Silver Strand Half Marathon & 5K

This was my first time running this race and my first half-​marathon but I’m boggled by the reviews that there was no view or nothing to look at! You start out running by the Hotel Del, then the Shores and bay followed by the Naval warfare base (If running by the SEAL training base can’t get you pumped up what can?) finally out onto the strand with views of the bridge and bay to your left and the waves crashing on the beach to your right. There are a few times when the berm is to tall to see over but generally those times you can view the wetlands to your left for something to look at.
The camber of the road is pretty brutal from mile 6 – 7 but the rest of the time isn’t bad. Finally the «hill» around mile ten was a bit painful but hey you get to come down in at mile 11 so that should put some pep in your step.
Mile markers were huge and easy to see, and there were plenty of aid stations.
Beer garden was a total letdown unfortunately, the line was way to long for two tiny cups of beer. Fortunately I planned ahead and had a 12 pack in the cooler at the car to celebrate.
The shirts and medals that they gave out were great and the shot blocks and protein bars were solid. —- The expo was a let down but it’s nice to have everything picked up beforehand and not have to do it the morning of. Also next time I’ll get there 10 minutes before the start and not 45. Standing around waiting to go was blah.

Love this race for achieving my PB (Personal Best). It starts in Coronado an proceeds down the beach on the right side of the road and has a great ending in Imperial Beach. It’s flat and fast depending on the wind conditions. Lotta fun and a great beer garden by the pier. Entry Prices are still reasonable compared to many other Mega races in San Diego which are charging way too much. Great place for us SD locals to get together.

I’m waffling between three and four stars. This race is just boring. How can a run near the water be boring? It manages. Most of what you see is just brown dirt. There aren’t many spectators and large chunks of the view are blocked. Also, despite registering months in advance, they didn’t have enough runner bibs so I (and other people) ended up with skater bibs. It didn’t bother me (although I did have a moment of panic), but some people who wanted a memento were upset.
Everyone touts this as a flat race, which made the hills a bit of a shock. They weren’t bad, but this is NOT a perfectly flat course. The bigger issue for me was the camber of the road. I got a stress fracture once upon a time from running on a severe slant during a marathon, so t kept trying to run on the flatter section. But that left me zigzagging across the road. Blergh. No shade either.
On the plus side, the busing was excellent. They had shuttles zipping all over the place. There was also plenty of parking on the residential streets within walking distance of the start line.

The good:
Beer garden, lots of fruit and pretzels (my favorite) at the finish, hot military shirtless military men, the ladies in IB with the big signs saying «Why do all the cute ones run away?,» the pacers from Roadrunner Sports, PERFECT weather, the chick with the shobby «If you can read this, I’m beating you» tee getting paced by everyone…
The bad:
The course was boring. I can see the appeal for the people that strictly run races to get a PR, but for those of us that run for the high, the challenge, or just for the fun of it, this race did not deliver. It was like running on a county highway for 10 miles. No scenery, just monotony. I had never been so excited to run the occasional hill this race offered.
The last few miles were a strange serious of loops at what felt like a tightly-​fenced high school track. With all the back-​and-​forth «lanes» in such proximity, I could see people running at miles 10 and 12 from mile 8 – and only a few yards away. I felt like I was running in a gerbil maze. And the medals? You need to squint to see them. In my post-​race delirium I could’ve thought they were filled with chocolate.
Very few residents of IB and Coronado came out of their homes to say hello to the runners, unlike AFC, where half of Point Loma was cheering us on this year!
Bus transportation getting to the starting line from City Hall was provided, but even though I got there early (as recommended), I had to wait nearly 30 minutes past the time stated to see a single bus arrive, which left me racing to get to Gear Check and to the starting line. There was a line down the street in the near-​freezing AM temperatures at City Hall, and I wondered how the people that were behind me in the line got to the race, thawed and on-​time.
Bottom Line:
I did PR on this race at 1:52 and some change, but I wouldn’t do it again for reasons stated above.

