Divas Half Marathon – San Francisco Bay

If this was your first half ever, you’d LOVE this race. It was okay. I don’t think I’ll run it again. I’ll go back to running See Jane Run race held same day/​weekend as Diva.
Pros:
— Perfect overcast weather until last 3 miles.
— Shuttle buses were free and not much of a crowd.
— Cute swag — Pink cinch bags, feather boas, tiaras, tutus, tech tee, and a huge medal.
— Enough water/​Gatorade stations.
— Firemen giving out medals at finish line.
— Flat race course.
— Champagne at end of race.
Cons:
— Race course was the MOST boring and mundane race that I have run.
— Lack of fanfare throughout the course to help motivate runners. (Other halfs that I have done had live bands playing, lots of people cheering, and etc.)
— Lacking ambience.
— No snacks, GU, jelly beans, gummy bears or anything throughout the course. Be sure to pack your own.
— Post race celebration was a bit lackluster. No freebie booths.
— Logistics of having to park offsite and shuttle in was inconvenient.
— No race day packet pick up.
— Post race food was unimpressive. Small bags of pretzels, granola, bananas, and corn/​rice cakes.

Pink tutu’s, boas, tiaras, champagne and shirtless firemen handing me my medal after the race! I’m in!
I really did enjoy the Diva Half Marathon for the reasons listed above — that and the fact that the course is flat as a pancake so is a relatively easy one. Granted, even though it’s flat, it’s not one to get your PR (personal record) at due to all the slow downs along the way (narrow channeling of people, areas with irregular surfaces so you have to take great care watching your step), but for someone like me who «suddenly» remembered I have a half-​marathon to run despite not having ran for over a month, it did feel good to go, have fun, and not entirely kill myself in the process (although I did walk/​limp during the last 2 miles while screaming «OH MY GOD! WHAT IS HAPPENING TO MY LEG?! WHAT IS THIS PAIN THAT I FEEL? IS THIS NATURAL?» LOL! Just kidding. I didn’t scream it but I thought it and maybe muttered it from time to time. LOL!).
Like the others, I wish I didn’t have to pick up my race gear in Burlingame. It was a pain to do and there was nothing interesting at the fair to see (there were just merchants and not much free stuff available and absolutely no games or activities).
I also agree that the course is boring. I kept waiting for the breathtaking view of the bay that the Divas website spoke about but you really can’t see any of that when running the course. It was actually one of the least interesting courses I’ve ran on.
But the view after the fact was spectacular (I’m referring to the men). Watching hordes of women objectify half-​naked men is always entertaining. Diva doesn’t allow too much of that, unfortunately, since they only allowed women to take a picture with ONE firefighter before forcing them to move on and clear the area. One event Nazi was even yelling at runners — angry that the diva runners were lining up for only a couple of men and ignoring the other 2 firefighters (I only saw 4 firefighters there. If there was more, I didn’t get to see them. We were shuffled through like cattle so I could have missed it). Well here’s a suggestion, Diva Half Marathon, we just ran 13.1 miles:
1) Don’t yell at a diva. It doesn’t make us feel like divas and always ends badly and
2) Either let us choose our men or allow us to take pictures with ALL men. Don’t limit us to one guy only and get mad that we’re only lining up for the one we think is hottest.
I let the girl that I ran in with choose the firefighter. The firefighter she chose looked eerily similar to a guy (who, believe it or not, was also a firefighter) that I dated when I lived in San Antonio. So I don’t know how I feel about getting a trophy photo with a guy that looks like an ex but C’est la vie! Overall though, I had a lot of fun and will definitely run this course again!

