Temecula Half Marathon & 5k

I did the 5k this year and really enjoyed it. Parking was unbelievably easy and only a short walk to the race start. Registration and transferring was super easy. The course was scenic, though largely through a neighborhood — it seemed like the Half Marathon was much more through «wine country.» There weren’t many vendors at the end, nor freebies as I have seen at other, larger races, but this is a small event which kept things fun and even a little intimate. The tasters of wine and beer after were plenty — I only had ⁴⁄₅ of mine before deciding to call it quits; thought the area to do the drinking was very small and cramped for no apparent reason. I would also note that there was a pretty good shortage of restrooms which created long, uncomfortable lines for many. I had fun, though at $ 40, it was a bit pricey for a 5k of its size, especially with no race shirt included.

I think this race was not advertised accurately. It was my first time running this race and from the pictures I saw and the scenery they were selling, I thought I would be running through nice vineyards or hillsides at sunrise. Not the case. First of all, this year’s race took place in Murrieta. It started by the elementary school and we ended up running through neighborhood streets with an awkward U turn in the middle of some cross streets. I would have just ran my own neighborhood for free if I had known this was the course. The sample bag had some random items, shaving oil? Lots of bananas at the finish line. Plenty of port o potties on and off the course. The line to get into the wine/​beer sampling was ridiculous. The «beer garden» area was so small and the people who got in there first were lounging around which was fine, but there were about a hundred people in line to get in. They should have made the area much larger since they were advertising free tastings. We got a little stemless wine glass to go because I did not want to stand in that line. All in all a waste of money. They charge standard race prices for a subpar experience. Their communication leading up to the event and following it was decent hence the 2 stars. The follow up email has links to free photos and race times.

This was an amazingly tough course & I loved it! Event was well organized. Plenty of shuttles buses. Warm-​up DJ was awesome! Sufficient water stops. Port-​a-​potties along the way surprised me. As a trail runner, we don’t see those once we leave the starting line. If you paid $ 5 for a tasting glass, you had your choice of beer, champagne or wine. Beer for me!
Only thing they need to change for next year is to have vocal engaged volunteers at finish line to direct runners. After 13 brutal miles, people need to be directed to turn right to finish line.
Overall fantastic event!

This was my first half marathon (but not my first race). Registration and packet-​pick up went smoothly. They sent reminder emails throughout the months. The venue had to be moved due to another event. The «virtual goodie bag» was composed of coupons I will not use.
Traffic getting there was horrible, it was one lane. Took us so long to drive two miles, at least 20 minutes. I thought I would miss the Start. I was tempted to run the extra 2 miles to get there! Parking was packed and unorganized, we accidently parked on the path and we were told to move. But apparently they didn’t catch everyone because the first half mile of the race had cars parked all along the course. They really need to mark off the course so people don’t park there. At the end of the race I felt bad because people were getting towed and tickets left and right by the cops.
Don’t expect to use the restroom (aka port-​a-​potty) before the race. The lines were ridiculous! It looked like 50 people waiting per line. My dad said he was able to find one inside after the half started. They had an MC doing a warm up routine which looked fun but I didn’t participate. They had free bread out before the run but I didn’t see any fruit… I’m gluten-​intolerant. But you’re supposed to plan out your breakfast before a big run, which I did, so this did not bother me.
This course was SUPER Challenging! But I really enjoyed it, the scenery was beautiful! Vineyards, horses, beautiful houses, hot air balloons… there was a lady who brought out her two pony’s to watch us and one neighbor left out water :) Some people that live there drove along the course but were respectful to runners. The race description mentioned there would be hills… but they didn’t say mountains! I seriously have never even walked up a hill so long and steep… and there were so many of them! I had to walk most of the hills, but so did tons of other people so I didn’t feel bad. I know two other people who did the half who are experienced runners and they said this is the most challenging half they’ve ever done. I’m actually proud this was my first one. Now I feel like I can conquer any course! Even the Nike run in SF =] I finished way later than I expected, but my goal was just to finish and with those hill I think that is accomplishment enough. There were water stations with sports drinks and a port-​a-​potty about every 3 miles. I carried my own water. I heard they ran out of gels, but I don’t use those anyway. Spectators at the end were the best, they kept me going, even sprinting at the end, even with the last few killer hills. Weather was great.
My dad signed up for the half with me, we actually signed up way in February. But he got injured and had to move to the 5K. It would be nice if there was something in between. At least a 10K. He didn’t get a medal, those are only for the half-​finishers. But the people giving out the medals were a bit careless with them, they tried to give him one haha.
With the post-​race event I’m not sure what was going on… I was miserable and just wanted to go home. How can anyone drink beer/​wine in that condition? Maybe they were more miserable than me. The rest of the day and the day after my knees were killing me.
I read on their facebook page that there was a problem with the top runners. Awards were given according to the gun, not the chip. So if you crossed the finish line first, you were awarded first place. That’s not fair because the Start line was narrow, packed and unorganized and people were released in waves.
Overall, I enjoyed the event. I can’t say I will return… it was too challenging for a causal runner. Maybe if I get more serious about running I’ll come back.