The run is practically a straight line for 8 miles so I was bored, but it is beautiful, you run right by the Hotel Del Coronado, and the participant count is great. They ran out of medals and there was an issue with my race shirt and picking up my bib, but their customer service was impressive. I wrote to them a week after the race and was so pleased with the prompt and thorough response I received from Brett at KOZ Enterprizes. He made it right, and that’s what counts when it comes to customer service. It actually changed my opinion about the race and I would be willing to participate again in the future because of it. And to whomever may have stolen 4 boxes of medals on race day: Shame on you.

This is a great run!
Where else can you run a ½ marathon with nice view. So it’s flat and it is a bonus and the beer garden at the end is always a welcome site after 13.1 miles of running.
You start at at Coronado and end up in Imperial Beach (a hidden gem in my opinion since it’s pretty local-​so far). The local shops are great and very hospitable.
I will just need to train more and maybe next year break my 20 minute mile record :)
I can’t wait to to it again next year.

Not enough medals for all the finishers. This could be a great half marathon but too bad it’s run by a band of fools at Koz Events. If you’ve done any of the triple crown races, the San Diego half, or Rock N Roll, then you will be disappointed by this race.

This is my third half marathon. Thought this would be a nice easy run because it is flat, it was. San Diego never disappoints for beauty. Buses were organized and easy to get to and from event without having to wait too long. But that is about it!
Arrived early as suggested by organizers, they offered just water and no bananas or any fruit at the beginning of race as you sat and waited for almost two hours for the start. At the end of the race the organizers ran out of almost everything– fruit for refueling, water, and oh, yes,…finisher medals!!! Really? Read reviews of people complaining that the medals were tiny… at least they got one! Apparently, all the medals were given to the 10 mile runners that registered last minute and therefore they didn’t have enough medals to cover both the 13.1 and 10 participants. It took me longer to finish race this time around due to no training because of a badly sprained ankle and the let down of pushing through 13.1 miles just to be told, «We don’t have anymore medals, there is no water, no fruit, and if you want a bagel you need to hurry to the food station,» is really disappointing!
Spent a fair amount of money for registration (and hotel to attend) and couldn’t even get my medal, a banana, or water. Actually heard a volunteer tell another participant who wasn’t feeling well that if she wanted something to eat (she was also looking for fruit) she would need to walk across the walkway past all the tents and buy something from one of the vendors because they were out of everything! I also would like to point out that there were still plenty of people running and walking behind me that hadn’t finished.
I’ll never attend a this event again.

This was my first race ever, the 5K, so for me it was spectacular. I’m also coming from the desert, Arizona, so the venue was perfect. Some reviewers complained you could not see the ocean throughout. You may be spoiled. We saw the ocean at the start and finish. it was beautiful. And, where else can you see runners and surfers all in one spot. Great music, great volunteers. Putting your feet in the ocean at the end. .. priceless!

This was my first double-​digit run. Like ever. Originally, I had been training for the half, but due to recent injuries I sustained, I decided it would be smarter to run the 10-​miler instead. And I’m sure glad I did! My whole body is in pain as I type this. My back, legs, knees, shoulders, you name it. Ow.
Honestly, I was a little disappointed with this one. Here’s why:
–teeniest little medal I’ve ever seen. I’ve run several fun runs/​5ks/​10ks with larger & better medals than this. And for the price? Pffft. Iono, but I have a feeling they could’ve done better… ironically the ugliest looking piece of medal I own, but makes me really happy looking at it b/​c I know I worked hard to earn it. Ow.
–the route was scenic, but still pretty far from the water, so you really had to use your peripherals to catch a glimpse of blue, or you’d literally have to turn your head to the side. It’s mostly just running on the road.
–there were men/​women pushing strollers as they ran which was kinda weird b/​c ppl had to get out of the way to avoid being run over.
–no text updates for runner’s fam & friends during the race
–no cool freebies in our race bags :’(
–there was only 1 shot blok station. i love those little jelly cubes now. Yummy. So goooood!
But, it still earns 3 stars from me because:
–there were lots of juice boxes/​bananas/​bagels/​muffins/​oranges/​waters at the end of the race
–those «pace runners» with the flags were really helpful, esp if you’re trying to finish at a certain time.
–extremely flat course, which is great for a first-​timer like myself
–professional medical tent where I got my knee iced & wrapped up pretty well
–a simple race w/​all the basics
–clear mile marker flags
Thanks to all the volunteers throughout who passed out the waters/​snacks/​cheered us on! We did it!