First time running this 5k and I have mixed emotions about this race!
LOVED:
–the schwag: backpack & tech shirt pre-​race and a crown, awesome medal, boa, tutu, champagne, snacks at end of race
–the sea of pink — «girl power» galore. If you’re looking for a fun run with a group of your girlfriends this would be it!
–the weather. Bayside trail is right along the coast so you get the breeze; although at 7am it was a bit chilly and I had to do a last minute outfit change.
–the early 7am start. Get it done so you have the rest of the day with your girlfriends.
HATED:
–the expo. not too many vendors with samples or freebies. only reason why I stayed longer was because I got stuck talking to the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Dept. They’re hiring if anyone is interested! :)
–expo was at the Marriot where they charged for parking
–no bib race day pick up so that meant having to take an extra trip to the expo or stressing to coordinate with someone to pick up your bib for you
— location was inconvenient for out of towners due to parking. There was no on site parking and most people had to park at the Milbrae Bart Station and take a shuttle to the event. We ended up staying at the Holiday Inn down the street which was perfect since it was a short walk to the starting line.
–BORING! Only entertainment on the trail was a tent for a radio station playing music
–although the course is flat this is not a course to PR at! There was an area where there was gravel and very narrow. I saw girls trip and there was a lot of weaving of runners trying to not get stuck behind a walker (know your race etiquette! If you’re going to walk stay on the right side of the trail, please!!)
–too flat… hills excite me!
–the medal at the end was supposed to be given by «hot» shirtless firefighters. I was expecting Channing Tatum or Tyson Beckford HOT so I was pretty disappointed. Got my medal and bounced! Not sure where the area was at where the other firefighters were but the ladies helping give out the medals were saying there was another area to go to. So, maybe I missed out… who knows.
Although I had a lot of fun, it just wasn’t the best. The only reason why I ran this was to support my friend’s first 5k (which she did great considering she was sick!) and I’m hoping this was fun enough for her to continue running in these type of events!

A very fun Half Marathon. Here’s my thoughts
Plus
— At the expo, Green layer were giving out free long sleeves for liking their FB page. I got a pink one, perfect for the chilly start
— New this year, tutus were also given out, with tee and bag
— boas n tiaras were given out just before the finish line
— Medals were given out by half naked fireman n divas were drooling all over them for their photos
— The course was relatively flat, so no energy wasted going uphill
— plenty of water stations, serving Gatorade too. And plenty of restrooms along the route
Minuses
— the expo was kinda far to travel to. It started at 4pm on Friday, so I was able to go after work but I wish they had the Diva appreciation at the same time as the expo instead of @ 7pm. Did not want to go back again, so I felt I missed out.
— usually expos have lots of samples n goodies to take away but this expo were pretty small in comparison but I’m content with the Greenlayer long sleeve
— Have to say, the course was never ending, coz it was kinda boring, the same view for 13.1 miles
— My tracker showed I did 13.88 miles instead of 13.1 miles. I hope they reflect the distances more accurately next year.
Overall, a really fun girly run, with everyone dressed in pink tutus and boas, great for first half marathoners because it was pretty flat. Great for groups n friends, seen some awesome group photos

This was my 3^rd organized 5K and the first one I was able to convince my friends to attend as well. I didn’t get to run it however they are wonderfully organized that I felt I had to contribute my experience.
From the beginning, they send a lot of email communications to keep you updated up till race day which include boutique hours, the race map, parking notices, transportation suggestions, and a reminder of the perks. For the race packet pickup, it went seamlessly and I was able to grab both my bag and my friend’s bag in under 5 minutes. The boutique itself felt kind of lacking only because I wish there was more of the health and wellness presence there but they did have a lot of running gear for purchase.
The day of, they had lots of people cheering you on and helping to direct the crowd. Everything was clearly marked which made it great. The only thing is that it was very cold along the water but that might be limited to the fact that I walked so those with a slower pace or who opt to walk, you should probably bring a coat. Anyhow, you get your tiara and feather boa a bit before the end of the race which gives you a bit of time to get ready for the end. :)
You get your champagne and then head over to water and snacks. There was a bit of a crowd as people were getting their finishers from the «firemen» however you can veer off to the side and grab a finisher from others who are readily available and aren’t shirtless.
There is a small finishing section with some booths and dancing. It was one of the most well organized 5K’s I’ve been too and sets the bar high for those that are new to it but it’s definitely worth giving a shot since they spend a lot of time curating the experience.

First off, let me say that I’m a little biased because this was just a mile from my house, so everything was super super easy and convenient for me. Would I run it again? yes, but only because it’s close to my house. Other than that, probably not.
PRE RACE COMMUNICATION
Very good. All of the information they sent us was very accurate and didn’t leave me with any questions.
PACKET PICKUP /​Expo
This is one of the reasons I’ve lowered the race a star. First, they didn’t have day of pick up, so if you didn’t live close like me, it could’ve meant an extra trip to the area. Also, another downside is that they charged for parking to go pick up the packet. Uhh what? After that, the expo was fine. I never really stick around for them, but there was a quick line to get the bibs.
SWAG:
To be honest, the shirt sucks. It’s pretty ugly and poor quality, one of the worst shirts I’ve gotten at a race. Will definitely not wear. Other than that, we only got a (cheap) reusable bag and nothing else. No samples or anything that I’m used to getting.
THE COURSE
The course was okay, no super exciting scenery (like SF races), but it didn’t really feel boring either. I was near the front of the pack for most of the race, so I didn’t experience congestion issues like some people mentioned.
POST RACE
Like everyone else said, the fire fighters at the end were great. I do wish that they had photographers so you could take pictures with them, though. I don’t run with my phone, and it was hard to get back to that area (due to some weird gating) so I couldn’t go back and take a picture with them. The food was pretty standard, no hot food like pancakes though. Bag pick up was quick. I didn’t stick around for the post party, so not much else to comment on this either.

