Horribly executed race, wouldn’t pay for an entry, absolutely miserable!
LA County Holiday Half Marathon
A fun, holiday run in Pomona, middle of December.
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{ 11 comments… read them below or add one }
You should add the Lake Tahoe Half Marathon to your list. Most beautiful views you’ll ever see on a course.
http://www.laketahoemarathon.com/halfmarathon.html
They also have a full marathon but unless you WANT to kill yourself I’d suggest starting with the half. Trust me it is a doozy!
Come on over to the good old Midwest and run our QC Marathon – you go over three bridges, crossing the Mississippi River from Illinois to Iowa and back to Illinois.
Here’s the link on the new course: http://www.qconline.com/index.php#top
if you are looking for an amazing marathon experience…
TOKYO MARATHON.
one of the best things I did while abroad. hands down. =)
Everyone is invited to the newest (and frankly the most scenic) half marathon in the Pacific Northwest – Whistler, BC. Put it on your calendar – June 4, 2011.
GREEN BAY, WI CELLCOM!!! U end your run running through Lambeau Field!!
How about the marathon at Beitostølen in the Norwegian mountains? :p It’s not like it’s hilly or anything…
http://www.beitoworldcup.com/article.asp?w=65557094&x=10654&level2=65557148
So how many marathons have you ran. I am really enjoying your site – Love your name!
(of course I would – mine is Skinny and Fabulous!)
I’m training for my first marathon in August – actually recovery at the moment since I ran my first Ironman 70.3 on the weekend. Now its marathon time!
What would you suggest that I do to train for a race end of August?
Pattie
congrats on the ironman 70.3 – thats crazy insane!
ive ran 18 marathons in the past year and a half but i dont follow any training plan so i really dont have any sort of training advice, sorry!
Honolulu Marathon and Maui Marathon/Half Marathon have the greatest oceanside views plus it’s always sunny here! Aloha!
Just started reading your blog and I love it. I’m about to run my 4th marathon in Chicago in less than 2 weeks. You should consider it in the future. Great course, amazing expo and over 1 million of the greatest cheerleaders! Good luck on your next race!
You must try the disney world marathon. I’ve never had so much fun running. love this blog btw!!!
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