Hi Friends!
Awesome race!
This is by far the nicest run I have done. For much of the run you have the ocean on both sides. The staff was great as well as all the volunteers who helped out with the event.
For those who don’t like to run they also had a skate race which looked pretty cool.

I have tiny Asian hand and medal is juuust same size of my palm!!! I feel bad for the rest of my husbands half marathon medals huge and quality is pretty! I can make this and buy materials at Michaels.

This was my first ever half-​marathon in 2011 (which I decided to sign up for as part of my post-​grad-​mini-​quarter-​life crisis, EEK!) so it will always have a special place in my heart ! It’s a straightforward course down the coast, all the way up until you get to the dirt-​patch-​of-​hell aka the military base where you’re running all the way into this ugly dustbowl & then having to run all the way back out. Then you’re in a neighborhood before finishing at the pier & can stick your toesies in the water, SUHWEET!
I liked the fact that it wasn’t too crowded and there were pacemakers I could follow! However, I had counted on them handing out energy gu or gummies since they listed that in their details, but I did NOT see any. I had to finish the entire race with ONLY water & no caffeine beforehand D: Felt like death at mile 10 to 13 ! I learned later from my friend that they were handing them out (2x) in little water cups (which I thought was just water) & I totally passed by them bc there were people standing behind them holding out water ! So watch out, & always bring some extra gu just in case.
In retrospect I guess it’s a bit lackluster in terms of the ‘WOW’ factor, since crowd support is minimal, the after-​party is small/​nonexistent & the goodies aren’t ample so I would not run it again, however if you want a simple race that is between you, the pavement & the ocean breeze this is a perfect personal running experience.

I wasn’t supposed to run this especially with the mediocre logistics and the stupid gun versus chip rule that happened in 2011. But unfortunately, for whatever reason, I guess I accidentally signed up back in May so I figured I might as well get my monies worth. So I had no one to blame except myself on running this race… again.
With a mediocre race that occurred a year before, you would think that the race officials would at least get better and learn from their mistakes.
First thing, at least these guys still help out the Challenged Athletes Foundation (CAF) and there is a military discount so it’s a win-​win there. Also, the beer garden at the end provided some nourishing essential liquids that did help out with the post-​race festivities.
But other than that, it wasn’t any better compared to last year. The course is pretty boring. People think that you’re running along the beach… but umm… I’m not sure what you were looking at but there were hills and mounds between you and the beach so you really can’t see it (unless you are 10 feet tall.)
Also, there’s only 2 electronic timing strips. one at the start and one at the finish line. Nothing in between. And unfortunately I did hear the chant of «cheater cheater» somewhere along mile 10, so that person probably got away with it because there were no additional timing strips along the course to validate everyone’s run.
Stuff like this and no real spectators along the course to motivate you along this boring course provides a dull experience. Hopefully I won’t make the same mistake this year and accidentally sign up again.
And what is up with the 5k runners getting a medal? And the fact that their medals were a lot bigger than the half marathon runners? Really? really?
Note to self: 1:34:49 in 2012.

