See Jane Run 1/2 Marathon and 5K

Pros:
The energy overall was very positive and I enjoyed the high energy warm up
Nice tech shirt
The course was lovely. My only issue with it were the residential streets we had to share with the cars. The road curved down to the curb and that really trashed my calves. Couldn’t even move to the sidewalks due to all the driveway dips.
The Saturday expo was well organized
Cons:
The Champagne glasses ran out. I blame the runners. Ladies: didn’t your Mother teach you manners? The volunteers reported that many runners were taking 3 – 4 glasses each. Do not tell me you were «getting some for friends». There were runners (myself included) that didn’t get champagne or a champagne glass. Yeah, this rude behavior is why we can’t have nice things.
The Scott’s Seafood buffet was gone before the back of the pack runners got in. Either there wasn’t enough food or the front of pack gals ate all the food before the back of pack gals got in. I know this was a big selling point for me and after a hard race, instead of seafood I got a bag of Lays.
If you are going to advertise that all runners will receive the following then they should be provided to all runners, not just the fast ones:
NEW! Catered runners lunch from Scott’s Seafood
Finisher medals for all runners including kids
Technical T for half marathon/​cotton for 5K and Kids
Reusable See Jane Run tote bag
Commemorative champagne glass
Chocolate Race goody bag or virtual race bag
I have no idea what a Chocolate Race goody bag is. I never saw that either. I got a piece of the organic chocolate but that was it.
The medals were tiny. They reminded me more of the size of the 5k medal at the SF Marathon. For a half marathon, I expected a larger medal.
I think if I do this race in the future, I will do the 5k so I can have a better change of actually enjoying the cool perks that were advertised.

This was my first half marathon, and I ran it in 2014 (there are other reviewers from previous years, too!).
All in all, I thought it was really well organized and has a good course. It looks like they fixed the 2014 course to avoid the dirt path between the beach and the foot bridge, which is really good. I’ve run that path before on training runs, and it’s only wide enough for one person, so I’m glad they changed the path to avoid it!
That said, though, there was one (I thought) unnecessary course-​lengthening portion on the Bay Farm part of the course right after the golf course… Like another reviewer stated, my GPS measured 13.33 miles, and without that little out-​and-​back bit right after the golf course, I think it would have been 13.1 miles. It was also right at this point that my GPS stopped being in sync with the posted race mile markers (for example, my GPS was pretty close to the posted mile markers up until that point; afterwards, my GPS would signal a mile ~0.2 miles BEFORE the sign was posted).
The one terrible thing about this race is that PARKING SUCKSSSSSSS. The start and finish lines aren’t exactly close to each other, and you’ll likely have to find street parking, so good luck with that!
I plan to run this race next year, and hopefully the weather will be just as great.

I did the half marathon, and I really wanted to like this run, but in the end, I feel like there were a lot of things that could have been better.
Pros:
— I really liked the running route, we didn’t retrace much of the same path which was nice
— Very nice technical t shirt, one of my favorite race shirts I’ve gotten
(long list of) Cons:
— Not so good communication about bib pick up — they didn’t mention where the pick up was on the day of the race, so I ended up going to the finish line (that’s all i could see from the parking lot), and then walking around asking around, and no one really knew. One person told me it didn’t start until 7am. After asking around for about 10 minutes, they finally told me it was at the start line, so I had to do another 5 minute walk over there.
— The emails about parking was totally incorrect. They stated that the park’s lot was only a 5 minute walk to the start — NOT TRUE. I tracked it on my Garmin, it was more than half a mile, so I ended up walking close to 2 miles before the race even started (to the finish line, to the start line, then back to my car, and then back to the start line)
— Shirt pick up line was LONG. Had to wait in line for about 10 minutes after the race to get my shirt. Why couldn’t they just give it to us with bib pick up?
— No water bottles at the end of the race. They had these tiny dixie cups, which meant that I had to stand in the shirt line with no water.
— Race was mainly on cement, which killed my knees. I do a long, 10+ mile run at least once a week, and my legs have never felt so beat up as they do today after the race
— No photographers on the course!
— The aid stations were unevenly spaced, and they were not space according to the map race. There was about a 3+ mile stretch right in the middle of the race with no station, even though the map indicated it every 1 to 2 miles. I know this because I had planned my salt stick caps at specific stations, so i definitely noticed when one was not where it should have been
— The course was too long! My Garmin clocked it in at 13.32 miles. I ran all the tangents closely and didn’t zig zag around, and I’ve read some other race recaps where people said it came in around 13.3 also, so I’m pretty sure the race measuring was off. Although it doesn’t seem like much, it makes a HUGE difference since I was trying to PR and it added another minute or two onto my time!

