Anyone on the west coast?

[ColoradoLime]

As part of my long term training plan, I'd like to do a half marathon at sea level to get a baseline for where I'm at. Can anyone recommend a good one along the coast? I'd prefer Washington or Oregon, but could live with California. I'd like it to be in Summer or Fall, great scenery - coastal or inland but still a paved route, and mega bonus points for a really cool medal (I don't race without bling!).

A quick google search brought me to some options in Oregon and a remote one in Washington. Looking for some recommendations of those in the area or those that have done one there.

 

[LosAngelesRunner]

I'm doing the Santa Rosa Half Marathon at the end of August. It goes through wine country, and you get a special bottle of wine when you finish. I think they have some pretty cool medals! It's not right on the coast but it's close to sea level. I'm unfamiliar with the Washington and Oregon options though, so there very well may be a better one even further north!

 

[Z-Knight]

I'm not on the west coast, but I've been just thinking about the Disneyland Races we had until 2017....dang I wish runDisney would bring those back. Their excuse before was "construction" but we know it was also due to fighting with the city of Anaheim, but come on, runDisney, bring those back!

 

[LilyJC]

I can’t help you with Oregon/Washington races, but we’ve done so many here in So Cal. The Beach Cities Challenge races are our must-do every year with Surf City being our absolute favorite. It doesn’t quite fit your specifications as it’s always on Super Bowl Sunday. The bling has gone downhill a bit with new race directors, but still pretty cute. And somehow Carissa was the race announcer this past February . Rudy used to do it every year. Anyhow, the expo is on the beach, and the course is along PCH. We stay at one of the hotels right in front of the start/finish. Highly recommend!

The OC half is early May and another fun one. Not quite as much beach running, but still pretty nice. Long Beach Half is our least favorite in October, but many people really love it.

And yes, we really miss our Disneyland races

 

[bumbershoot]

Do you want flat or hilly?
If flat, I've heard great things about the Rock and Roll event in San Jose CA.

Their excuse before was "construction" but we know it was also due to fighting with the city of Anaheim, but come on, runDisney, bring those back!

The people in the know from the disneyland board, who knew members of the city council at the time, said that when the last one was canceled Disney hadn't even applied for a permit.

So don't believe the city vs disney explanation; it's a myth. Disney just doesn't want to have the events in Anaheim.

 

[KenyaSierra]

Beat the Blerch, 9/22/22, Carnation, WA. 5k/10k/half/full. I volunteered for this one and the area I was in was paved. I think some of it might be trails but it is flat and trails are well groomed. Race is quirky and fun!

 

[Sleepless Knight]

I really enjoy the Giant Race Half Marathon in San Francisco. It goes through Golden Gate Park and you get some beautiful views of the Golden Gate Bridge and then run alongside the Bay. The race finishes up on the field at Oracle Park where the San Francisco Giants play their home baseball games. It is billed as the least hilly course in San Francisco.

It also offers kids races and a family fun relay on the field the day before, and a 10K and a 5K. The Half and 10K start at the same time with the 5K starting 4 hours after the Half/10K.

For those so inclined, you can run the Half Marathon or 10K immediately followed by the 5K and receive a challenge medal for doing both races.

They also offer a series of races that come with extra bling and virtual options for each if you can only make one race in person. Plus all San Francisco Giant races come with a bobblehead as well.

 

[ColoradoLime]

Do you want flat or hilly?
If flat, I've heard great things about the Rock and Roll event in San Jose CA.

Flat for sure. I did the Rock and Roll when it first came to Denver. It was awesome. One of my favorite medals. And it has only come back once since. No idea why.

 

[ColoradoLime]

Beat the Blerch, 9/22/22, Carnation, WA. 5k/10k/half/full. I volunteered for this one and the area I was in was paved. I think some of it might be trails but it is flat and trails are well groomed. Race is quirky and fun!

I like quirky!

 

[ColoradoLime]

I really enjoy the Giant Race Half Marathon in San Francisco. It goes through Golden Gate Park and you get some beautiful views of the Golden Gate Bridge and then run alongside the Bay. The race finishes up on the field at Oracle Park where the San Francisco Giants play their home baseball games. It is billed as the least hilly course in San Francisco.

It also offers kids races and a family fun relay on the field the day before, and a 10K and a 5K. The Half and 10K start at the same time with the 5K starting 4 hours after the Half/10K.

For those so inclined, you can run the Half Marathon or 10K immediately followed by the 5K and receive a challenge medal for doing both races.

They also offer a series of races that come with extra bling and virtual options for each if you can only make one race in person. Plus all San Francisco Giant races come with a bobblehead as well.

This would be fun. A mini challenge since I will never be able to do Goofy or Dopey. lol

 

[bumbershoot]

Flat for sure. I did the Rock and Roll when it first came to Denver. It was awesome. One of my favorite medals. And it has only come back once since. No idea why.

Rock and Roll events are weird sometimes. But I've never heard anything bad about the SJ one. (I'm from there so I pay attention to it, should I ever want to visit to do a run)

 

[Sleepless Knight]

This would be fun. A mini challenge since I will never be able to do Goofy or Dopey. lol

It's a different kind of challenge for sure because of the possible of your muscles cooling down and relaxing between races. I'm a slower runner so I had just enough time to stretch out a bit and keep my muscles warm before starting the 5K after finishing the Half. I talked with a 10K runner who thought that her time between finishing the 10K and the 5K was too long so she had cooled down. The Half and 10K started at 7:00am and the 5K started at 11:00am. So a faster runner would likely be hanging out around the ballpark or in the stands for anywhere from 1 to 2 hours or so before the 5K.

The 16.2 mile nature of the challenge did not really worry me since I had already run Dopey before and I always planned to take the 5K insanely easy since I was running it with my dad. He took me to many baseball games so it was special to finish on the field with him and spend time in the Giants dugout.

 

[GreatLakes]

I don't know of many races in that area but you can search for races pretty granularity on this site:

https://www.runningintheusa.com/

You can put in states, cities, or counties, search by distance, and search by time of year. There is a race in Oregon that is on my bucket list, the Gorge Waterfalls 50K It was cancelled due to the Eagle Creek Fire in 2017 and just came back. It was this video by Ginger Runner that sold me on it.

 

[NYC_MW]

It is billed as the least hilly course in San Francisco.

Is that saying much?
But having lived in SF for many years (before getting sucked in by running) and missing it, that does sound like a lovely race

 

[Sleepless Knight]

Is that saying much?
But having lived in SF for many years (before getting sucked in by running) and missing it, that does sound like a lovely race

While I don't know how hilly the other races in SF are since I've only run this one, I don't know that it's intense hilly. I have only run the Giant Race as the SF Marathon pace requirement is beyond my current abilities. I will say that the Giant Race only has one really bad hill and one street incline as you move from Fishermans' Wharf to head towards the Golden Gate Bridge there is a small hill that isn't all that different from freeway overpasses and such that I've done in runDisney races.

 

[jodeja]

Here's a fun, beautiful half marathon on paved paths that is in *both* Washington and Oregon! https://www.bridgeofthegodsrun.com/
It's the Columbia River Gorge Natural Scenic Area. You start on the Washington side of the bridge, then cross over to Oregon. I did the run in 2016 and it was super fun and beautiful. Not flat, but not terribly hilly. 920' elevation gain. They have course details on the website.

The same organization has another half in the fall that's also in the Gorge. I haven't done this one, but know several people who have and they all said it was fun and gorgeous. https://www.columbiagorgemarathon.com/