I ran the 5K last year, and I ran the half marathon this year. I had so much fun both times! It’s a great race to do, especially for beginners to a 5K or a half marathon. The course is pretty flat for both. It’s also a great race to run with friends and family. Lots of portable bathrooms at the start/​finish line. The medals for the 5K and the half marathon are huge and pretty; the 5K medal is a smaller version of the half marathon medal. The hot firemen at the finish line handing out the medals are a nice touch too. There is also food and drink at the finish line too… water, coconut juice, bagels, pastries, champagne, and a rose for each finisher.

I really REALLY wanted to love this race. But, after the 2^nd year doing it, I still don’t.
Pros: it’s girly, fun, and you see shritless guys at the finish line handing out medals. The medals are pretty good quality.
Cons: Where do I begin? First off, the course is not the greatest. At parts, you have to run in a single file line, as the course is through a narrow pathway. Last year, there was a major problem with t-​shirt sizing. More than half of the participants complained, causing the organizers to send out new shirts– 6 months later. Some of my friends never even received theirs. Their shirt sizing is super small– so be sure to go up a size (or 3…). This year, all finishers were corraled into a long line to take photographs. None of my friends wanted photographs, but there was NO WAY to avoid it. It took us 20 minutes to get through this line in order to get our post-​race snacks. What the heck? Last year, they offered way more post-​race snacks, this year was lacking.
We paid $ 25 entry fee for 2013. We paid $ 50 for 2014. We paid twice as much, and got half as much. (we did the 5k).
I wanted Diva to be my first half marathon… so glad I’ve decided against it. It would be a nightmare.
Is it worth it? No. It’s not.
Will I ever be doing this race again? No. My money will be going to better organized races– like Rock’n’Roll or Brazen.

This was my second Half this year/​ever so I can only compare it to the Maui one.
Pros:
1. They have starting areas by pace so you don’t have to worry about being in the way of others who are much faster although we started 5 minutes late so it didn’t have an effect on us
2. Tiaras, boas before the finish line and champagne, roses, and firemen at the finish line with your medals
3. Nice heavy medals
4. Beautiful views along the course which is flat!
5. Continuous shuttle buses to and from the race
Cons:
1. I wish they told us when they pointed out the gear check area vs. start line that there were bathrooms by both locations. After we checked our gear, we waited for 15 min for the restrooms and rushed to the starting line when there were a bunch there as well
2. Needed more post race snacks as I only saw bagels and banana while the earlier finishers didn’t even see the bagels and the later finishers had chocolate chip cookies and they needed a better organization maybe where there is a line for each snack vs. having everyone in one long line.
3. I would have preferred not having the metal barriers that you have to go through after you cross the finish line.
Overall fun race to show your girl power!

Great event! This is our 3^rd year being part of the Diva Run and we will be back next year. Well organized and thought out. They are very accommodating to our large group and super easy and fun to work with. Go divas!!!

Amazing race and race experience. The medal is huge. The girl power is evident wherever you look! The course is great. Whether you’re new to running or an experienced runner, you will enjoy this race. The end is the best… having your medal placed around your neck by a ripped, topless firefighter… and they’re all cute! The post race snacks are good, the champagne is ok for huge post race party. Definitely not a race to miss!

A run for Divas? yes I’m in! I have run this fun run twice and both times have been so much fun! Not only does it encourage you to get in shape it, it has such a positive diva spirit about it! From the number pick up to the medal, you will have a great time!
This year I actually ran solo and saw my friend at the end. Super fun and glad I did it!