SEE ME RUN.
Only trained 1.5−2 weeks and finished ok. Had I done proper training (2months) would have hit my mark.
EXPO
Expo was small. Fairly organized and you can buy cute running gear and accessories.
PRERACE
We had fun exercises before the race. Parking was decent but still had to park some distance.
RACE
13.1 milers started before the 5k runners. However, lining up at the start of the race wasn’t really organized AND THERE WERE NO CORRALS. The course was nice BUT THE HEAT was extreme killer. The dirt path after mile 2 was annoying. Narrow and you get stuck behind people who started walking or are slow. The path can fit 2 people or 3 skinny people. It was a HUGE bottleneck that interfere with your time. lack of hydration tables throughout the course, especially on a hot day. No shade anywhere, just heat. There’s angry residence everywhere!!! They forget it’s race day and can’t drive through the course so you see cars piled everywhere. Some bipass the police and drive on the course. I almost was hit TWICE by angry residence. Towards the end of the course the Alameda bridge opens for passing boats, so your just waiting until you can cross it, again another interference with your time. At the end is the trail through the park. What was annoying were random spectators crossing the paths while still running.
AFTERMATH
I cramped up. My salt packets dissolved in my pockets. Getting the champagne glass and medal at the end was somewhat organized. No line so your just climbing over people to get your stuff.
Will I run the race again? I’m not sure, didn’t really enjoy the first time.
until the next review…

To be completely honest, I was looking to do my first half marathon ever and I chose See Jane Run simply because it had the lowest registration fee (I found a deal on Zozi). In the end, I couldn’t have asked for a better first half marathon despite the record breaking heat this year!
This is a great beginner’s half marathon or for someone going for a new PR:
— extremely flat course (except for a slight incline on the bridge everyone has to cross at Mile 3 and again at Mile 10)
— gorgeous view of the water between Miles 6−10(ish)
— plenty of bathrooms along the route
— Clear mile markers starting at Mile 4 and onwards
— water, Gatorade, and GU gels (yes, even GU gels!) every 2 miles! No need to wear an extra fuel belt. :)
— Free goodie bags, fitted tech tee, champagne glass, See’s chocolate, and finisher’s medal (One of the few races I’ve participated in where even 5K finishers receive medals. But no worries to those who chose to do the half; the 5K and Half Marathon medals are different.)
— separate finish lines for the 5K and half marathon
— packet pick-​up all week long and the morning of the race
— plenty of communication prior to the race
— pacers to help make sure you finish at the time you want!
— course is open for 4 hours
A few drawbacks:
— Very limited parking. Get there early to find neighborhood street parking.
— Although it didn’t bother me too much since I was listening to my music the whole time anyway, this might be something to consider. There are very few people along the sidelines to cheer you on.
— There was a small section around Mile 6 where we all just run a loop through the parking lots of a business area.
— The majority of participants actually do the 5K. But the route really sucks in my opinion. You start at Washington Park, run 1.5 miles along the water (sorta), and then make a sharp U-​turn and run back. I personally prefer loop routes whether it be a half marathon, 10K, or 5K.
Two years ago I did my first 5K, and I couldn’t even run a quarter mile without stopping. I sincerely enjoyed this race so much. I loved all the female support and energy. I’m tearing up as I write this because this event was so life changing for me. The feeling of running alongside all these other Jane’s of different age, shape, and size reinforced the idea that anyone could be a runner… even me!
Thanks to those at See Jane Run for putting together an event with everything I needed to accomplish my once ambitious goal of finishing a half marathon! See you next year!

This was my first half. Overall it was very good, nice course and clearly marked. Champagne and chocolate were great. What was lacking was race swag (we got a reusable bag, shirt and that was it-​usually there are some samples thrown in). The expo after the race was small and the snacks were limited (mini bagels and prezels).

See Jane Run ½ Marathon, June 3, 2012 at Crown Memorial State Beach.
This was my second ½ marathon and I loved it!
Well organized event, morning motivation from the stage area, use of bullhorn by speaker made it easier to hear, pre-​race warm up, nice scenic course, enough water/​fuel stations, more then expected bathrooms enroute, great finish line reception, cool finishers medal, cool champagne glass trophy, great after race activities.
Met ‘Jane’ I mean Gloria along the way and we became race route friends as we finished that mother strong as we ran the last ¼ mile to the finish line together. She was my pacer and I was her motivator.
Great send off and reception by my babygirl.