The Silver Strand was my second half marathon. I had completed the San Diego Rock n Roll half earlier this year, and wanted another running challenge. However, the Rock n Roll marathon set my standard pretty high, and I think due to that, this race was pretty disappointing.
To start with, instructions for parking were very vague. Of course, I should have known that this race doesn’t attract 30,000+ runners, but it would have been nice to know I’m supposed to find street parking, if that’s the choice I sign up for. I don’t make a habit of frequenting Imperial Beach, so a little more direction would have been helpful.
Once I got oriented with the parking situation (I parked at Pier Plaza, near the finish line), I took a shuttle to the start. It was a smaller crowd, not much enthusiasm. They had gear check areas and portable toilets. All went fine.
Once the race started, I must say it just felt really boring. It’s just a matter of going straight for a really long time, following the road. There were no bands, no cheering teams, no one on the sidelines to give you a high five. Because of that, it just came across pretty lackluster. In addition, they didn’t seem to enforce the coned off areas very well, as I almost got bumped into by a lady in Coronado who had picked up a few coffees and was trying to cross the street where all of us were running. Might have been nice if it hadn’t become an obstacle course.
You get a few glimpses of the ocean from the road, which is nice. It was a pretty chilly morning, so it felt nice to run along and have the sun shine down on you while you’re running. If it had been warmer outside it would have been miserable, so I just counted my blessings. Not much shade.
Worst part was around mile 9. That’s when you see the runners ahead of you going through the military base, which is a little two mile loop. It isn’t a very creative section of course and it just makes you feel anxious to get there.
By the time you’re done, it just seems anticlimactic. I would have liked a little more involvement from the community, and it just seems like very little effort was put into making this one nice. Fortunately I can run 13.1 miles without having to pay for it. The medal isn’t worth it. And the t-​shirt is pretty ugly.
This one is worth skipping.

I enjoyed this race and overall liked the course and the support along the way, in terms of the water stops and music in the second half.
I had run on the Silver Strand a few times, having just moved out from the east coast two months before, and knew what to expect on the course. It can be windy there and I saw complaints about the sun in other reviews, but I did not have a big issue with the sun being in my eyes that much.
I read other reviews that you can’t see the water, etc. I could see the ocean over the sand dunes a bit and also the bay, and I liked getting out there and running by the water.
The only part I found to be mildly unpleasant was the out and back portion around the Navy base toward the end.
I left my GU gel in the car, since I parked about a mile away from the start (since I wasn’t sure where I was allowed to park), and in light of this, (in my opinion) there was not enough energy drink at the water stops in the second half of the race.
I usually do not depend on Gatorade etc so I’m not sure what is «normal» for a race on this factor.
I kept yelling «energy drink» at the water stops during the last 6 miles or so at the stops, and received mostly blank stares. Perhaps I expect too much on this point, but I saw it at the earlier stops but not so much later. Maybe they ran out?
I ended up picking up a GU bean candy off the side of the road another runner dropped at mile 8 or so and eating that.
Overall, I liked the flat course. The shuttles between the finish and start went smoothly, better than most races I have run with shuttles.
The post race selection of food and drink was pretty good with mini-​energy bars, coconut water samples, orange slices, banana halves, a juice box, and small chocolate and I think pumpkin muffins.
And, there was a nice race medal at the end.

Not a lot of bells and whistles to this run.
Miles 1 – 8 = nice, along the coast. Good breeze. Beautiful. There is no opportunity for spectators here as it’s along the highway. Your family can however drive along the course and honk at you.
Sad part is that you have to pass the mile 11 – 12’ers. and you realize just how far you have left to go.
Miles 8 — 10 = in and out of the neighborhood. No one that lives in the neighborhood is really into the race — save for some random kids who wanted to hi five me.
Miles 10 – 12 = Running a loop in the military base. I always hit my wall at mile 11 no matter what race it is. Maybe an energy drink or gel here would be good.
Miles 12 — 13.1 = Back in the neighborhood and straight to the pier! There are some shops around but we didn’t stay to check any out.
Overall — nice flat race. I’m not an experienced runner even though this is my 4^th one, but it’s a decent half. I maybe wouldn’t recommend it for a first race sincemissing an «exciting» factor (rock and roll has bands, disney has. well disney, lack of community spectators and finish line was lackluster) but the course itself was pretty nice.