I was really excited to participate in the Diva Run, but sadly my experience came up short.
Multiple hiccups and disappointments plagued this fun-​loving, women empowering run; but first the pros…
Pros:
— champagne, hot firemen, a tiara, and loads of carbo load goodies awaited us upon completion. Granted, I only participated in the 5k, so I easily put back on the calories (plus some) that I burned. Counter productive, but awesome getting handed a glass of champagne, Zico coconut water, bagels, and more after crossing the finish line.
— really pretty and serene bay-​front views for the race itself
— decked out diva runners made for an awesome vibe and pretty colors along the way. Gotta love pink!
— shuttle buses to and from the race were on time and running frequently. Didnt have to wait and both rides weren’t very crowded.
— Awesome race medals. Pink, girly, and really unique. I dig.
Cons:
— disappointing «pre-​party» and especially disappointing «after — party». These events were a complete joke and were organized and planned terribly. The times didn’t make any sense in relation to the race. After party consisted of charging for food. lame. I wish I hadn’t bothered trying to attend…
— The time the race started. Seriously a 5k at 7am? What a joke. We were done before 8 am and the stupid «after party» didn’t start till 2 in the afternoon. For waking up at 6 on a Sunday morning I expected much more.
— Organization of the race: no sound system projecting what the race organizers were saying. I heard many people say they mistakenly started with the half marathoners because of poor communication.
— Race pathway was terribly narrow in some areas making it difficult to pass runners. If you’re looking to place or shoot for a personal best, avoid the Diva Run!
— Loved that the race t-​shirts were pink, but the fact that each size was a different shade of pink (or purple) was awful! I felt so singled out having the only «darker pink» shirt than the rest of my group. I felt huge having the size of my shirt being reflected in the color. Not cool! This is about women’s empowerment, not showing which girl has a medium versus large shirt! Boooo Diva Run. Epic fail on your part.
Overall it was an ok experience, but I definitely won’t be signing up again.

I’ve run at over 20 half marathons and at least 15 full marathons. I’ve done the SF Nike Women’s marathon and half marathon twice. The DIVAS half marathon is by far one of the best half marathons I’ve run to date. Even better than the Nike Women’s marathon!
The expo was eh… so and so, but then again nothing will ever compare to the NYC marathon expo!
Parking for the race was easy and free if you parked at the Millbrae BART station. Hop on the race shuttle and within 10 minutes you were being dropped off about ½ mile from the race start. After the race, walk back to where you were dropped off and back on the shuttle to the BART station.
The course was refreshing and scenic. I thought it would be an out and back Uturn, but there was only a small section of the course where you would see the runners coming back in the opposite direction. The course support was just right with water and gatorade every couple of miles and porta potties at every water stop.
The finish line was great! Water, FRESH bagels, bananas (a little too freckled for my taste), Zico water, oatmeal and raisin cookies. The medal is AWESOME! One of my favorites so far.
I will definitely do this race again next year!

Calling all sexy ladies… this race is definitely for you. Be a Diva!
Half marathon of 5K run… your choice! Packet pick up was at the Burlingame Marriot. It sucks that I had to pay for parking but the expo was cool. Of course, I found something to buy. It lacked those «free stuff» you get from other race expos I’ve been to tho.
Race day. I parked at Millbrae Bart (for free until 11:45am) and took the shuttle. I was first on the bus and wondering where the hell is everybody when it’s already 5:30? Anyways, the drop for the starting line was a walk. I don’t know why they can’t have the buses closer.
People were coming in late but when they did come the excitement was high. It was fun seeing all the pink colors and amusing costumes for a few. Ohhh and the sun rise too just before race start, against the water backdrop, was breathtaking. They were playing great music and at 7am, off we go.
The course is almost pancake flat. My pandora stopped at mile 5 but thankfully there was band music and the water view for entertainment. Water stations were almost at every mile which is always a good reason to stop, drink and then run again. Photo ops were at the starting line, mile 9 and finish.
They handed out tiaras and boas just before the finish line. And one final push you reach the finish line with the half naked men waiting to give you your medal. A bottle of cold water first, yes! Then you get bagels, cookies and bananas. Get your rose, take a picture and celebrate with champagne. You get to take home the flute as well.
Done. With training or not, you should be proud you finished! This race was fun. I love the pink, the stuff they were giving away and that huge kick ass medal.