This was my 2^nd year in a row running the 5k. Parking was at a premium (I found street parking over a half a mile away) but I made it in time for the fun 80s pre-​race workout. I had to weave around trios of walkers (please keep to the right, ladies) but otherwise it was a quick race under gray skies (my favorite running weather). I didn’t pick up any champagne for the 2^nd year in a row since I ran the race alone and didn’t want to drink and drive. But I did grab some Chili and Lime Pop Chips.
I got a last-​minute deal on Zozi but hope to make this race an annual tradition. It has a fun girlpower vibe without being excessively frou-​frou. And I’d love for my daughter to do the Kids run next year.

I’m from Alameda and the starting line is less than a 10 minute drive from my house so I may be biased about this race since I didn’t have to wake up at an ungodly hour to run like I do for most races.
I’ve only gotten an opportunity to do the 5K but I’m really hoping to do the half-​marathon one day (it always coincides with the San Diego Rock & Roll, though, and SD is typically where I am in the early summer). But the 5K was great, weather was sunny (which I don’t mind for a 5K but for a half, that could be a problem), and the course was extremely flat. The cause is great and as a woman, it’s always empowering and nice to run these types of races! It’s also nice that it’s a small race too – registration is relatively cheap and you don’t feel too overwhelmed by the crowds.
The only downside for me was that not a lot of people were cheering. More neighborhood spirit please, Alameda!

Great woman power run!!!
This was perfect for my first 5k! Everyone is super supportive and there to have fun AND run.
Path is a bit interesting and the markers could have been better, but it goes by so quickly you don’t really think about it.
A few men but very rare. And of course the perks at the end are totally worth sprinting for. :)

This was my first 5K and my 2^nd official race ever (first being Bay to Breakers, so I don’t really count that as a real race… more of a people-​watching event haha). I had a great time. See Jane Run definitely put on a fun event!
The course is BEAUTIFUL. I’ve run Bay Farm Island before, but not Shoreline. The weather cooperated with us this year and it was really beautiful.
I had a little difficulty after the turn around… everybody was on the sidewalk and I felt bad weaving through everyone, so I eventually kinda straddled the sidewalk, but that made it a bit difficult to run. I kinda liked how Bay to Breakers had the runners to the left and the walkers/​slower runners to the right.
The staggered start seemed to work pretty well. I was definitely antsy to get started but it was a good idea to prevent major backup at the turnaround.
The expo was AWESOME. Sure, a long line in the beginning to get the food and champagne glass, but I made a few new friends in line while waiting. =) There was pretty much no line for all the other vendor booths, and there were plenty of freebies to go around. And who can complain about featuring champagne and chocolate?! =)
The bag check worked out fine, the portapotties in the beginning had ridiculous lines but not a major complaint, and the pre-​race workout was fun and energizing.
I love my technical t-​shirt and champagne glass! The medal was real cute too.
Warning: don’t use that
card in your goodie bag… it’s a scam.

This was my first 5k and I thought it was a great supportive group of women which was very encouraging. The running group on Sundays in the Oakland (Rockridge) was a great way to train for the 5k.
I paid $ 45 because I registered late but I thought it was okay since you get a nice purple shirt, free champagne, chocolate, water, and other freebies. The volunteers were awesome (5 stars) and the warming up stage that was set up with 80’s music was also great (5 stars).
I don’t have another race to compare it to so I thought it was good. However, I do agree that the running location was a bit tight/​narrow for runners that have done this before and need to pass up slower runners/​joggers/​walkers. Once we passed up 1.5 miles, the space got tighter. I also wish they had water pre-​race. So –1 star for that.
Overall, it was a great experience, we scored on the weather, lovely ocean view, nice volunteers/​See Jane Run Staff, great freebies, & nice people.

This is an extremely fun race to do with your girlfriends!
PROS:
–Chocolate and unlimited champagne at the finish line
–Tech shirt (although 2011’s was a little too shiny for my taste)
–Lots of samples, freebies, and snacks at the post race expo
–Free massages post-​race (I didn’t get to experience this, what a line!)
–Fun dance warm-​up 10 minutes before you race
–Beautiful scenery around Crown Memorial Beach
–Cute temporary tattoos station — «I Run for Chocolate and Champagne»
–Flat course, good for beginners
–Medal for a 5K? Awesome!
CONS:
–5K course is extremely small and tight! At mile 1.5, you continue the rest of the 5K on a narrow sidewalk. This is bad especially if you’re a 8min/​mile pacer; you are constantly weaving! The roundabout was was also tight in space and sharp. :(
–Event tells us to show up at 6:30 sharp to ensure any parking mishaps. No need! There is plenty of neighborhood and street parking nearby. I thought 7:30AM would have been fine.
–There is no water pre-​race! What! Please change this for next year!
–Fat plastic chip device strapped to my ankle. $ 30 fee if you do not return it!
Very minor complaints in the CONS section. Definitely would do it again because of the amazing post-​race expo! The $ 35 registration fee was extremely worth it. There are coupons online and on e-​mails so just search and watch out for those if you’re interested in running next year.
All in all, lots of fun and lots of pink and purple. :)

