Summary: BMO Vancouver Marathon is a scenic Boston Qualifier that takes runners past beaches, through natural parks, and along Vancouver’s Seawall – the world’s longest uninterrupted waterfront path. Races include a Half Marathon, 8km race, a relay, and a kids’ run. Lessons Learned from Race Reports (Half) Easy to start out fast with the initial … Read more
Date 5/4/2019 Location Stinson Beach, CA (Bay Area) Avg Temps f. 72/48 Gain/Loss in ft 11,800/11,800 ft/mile gain 190 Highest Elev. ~1800 ft Start 5:00am Surface Fire Road and Single Track Trail Time Limit 15.5 hours Sunrise/set 6:10am 8:05pm Furthest Aid 7.4 miles Summary: Beautiful race starting and finishing in Stinson Beach, in the … Read more
Lessons Learned from Race Reports With the logistics of getting thousands of runners to one spot on Highway 1, be ready for an early, early morning to get to the start, and to be in a fairly crowded area pre-race Two sayings that describe the race: Beautiful yet Brutal and Hills and Headwinds With the … Read more
The La Jolla Half Marathon is a beautiful, point-to-point coastal route that will leave you breathless because of the scenery and the hills! The race starts at the Del Mar Fairgrounds and runs along the coast before reaching the climb to the summit of Torrey Pines State Park. The time of year has changed for … Read more
Date: 4/28/19 Location: San Luis Obispo, CA Start Time: 7:00am Avg Temps (f): 68/48 Time Limit: 4 hours Lessons Learned from Race Reports While it’s a scenic course when running through downtown SLO early on, the hills on the country roads make it quite challenging Temps tend to warm up quickly and the race starts … Read more
Date 4/20/19 Location Big River State Beach, Mendocino, CA Avg Temps f. 57/43 Gain/Loss in ft 4980/4980 ft/mile gain 161 Highest Elev. ~1,000ft Start 7:30am Surface Trail, fire road Time Limit 9.5 hours Sunrise/set 6:31am/7:58pm Furthest Aid 6.1 miles Summary: Now in its 4th year of running and Mendocino County’s first ultra marathon, the … Read more
Date: 4/14/19 Location: Paris, France Start Time: 8:09am (1st Corral) Avg Temps (f): 58/42 Time Limit: 5 hours, 40 minutes Lessons Learned from Race Reports With such a big race, ~55,000, expect long lines nearly everywhere and leave extra time for things like the expo, getting to the start, and using the bathroom beforehand, and … Read more
Date: 3/30/2019 Location: Redmond Watershed Preserve, Redmond, WA Start Time: 8:30am (marathon), 9:30am (5m, 10m), 9:35am (half marathon) Avg Temps (f): 57/42 Time Limit: 8 hours (from start of marathon) Distances Offered: 5m, 10m, Half Marathon, Marathon Lessons Learned from Race Reports The hill around mile 5 won’t seem too bad the first time around, … Read more
Summary: The Badger Mountain Challenge is a big mix of surfaces, including footpaths, multi-use trails, rocky and rolling jeep trails, dirt roads, and pavement, 100 miler runners run the 50 mile course twice and start at the same time as the 50 milers. With about 15 miles total of pavement and ~13,000 feet of gain, … Read more
Date: 3/17/2019 Location: Sacramento, CA Start Time: 7:45am (wave start) Avg Temps (f): 65/44 Time Limit: 4 hours Lessons Learned from Race Reports Note that course changed as of 2018, so some race reports differ about the ending in particular, as previous courses did a loop before finishing at Raley Field Bike path portion of … Read more
Summary: Starting and finishing at Rodeo Beach, all three distances of the The Marin Ultra Challenge, the 25k, 50k, and 50m, all feature lots of challenging elevation changes. The races have a range of terrain, from exposed fire-roads to technical single track in the redwood trees. Super beautiful scenery if the weather is right, with … Read more
Date: 4/7/2019 Location: San Francisco, CA Start Time: 6:15am Avg Temps (f): 63/49 Time Limit: 4 hours, 45 minutes Lessons Learned from Race Reports Keep in mind, the course changed as of 2018, with taking runners over/back the Golden Gate Bridge and having less elevation gain than previous years Some steep, hilly sections can be … Read more
Date: 4/6/2019 Location: Philadelphia, PA Start Time: 7:15am Avg Temps (f): 60/41 Time Limit: ~15 minute miles Lessons Learned from Race Reports Weather can be all over the place with this time of year in Philly, so be prepared for cold, rain, and/or snow Bring layers for clothing, knowing it can be quite cold at … Read more
Date: 3/30/2019 Location: Ellensburg to Selah, WA Start Time: 8:00am Avg Temps (f): 58/32 Time Limit: 7 hours Lessons Learned from Race Reports Well-organized race, very small town feel Cambered/tilted road can be difficult and hard on the legs by the end with one leg always running higher than the other While it’s a net downhill … Read more
Summary: Terrapin Mountain 50k is a course known for its long climb in the middle, followed by its steep descent, and rare flat moments along the way, this course is a mixture of forest service roads, jeep roads and single track, and is an an early season, challenging race. Located in Sedalia, VA, both a … Read more
Date 3/16/2019 Location Alcoa, TN (near Knoxville) Avg Temps f. 62/39 Gain/Loss in ft ~2,000/2,000 ft/mile gain 20 Highest Elev. ~800 ft Start 8:00am Surface Paved greenway Time Limit 32 hours Sunrise/set 7:46am/7:44pm Furthest Aid ~4 miles Summary: An urban ultra on the paved greenway trail in Alcoa, TN, runners will complete 10 laps … Read more
Date: 3/10/2019 Location: San Diego, CA (Petco Park) Start Time: 7:30am Avg Temps (f): 65/53 Time Limit: 3 hours, 30 minutes Lessons Learned from Race Reports Just before the “big hill” at mile ~8, there are two smaller hills, which tend to surprise people At the top of the hill, it doesn’t start going down … Read more
Lessons Learned from Race Reports It’s a very fast course, though the smooth gravel section near the middle of the race, miles ~5-9, does slow your pace slightly Past years have seen very good weather, in the 50s, especially considering it’s the PNW, but be ready for rain regardless There are some very short switchbacks … Read more
Date 3/2/2019 Location Las Cruces, NM Avg Temps f. 67/36 Gain/Loss in ft ~2,000/2,000 ft/mile gain ~65 Highest Elev. ~5,000ft Start 7:00am Surface Single track trail Time Limit 19 hours Sunrise/set 6:34am/6:05pm Furthest Aid ~4 miles Summary: In its 8th year of running, the Sierra Vista Trail races take place on 99% desert, single … Read more
Summary: The Holiday Lake 50K++ is a double loop course, going clockwise at first and then turning around and running counter clockwise, circling Holiday Lake itself as well as using country roads and trails in that area. The ++ is for the extra bit of miles you run past 50k, as it’s not exactly a … Read more