PINK tshirts… BOAS…TIARAS…RED ROSES… CHAMPAGNE…and a SPARKLY BLINGED out medal…
what am i talking out? no, not a pageant, or a bachelorette party, but this was a party with about 5000 other women from the bay area and outside of california
yesterday was the 2^nd annual divas half marathon in san francisco, and for the most part, it was a successful event.
for this particular event, there was a choice of 2 distances:
1. half marathon (13.1 miles)
2. 5k (3.1 miles)
i chose to participate in the half marathon distance since this is my favourite distance to race. pre-​registration for the half is $ 85, which includes all of the below.
the pros:
*early 7am start to avoid the potential heat in may (and we had an unseasonably hot week leading up to the race, so an early start was much appreciated)
*PERFECT race day conditions, mid-​high 50s and overcast for a majority of the race with a slight headwind on parts of the race since we were running along the bay trail
*flat out-​and-​back course that originated from burlingame’s bayside park, ran through several other parks along the bay, down to the san mateo bridge, and back to the starting point
*staggered start times for the half and 5k events to avoid congestion at the start
*flags to mark each mile for the half
*friendly volunteers directing runners along the course, especially at major turns and the halfway turnaround point, they also handed out fluids at all aid stations along the course and after the finish line
what you get:
++packet pick-​up @ the divas expo, held at the host hotel, san francisco airport marriott waterfront, on both friday & saturday before the race
++PINK drawstring bag with divas logo (also serves as gear/​coat check bag at the start)
++PINK dri-​fit, women’s cut, v-​neck finisher’s t-​shirt
++boa and tiara station just before the finish line, so you can look your best crossing the finish
++long stem red rose at the finish line, each rose in its own mini-​water vial
++glasses of champagne at the finish, or ginger ale for those who prefer the non-​alcoholic version, option to keep the souvenir plastic champagne glass with divas logo
++HUGE, blinged out medal on a pink strap with lots of room on the back to engrave name and finisher time
the cons:
–the recommended parking options were not very good: park at millbrae bart/​caltrain station, which is 2.5 miles from the start line, and take a shuttle to the start or park at the host hotel, marriott, if you get there by 5.30am, and walk about a mile to the start (note that parking at marriott will run you about $ 10, depending on how long you park there)
TIP: park in burlingame, along rollins rd or carolan ave, near broadway, and walk across the footbridge to the start line. only a 5 – 10 min walk depending on how close you park to the footbridge.
–course was not very interesting, even though it ran along the bay. for some reason, all of the parks that i ran through seemed very deserted, no playgrounds, soccer fields, or people for that matter. parts of the course ran into residential areas of burlingame and san mateo, which again, were not very interesting.
–a good chunk of the course was quite narrow, so if you are running in the middle of the pack, you would likely get stuck/​feel congested on certain turns, especially the halfway turnaround point which was extremely narrow.
–there was very little entertainment along the way, much less so than was advertised on the official map. the major spectacle that i recall seeing was the chinese dancing dragon around mile 3, which i saw again around mile 10 on the way back.
–overall course was a bit long, per my garmin, i ran 13.21 miles instead of the official 13.11 miles, and this is with me running the tangents at each turn (so i assume most participants would have run closer to 13.3 miles running the long way around the course)
–mile markers could have been bigger, and a better/​brighter colour. short stumps made of black fabric is not the best material, especially on an overcast day as they were hard to see until i got really close to them
–no timers at each mile marker/​major split. clocks were only seen at the start and finish so we could not guage our progress unless we had our own timing device.
–not much variety of food, especially for a half marathon. our only choices were plain bagels (no cream cheese or peanut butter), bananas, and cookies
–there was coconut water at the end, but unfortunately they ran out very quickly so not all participants were able to have some
–while there was a post-​race party, it did not begin until 2pm. and for those of us finishing before 9am, we did not want to stick around for 5 hrs.
in short, love the PINK, love the BLINGY MEDAL and the other schwag, but the course itself could use some modifications.
would i run it again next year? for the bling, yes. for the course, probably not… it’ll be a game time decision.

If a tiara, boa, rose, champagne, huge sparkly medal and half nekkid firemen don’t entice you to run this thing… read on.
I don’t really consider myself the traditional diva. I’m more of a tomboy that loves to get dressed up every once in awhile.
This event was fun with a capital F — FUN. I arrived at the health & fitness boutique on the last day and it was nuts. I would recommend coming in on the first day, if you can. Even though it was packed, I got my racing packet very quickly and was able to purchase a lightweight diva shell for $ 20.
On the morning of the run, I met my girlfriends down in the lobby of our hotel to catch the shuttle. They wanted to wait until close to starting time and we got there with about 5 minutes to spare and ended up back in the 12 minute a mile pace. Next year, I plan on getting there earlier, so I can get in line with my pace.
The course is gorgeous and well marked. The water stops are frequent. There isn’t a ton of people cheering you on along the course, but the runners cheer each other on and lend tons of support.
Due to not starting in my appropriate pace, I had to weave in and out of people quite a bit. My Nike+ logged 14.5 miles when all was said and done. I still managed to shave a minute off of my last half marathon’s pace.
It’s a sea of sparkly pink tutus having a great time and I was right there in with them.
I will be back next year and I plan on recruiting as many girlfriends as I can, because this was an experience not to be missed.
Thank you Divas!