Ran the 2012 Silver Strand Half Marathon with my son yesterday. This was the first half marathon for both of us. We parked at the Coronado City Hall and walked to the start. There was plenty of parking and they had shuttles picking people up, but we opted to walk.
The weather was great, experienced just the slightest wind from about mile 3 to mile 6 or 7. There were water/​energy drink stations every couple of miles which was nice to see, as well as port-​a-​potties.
I have nothing to compare this to since it was the first time I had ran a half, but I made it through. At the finish there were finisher medals given to all the participants.
There was also apparently a beer garden, but I was in no condition to be drinking. I was happy just to be standing!
Maybe next year we’ll participate — on Rollerblades!

I was really excited about doing this race, especially since I’d never, to my recollection, been to Coronado Island before. I had been told that the course was quite beautiful with picturesque views of the ocean. Unfortunately, that was definitely NOT the case.
Before I continue, let me first state that the event was very well organized. You couldn’t have asked for better communication by the event organizer. Additionallly, packet pickup at Road Runner was also organized and almost effortless for this event. Shuttle service was made available for those participating in the race, but parking your POV at the site of the race was also doable for friends and family that wanted to see you start.
I found the course to be uninspiring. As mentioned earlier, I was expecting a more scenic view of the ocean. Instead, I stared at a flat road that sat adjacent to dunes and hills that, for the most part, obstructed the views I was intending on seeing. Unfortunately, the directional trajectory of this particular course was troublesome because of the angle of the sun; it shined directly into my eyes for the majority of the route. As another Unilocaler mentioned, the course was riddled with roadkill that, for some odd reason, no one thought was important enough to clear away.
Yes, the course is very flat. Not until you get to the mile 10 marker is there a slight elevation climb. At that point, I was in cruise control so it had no adverse effect on me. After cleraing the mile 11 marker, the course is pretty much downhill until it flattens out again at mile 12 to the finish.
One thing did piss me off: After running across the finish line towards the muffin and fruit table, one of the workers was being a little too aggressive in instructing people to keep moving. The food table should have never been placed in the finish line path. I didn’t appreciate being reprimanded for taking a little extra time in deciding what muffin I wanted.
All in all, it wasn’t what I expected. I’ll probably do it again next year, but it’s not a race that I’ll be particularly excited about.

My last race and halfie for 2011!!!
3.5… Again…
Very positive PRO was the fact that there was no problems with traffic and getting to the start. Also, since I arrived early, the lines for the potties were short and I was in and out within a couple mins. CON — No sanitizers or hand washing stations. Luckily I bring my own anti-​bac wipes.
The start was nice, wide and spacious. I didn’t experience any bottlenecking or people stopping in the middle of the run. The first couple miles were great! The weather faired and the sun was coming out.. We ran
along Coronado Beach then Hotel del.
Then you get on the 75, and I got so bored! You can barely see the ocean and at times there was this awful stench. Some of the stretch was angled so my right leg began bothering me around mile 4 – 5.
Although what I appreciated is that there was a lot of room. We pretty much got 2 lanes for all us runners and there wasn’t a problem with personal space.
Around mile 8, you can see some of the runners already reaching the mile 10 and 12 markers. It was discouraging a bit because you were behind and you want to finish! Once you get on the base, the last 3 miles were treacherous.
I heard the shuttles ran smoothly and I didn’t experienced traffic leaving. Well organized in that respect.
The race was mostly flat, but I didn’t care for the route. I’m just happy I’m able to check this race off my list. Kudos to my fellow halfers: Mikey, Jojo, Ian, Son, Madeline, Dave, and Gary. We did it!
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Stats:
Place (Division) ¹⁶⁰⁄₃₅₀
Overall 1628
Chip 2:16:59
Gun 2:14:56
Pace 10:18