first race i’ve ran in years– well sorta…
it was late wednesday and by late around 2 am– i was up finishing up 192 cupcakes for an event– but that has nothing to do with this event so i’ll back to the point.
it was the wednesday before the weekend of the race and my friend Rita Jo posted that she randomly decided to run this event on Facebook. I commented because well, nobody else was really awake and it was nice to talk to someone while i baked.
sunday came around and i was there to cheer for her… i texted to see how she was doing and she said she was a little off pace and hurting… so i decided to run against the flow of the race (on the other side of the road) like a salmon going upstream, to find her. dressed in my pink «kiss me i’m filipino» shirt– i wasn’t easy to miss, so i was hoping to find her or she find me as i ran.
it was so great to see all the amazing runners doing their thing! i’ve never been to a ½ marathon before! i was cheering for them and oddly enough they were cheering for me too! it must have been the shirt.
when i finally got to my friend, we finished the race together. lots of friendly people along the way cheering for the runners and their supporters (people like me who come as friends) we congratulated people who finished on their way back already, and in returned they cheered us on. all the way to the finish. where there were plenty of booths including champagne and chocolate in celebration of the day.
i nearly ran a half marathon that day, but it didn’t really seem like i did was in such great spirits getting to hangout with my friend and talk during the race! the atmosphere of the race was just so alive and positive i was in awe! i can’t wait until i actually do a race officially, but that will have to wait. there’s a few months before i run the Nike Women’s Marathon (NWM) in San Francisco… i guess until then i keep running…
until next time,
cheers!
ps shout out to the awesome volunteers! specially those three by the bridge doing the wave! you ROCK!

This is a good beginner’s race or fun race. You get a tech T and it’s for a good cause. The participants were friendly and supportive.
Organizers recommended arrival at 6:30am which was really for parking. I arrived at 7am for an 8:30 start for 5k. 5k was set to start in waves last minute for safety reasons. So I basically stood around from 7am until 8:55 before I got to start the race. I’d imagine the half marathon was better than the 5k since they started together and had fewer people. It kind of kills the mood when this was unplanned and people are finishing the race before you even get to start. That’s why other races have better route planning or limit the number of participants. Since it was so last minute, the waves weren’t by age group or intended pace, so runners still had to dodge people walking 3-​wide on a narrow path.
There was no water before the race. And a line 100 people long for bottles of water after the race that was somewhat hard to find. (The bubbly was blocking the finish area and there were long lines and support crowds everywhere already.) Water is essential… epic fail here. Give me tap water in a paper cup if you need to. Thankfully, there were generous sponsors providing hydration.

This is a review for the See Jane Run Half Marathon part, I didn’t do the 5k but I’m sure it was great!
The Pros:
*Cheap (er) registration — discounts given out often so always check your e-​mail and retailmenot for some useful discounts!
*Flat course (despite a couple of gradual mini hills)
*Lots of «Jane» support!
*Cool finisher medal & t-​shirt
*Chocolate & Champagne!!!
The Cons:
*Crabby weather (not the event’s fault of course lol)
*Parking –_​-​«
*Business district portion wasn’t really scenic
*Lonnggg monotonous stretch of road from mile 9 – 12
*Smelly overpass on mile 4 and on the way back on 8(?)
*Location of water after the race (it was in this tent a little walk away but none of the volunteers seemed to know where it was!)
Basically, this is an awesome race if you and your girlfriends want to accomplish something major together! The roads are really wide and you don’t really waste energy bouncing around to get through people. I gave this race 3 stars because even though you get chocolate and champagne — in a cool glass, the scenery isn’t all its cracked out to be. Not much support out on the road even though a few spectators braved it out onto some of the sidelines. Post-​expo is very rewarding because lots of free goodies and I found this cool little business that I wouldn’t have found otherwise that sells yummy protein shakes. I would come back just because I’ve been doing this now for 2 years, it would be a shame if I didn’t come back! Thanks for the great race See Jane Run, see you next year!
P. s. There was a woman out on the course today who fainted so close to the finish line, does anyone know the status of this woman? I saw the EMT try to revive her when I was walking back to the car, and I really hope she is ok. Running is no joke, people can get hurt. Please make sure you & your loved ones are well prepared before and after races. I’ll continue to send positive thoughts to this woman and her family.