Consider this race only inaugurated in 2012 I would say it is far better than I have expected. Certainly there are still some area that cries for improvements but I am fairly happy and would most likely return again in 2014 if not later this year for their South Cal race.
Area needs to be improved
— There are not nearly enough porta-​potties at the starting area. It is a WOMEN’s race after all and I think they need at least 3 times what they had. The lines were just too crazy long.
— Signage for the corrals were not clear enough. The starting area gets too crowded with all the bathroom lines and there were no cleared passage leading to the corrals.
— Would be nice if we can get a recycle bag as a perks at the finishing line. It is hard to grab a bagel or banana with water bottle, champagne glass, rose and cookie already in your hand.
— Expo is rather small and there weren’t a lot of vendors.
Things that were done right
— Sexy bare chested firefighters heading out medals at the finishing line. Need I say more? Oh… let’s not forget about the champagne and roses.
— Tiara and feather boa headed to runner right before the finishing line. Wonderful pick me ups and make great photos props.
— Pre-​race and post-​race shuttle ran very frequent with little to no wait at all. Staff was very organized.
— A souvenir running shirt that actually fits well and a nice cute oversize medal.
Overall Divas SF was a very good race. The course is flat and fast along the beautiful bay trail. It is also very reasonably priced compare to other races of this size. Gotta love all the female oriented perks too.

I was hoping this would be a return to my personal best, this being my 9^th half marathon, but I overestimated myself and this race.
Low points:
It’s not you, it’s me: I was overdressed for the 70 – 80 degrees.
It’s you: No running corrals at all so 5k walkers/​runners and half-​marathoners were all herded together like cattle. For the majority of the race, I had to weave around groups of walkers walking in trios or quartets before I finally joined fellow slow runners.
Poor sound system at starting line so we had no idea when the race began.
The aforementioned bathroom situation added about 20 – 30 minutes to my running time.
They ran out of Gatorade at many rest stops. This might not have been so bad if there were an electrolyte stop or other snacks (someone has mentioned Brazen and they are awesome at providing food.)
Highlights:
I signed up for the hot pink feather boa and the promise of shirtless firemen handing me a long-​stem rose. All three were a thumbs up.
My fellow runners who chose to be creative especially Diva Mistress and her Fabio lookalike male stripper sidekick with his painted-​on sixpack.
Hearing the announcer call out my name once I crossed that finish line.
I would do it again next year but with teammates. And I will run in shorts!

*FUN EVENT BUT THEY COULD’VE BEEN A LITTLE MORE ORGANIZED!!*
The inaugural Divas Half Marathon San Francisco Bay was held on Sunday, 5÷6÷12 and the half marathon was completely SOLD OUT! There was also a 5K run as well. The course started along the SF Bay in the city of Burlingame going south towards Cayote Point to the San Mateo bridge and back around. The water views were absolutely amazing on this gorgeous day where the temperatures were in the mid 70’s — low 80’s. The theme of the run was really cute since it focused on both running and being a princess diva. Along with a finisher medal, runners also received a pink boa, tiara, rose, champagne and shirtless hunks at the finish line. Overall, the event was quite successful but did fall short of a 5 star review. Here’s why:
–The Health & fitness expo only consists of a few booths so there was limited shopping for these running divas. I took my time at the expo and shopped all the booths within 15 minutes.
–There were two parking lots for the event. The parking lot that was walking distance to the event was full by 5:30am and the scheduled event start time was not until 7:30am which meant that everyone needed to park in the second lot.
–The second lot was located 10 miles away in San Mateo but provided shuttles to the event which took about 20 minutes.
–The restroom lines were ridiculously long, averaging about 20 minutes of waiting at the beginning of the event since the half marathon was an all female event.
–The half marathon was scheduled to start at 7:30am but didn’t actually start until 7:50am.
–They started the 5K soon after the half marathoners and markers for the 5K were not clear so I witnessed about ten 10 ladies who missed their turn & kept running with the half marathoners.
Even with these «issues,» the event was still a lot of fun and I highly recommend it! I’m sure they will be back next year so register early for a guaranteed spot! If you’re into running and girl power, this race is for you!