Pleasanton Half Marathon and 5k Fun Run

You get what you pay for. This race is on the cheaper side of races. If you want swag and a big expo, go hit the Rock n Roll series and the crowds that come with those. The benefits of this course are that is so flat it’s almost downhill. There was a lot of gravel along water district canals and as a result I had some dusty legs and shoes. In essence you run a big rectangle around Pleasanton. I think the only downside was the packet pickup. One person for every half marathoner meant a very slow pick up. As far as finishing food, I don’t know what the other folks are talking about. I finished in under 1:50 and there was a ton of food. I’ve never had a burrito after a run, but there were burritos if you wanted. Lots of oranges, lots of bananas, lots of bagels, free FRS. It rocked. I’ll come back next year. The half medal was decent. Nothing fancy but not cheap either. The even definitely has a mom and pop feel to it. You’re on some open roads in a coned off lanes — I guess you usually are. Parking was rockstar. I’ve never shown up an hour before a run and not had to wait in traffic and get a spot across from the finish line. This race needs a little bit of rerouting to make it more scenic — like right down Main Street — but other than that, great overall experience.

I run a handful of races a year, ranging from 5ks, 10ks, and Half Marathons. The boyfriend is an avid cyclist, but was interested in trying a 5k, so we opted to do the Pleasanton 5k since it was one I hadn’t done before. We registered less than a week before the event.
The packet pick-​up was fairly easy and stress-​free. However, when I registered, I signed up for a WOMEN’S MEDIUM t-​shirt. Seeing as how they gave the option for men or women, I assumed I would be getting a shirt fitted for women. WRONG. They were unisex cotton t-​shirts, so my medium sized shirt was way too big, and they wouldn’t let me exchange it for a small. I also wish they would give the option to upgrade to a technical t-​shirt for a fee like a lot of other races offer. I run A LOT, so I use those tech shirts A LOT. I never wear those cheap, stiff cotton shirts for anything other than housework.
The start times and locations were well organized. There seemed to be plenty of parking as long as you don’t wait to show up until the last minute. Bathrooms were relatively plentiful between the port-​a-​potties and the park bath houses, but the bath houses ran out of toilet paper in the ladies rooms very quickly.
The guy at the start line was speaking through a megaphone rather than a mic/​loudspeaker, so it was difficult to hear any instruction he was giving.
One of my biggest pet peeves in races are those gosh-​darn jogging stroller buggy things. I get this is a ‘family fun run’ and I applaud anyone who won’t let kids stop them from exercising, but those stupid strollers are dangerous, and a lot of the people running with them don’t seem to know runners etiquette. So if race organizers are going to allow them, they need to have a separate start time for strollers, and they need to be IN THE BACK where they can’t run over peoples’ feet or cause an accident. Some people did this on their own (thank you!) but others went right up towards the front and created a hazard for those trying to get around.
The course was very flat, and the 5k was completely on pavement. This is a super easy run – I set a new 5k PR by a couple of minutes. The volunteers consisted mostly of high school kids who really didn’t look too happy to be there. I don’t really blame them – If I were 14, I wouldn’t want to be up at the crack of dawn on a Sunday to watch people run and direct foot traffic, either. But a little more enthusiasm would have been nice.
THE MEDALS ARE CHEAP. I’ve run some 5ks where they were giving out some really nice medals, but these ones are pretty crappy. I don’t know about the Half Marathon medals, but these ones are a thin circle of flimsy metal with a sticker on them rather than any engraving or paint. Nowhere near the «First Class Medals» they advertised.
And ditto on what Emmaloousie B. said: Where’s my freakin’ «Branded Chamois Finishers Towel»??
They did have some good post-​race freebies.
I know this race is only in its second year, but they still have some work to do. I *may* come back next year for the Half, but I’m not making any promises.
Off to the Wildcat 10k.

Hhmm. can’t say I was overly impressed with this event on the day.
Packet pickup the day before was pretty good, a lot more organized then the Fremont event in February yet still needs a little work for next year. Reason being that during registration we had to choose our TShirt: Male /​Female in XS, S, M or L. I selected Female XS yet when I went to collect at 1:30pm (pickup was 12 – 5) they had completely ran out of that size. Whole idea or choosing your size beforehand was so that you get the correct one.
Luckily they had XXS and as that was the same size I got for the previous event it actually worked out in my favor but I’m sure it didn’t for other runners, especially those that came later in the day.
As for the event itself I really think they cheaped out, maybe because double medals were awarded for those that also took part in the Fremont event and most of the money went on getting those made. There are minus stars for:
— The guy calling people for their awards didn’t really know what he was doing. I came 2^nd in my age group yet he called me as being 3^rd with somebody else’s time (doh) and I overheard others saying that their time was wrong too. All of the timing was done by SVE Timing via chips on the back of our bibs and we were able to check them ourselves on the computer system so I’ve got no idea how he got it all so wrong.
— Limited guys doing the massage. Just 2 guys for over 1,500 people! They were great though and the same people that did the Fremont event. I loved my leg and ass massage by the same person that did it before.
— Post race food was sparse. I was among the first to complete the Half and by the time I had a quick restroom break and massage (about 30 minutes total) all that was on offer was Orange slices and half a cold Burrito. I overheard people in the 5k saying that they had Muffins, Donuts and Banana’s too. Damn! I could have pulled somebody’s arm off for a Banana! I feel bad for those that finished after me and the organizers need to get their priorities right. Those that did 3.1 miles got a feast of all the good stuff where those than done an additional 10 miles got scraps.
— Did not receive the ”Branded Chamois Finishers Towel” that was promised on the website.
— I did not see an engraver as advertised. Maybe I completely missed it in my pain filled haze but Hubby and I did do the rounds twice looking for it.
As for the race itself it was mainly flat as promised (yay!) yet lot’s of it was gravel. I hate running on gravel, the uneven surface doesn’t make for easy running then add in all of the dust it’s an Asthmatic’s (me) nightmare.
As suspected running with an existing knee injury and sore foot I didn’t place where I did before but I came pretty damn close! Went from 1^st to a not too shabby 2^nd with being just a few seconds faster. First place beat me by just 50 seconds. Frustration! Race rundown:
Start: Hella cold… Let’s to this!!!
Mile 1: What. Already? 6:30mins. Good start.
Mile 2: Uuurgh gravel *chokes*
Mile 3: Woohoo. Endorphins kicked in. Feeling good.
Mile 5: Hmmm, Steve should be starting his 5k soon.
Somewhere between mile 6 and 7: Ooooh, is that a FroYo shop? Hmm, probably not open for another 4 hours *sigh*.
Rough mile 7.5: Ow ow ow knee pain.
Mile 8 – 9: Not a good section of the race for me :(Just passed the 8mile marker my knee buckled beneath me followed by a searing pain, tears and vomit. Luckily the extra Ibuprofen I had with me played their part and I hobbled to mile 9 where I managed to pick up pace thereafter.
Roughly 9.5 mile: Damn! Seems my watch timer resets at 1hr.
Mile 10: I’m getting too old for this sh*t.
Mile 11: ADRENALINE!!!
Mile 13: Almost there! Need to pee!
Mile 13.050: Where the feck is the finishing line? Some nice guy then points me in the right direction.
Mile 13.1: Hallefuckinglujah. where’s the restrooms? Shortly followed by me collapsing in pain. Booo.
So yeah… an ok event. I probably won’t do any more organized by this group. They have a habit of really miss-​selling the registration.