First… and definitely last time I ever run the Temecula Half Marathon. Maybe it was the hills that seem to get longer and more brutal as you get closer to the finish line. Maybe it was the sparsely located water stations and portable restrooms that I felt were never there when I REALLY needed them. Or maybe the kind of weak finish line food/​liquids replenishment
I will say that I wasn’t as ready for this half as I am normally ready for a half, but the hills really do beat you up. I was able to run the first half of the half without too much effort, but the second half was much, much different. The accumulation of hills took its toll and I ended up run/​walking the last six miles.
The first and last 2 miles (its a loop) are actually very picturesque, as you really feel like you are running through wine country as you passed acres of vineyards. The rest of the route felt like you were going through a farm setting, and you did have to be careful in some parts with vehicular traffic.
They gave out a nice medal at the finish line, but you also have to pay an extra $ 10 for a wine glass/​sample, so my brother and I passed and went straight to a local pizza joint to fill up since we were really hungry afterwards. While this half will only see me once in my lifetime, the 5K doesn’t look too bad. I would only do the 5K if I ever ran this bad boy again.

Holy Hills, Batman!
As Maria C already pointed out, this is a challenging run. I did the 5K and am still feeling all those hills a few days later.
I ran with a friend who lives in the area and we arrived approximately 20 minutes before the start time of 8:00 am. We picked up our packets the day before, which I would always highly recommend for less stress on run day.
They were pacing us at the beginning but it was still very congested for the first ¼ mile, at least. A lot of that seemed to be because of the narrow space at the beginning. Once we got to a wider road, and past all of the people walking, we were good to go.
The scenery was fantastic and it was fun to see all of the hot air balloons. The route is a round trip, which isn’t my favorite, but it worked out okay.
The finish line doesn’t have much space for friends/​family so I’m glad we told our honeys to not worry about meeting us there.
I shaved almost 5 minutes off my last 5K time! I have to credit that to 1) running with a friend who is much faster than me, 2) weeks of training, and 3) the random guy at the top of the last big hill who yelled at me, «There is wine at the end!»

I just did this event on Sunday and had a great time. They needed more water stations and a few more port0potties. Otherwise a great venue with good wine at the finish!

Out of all the 30+ half marathons I have done in the past 3 years, this is the most challenging. San Francisco, Seattle and La Jolla are the «hilly» races that I’ve ran, but this race takes hills to the next level.
Here’s the breakdown:
–Traffic wasn’t too bad given the 2 way roads going into Wine Country. Just have patience. I’ve waited in worse traffic with the bigger races.
–Park a street before the winery. It’s only .2mi away and a short distance. Just be careful crossing the road to the winery.
–Port-​o-​potties were a dime a dozen. Not very many which contributed to long lines. I actually used the winery’s bathroom INSIDE. So much more comfortable and there was NO WAIT!
–There are no pacers.
–There are no corrals.
–You start running hills, and you keep running hills which seemed like FOREVER!!!
–It started at 45 degrees in the morning, but gets super HOT after half way thru the race.
–Beautiful houses and vineyards, but there were some areas where all you see are hills and dirt.
–YAY for hot air balloons! SO AWESOME!!!
–BOO for not many hydration stations. I think I was hallucinating by mile 8. There was GU, but no gatorade/​powerade at the stations. It was Island Girl?
–WIth all the hills, I hit a wall around mile 6 (usually I start feeling this way around mile 10). GO FIGURE.
–It’s pretty much a round trip, so whatever you’re run going out, it’s the same route coming back. Be mindful of the route because you’re going to see it again!
–Did I mention HILLY?!
–There’s an after party, but you have to pay. EHHHHH…
How can you party after that race?! Damn, I was in bed the rest of the day!!! I haven’t felt this horrible since LJ Half last year!!!
Never again…
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Chip Time: 2:30
Pace: 11:31

I was so excited for this event… running by vineyards, celebrating with a glass (or two) or wine. Sounded so perfect! Though I booked my refundable hotel room through expedia months ago so I will still be enjoying wine, sans the running prior.

So the organizers of this race cancelled this year’s race. I was really looking forward to this trip. I encouraged a few friends to run this race with me as a few friends in the San Diego, SF & LA areas to meet in Temecula for a weekend reunion. Airline, car & hotel reservations were set.
I understand the that Karen and Richard are broke and had to cancel but wished they would have done so at an earlier date. Odd thing is that I received a flier in the mail yesterday concerning their other race, the London Bridge Half Marathon on April 13^th. How can we have trust in a company that has yet to resolve the issue concerning refunds? I hope they make an announcement about this matter soon.
***Turns out that the London Bridge Half Marathon has been sold so this race will take place as scheduled on April 13^th in Lake Havasu CIty.

17 days before the half marathon runners registered received the following email:
This is the hardest message we have ever written.
You would think that business is business but THIS business represents years of real blood, sweat, tears, memories, and sacrifice. The past year we’ve pushed ahead with the attitude that failure is not an option, emotionally vested in a business and industry that has slowly realized it is not as recession proof as was once touted. Our emotional commitment to our races blinded us to some serious problems such as significantly increasing race organization costs, increasing regulatory red-​tape, declining participation numbers, sponsorship cut-​backs, and our burgeoning debt.
We forged ahead, investing in the races waiting for the economy to improve, sponsors to follow through on their promises, and for there to be a glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel — yet the reality is, at least for us, there is no hint of glow coming from the path ahead. Aggregate participation numbers have been significantly down for the past year and numbers going forward look even worse. And it’s a struggle many race organizers our size are sharing. At this point, our credit cards are maxed out… and with some vendors having been paid and others still waiting we find ourselves in a tough spot with our backs against the wall; we’re broke, and we’re facing a dire and unfamiliar situation that appears to have only one solution; after nearly 7 years of organizing races, we’re closing our doors.
This closure means the cancellation of the Temecula Valley Half Marathon.
For those of you who have supported us through the years we are so grateful — we wish we could push on; we’ve poured our hearts into this company and the prospect of not organizing races is just heartbreaking.
See you down road,
~Karen & Richard