I really enjoyed this race! It was my first time doing the See Jane Run event and with a slogan I run for chocolate and champagne I had to join in on the fun.
I definitely over dressed for this race– since it rained the night before I figured I would layer up, wear long pants, etc. Nope didn’t need any of that.
My boyfriend dropped me off in the morning so I didn’t deal with the parking situation– I know that it was $ 5 in Washington Square park and it was limited so it might have been difficult. Saw more street parking further down.
There was a half marathon that started at 8am and 5k that started at 8:15am.
Got dropped off at 7:20am and was able to:
— pick up my race packet– yay for same day bib pickup (I couldn’t make it for the pre race expo which I heard was a bit disorganized but it was their first time doing it)
— Picked up timing chip– yay for eco friendly timing chips!
— Went to the bathroom
— Stretched
Then had 10 minutes to spare before the race.
They were playing fun music 80/​90s music like Mickey!
This is a loop race so you see some of the same scenery twice– but this makes it convenient because you end up where you parked.
For the half marathon their was probably about 1000 people? Mostly women but a few men as well. These races are so fun because you see women of all ages and shapes and sizes and everyone is happy and cheering each other on.
The course was all paved and went along Harbor Bay, the Alameda businesses, some trails along the water and looped back.
I loved that they had nice mile markers along the way and had water, gatorade, and gu every couple miles. They didn’t run out at all too! So important since I didn’t wear a fuel belt.
The best part of the race has go to be the post expo with all the goodies you get! There was so many sponsors at the event and lots of free goodies. Some of the things I indulged in:
— Cute finisher medal that you can engrave– not sure how much it was to do that
— Champagne glass with ultimated Barefoot champagne
— bagel
— Free Lunar bars
— Pop Chips
— FRS drinks
— Metromint Water
— Barefoot products
— Free chocolate
— Degree Deodorant and a place to take a picture where they print out for you!
— Purple Technical Tee with a nifty gift bag
I did this race by myself and had a great time. I can only imagine if I knew some people doing it.
I am definitely signing up next year and remember to look for discounts because they definitely spring up for being 5 – 10 bucks off.
Good pricing, flat, great company, and goodies!
Who doesn’t want champagne and chocolate?

What to love:
Beautiful Route
Perfect weather!
Lots of fun with ladies
Chocolate & Champagne + glass
Cute tech shirt & a medal
Lots of post race free stuff — Jamba juice, Smart Water, healthy snacks…
What not to love:
Parking
Timing chip lines were very long so get there early otherwise, you may not be able to start on time.
Overall, I loved the race! Must do race if you are near by.

I think it should be a requirement for runners to volunteer at a water stop before actually participating. I don’t think it will kill them to run a couple more steps to throw away their water cups. I never realized how annoying (and maybe a bit inconsiderate) to see cups on the ground when there’s a trash can next to it until I started volunteering for running events. Okay, so that’s my rant… Now about the run.
Cat N. and I both thought it was a pretty good event with lots of major sponsors. I came to realize this after crossing the finish line and being handed a Smart Water and not Arrowhead or Kirkland, wow! There were also free Jamba Juice, Pop Chips, Honest Tea, Bear Naked and many more! And of course, free chocolate and champagne! Definitely loads of freebies. You also get a medal and champagne glass for finishing, and my favorite, ALL participants get tech shirts. It’s very different since most running events only give out regular T-​shirts for 5K runners and save the dri-​fit shirts for half and full marathoners. But just FYI, the shirts run a little small and short. I’m regularly a small, but I got a medium. Cat N. is usually a medium, but got a large. We both agreed that this will be an annual thing for us.
And BTW, it’s not only for women, but men are eligible to participate as well.

Overall I was impressed with the See Jane Run ½ marathon.
It started with some very energetic ladies leading the group in a warm-​up and stretch, which was pretty entertaining if you weren’t participating yourself.
The actual run was partly through neighborhoods where folks cheered you on as you ran past. The other part of the run was just on the water and was pretty– at one point you had a view of the city, and at another a view of Oakland. Granted it was pretty overcast and muggy but you get the picture.
The after-​race was really great! Champagne, beer, and lots of food. These people knew what women runners want after a long run!
I was very pleased with my beverages and snacks as my friend and I sat and watched all the others finish.
The run was a bit on the spendy side but it was definitely worth doing.