Oakland Running Festival Official Website

The "Nitty Gritty" Details (User Opinions)

Jessica W.
San Francisco, CA

  (07-01-2010)

"There are a lot of really amazing, hidden running spots in the East Bay and the course tries to showcase them. In some ways successfully, in others not so much. For example Lake Merritt and the Oakland hills are amazing but West Oakland and Fruitvale are interesting but not the most scenic. But, for a first time race, it was great! We did it for fun and to support Oakland and I would definitely do it again.

The expo was pretty weak and a bit disorganized. I just wanted to get in, pick up my race packet, and get out the morning before and was unable to do that without a huge wait. I ended up coming back in the afternoon to do that. But again, I think this is something that will come in time.

Great crowd and energy along the course with lots of Oakland pride. Frequent water and refueling stations too. The half marathon course is flat and fairly open so you don't have to fight through crowds for the first couple miles like most races. Overall, lots of fun and well worth it to support Oakland!"

Reviewed by a: First Time Participant for 2010

Kathy D.
San Francisco, CA

  (04-06-2010)

"It was confusing to find the expo at the hotel. There were signs directing people to go to the left, but then there were no other signs after that. We didn't know if we had to take the escalator up, or continue to the left. It turned out we had to go outside the hotel and turn right. Going to the various stations felt like a maze. People who pre-registered were directed to Station 2, which was just a table with nothing on it. We then realized that Station 2 was really the table across from it where they give you your confirmation card and your goody bag. We then had to go inside the convention room to pick up our bibs, then to another table to pick up our shirts. They did have gender specific long sleeve tech shirts, but the smallest size they had was a Small. It would have been more efficient if they just gave us our bibs at Station 2. The expo was quite small. On the positive side, I went through the expo within 30 minutes and didn't have to pay much for the parking garage. The expo was only open on Saturday. I wished they had Friday pick-up for locals to avoid the mad house on Saturday.

I liked the 9am start for the Half because I was able to take BART there from San Francisco. The Full started at 7:30am, so it was just the Halfers at the start. Gear check was very disorganized. The volunteers kept telling us there were 6 separate lines and to go to any one of them. When we got to the front of the line, we found out that each line was grouped by bib numbers. The numbers were on a piece of tape on the table, which nobody can see until they get to the front of the line. I had to stand in line again because (surprise, surprise), I was in the wrong line. After the race, they fixed that problem and actually hung up signs with the bib number ranges for each line.

The course is flat, but I wouldn't say it's fast. In better weather conditions, it is fast. The sun came out, and it was too hot for me. I felt bad for the full marathoners when the halfers merged with the full at around our 4 mile mark (their 17 mile mark). The full had a hilly course at the beginning, and they had already ran 13 miles more than us (and 1 1/2 hours longer than us). I'm sure they weren't thrilled to see us. Because of the heat, I was so ready to run around Lake Merritt at around the 9 mile mark to cool off. Unfortunately, we were so far away from the lake that if I hadn't looked at the course map ahead of time, I wouldn't have realized that we had run around the lake at all. At least there were plenty of aid stations throughout the course to help cool you down.

After you cross the finish line and get your medal and mylar blanket, you walk by tables of food. There wasn't much variety in food, so I didn't really eat anything. The area was secured and only runners were allowed there, which meant plenty of oranges and bananas. Not like some races where family members eat all the food. They offer runners free massages, and that was one of the best perks. Because my wallet was in gear check, I couldn't tip my masseuse, and she did a fantastic job on my quads.

The warm weather was terrible for the race, but it was perfect for the post-race festivities. While we were waiting for the results to be posted, we went to the booths and got more free goodies. Then we used up our beer tickets and had a picnic on the lawn area. Because this is a local race for me, I would do it again. This is an "inaugural" race, so I'm hoping it can only get better."

Reviewed by a: First Time Participant for 2010

Margaret B.
Half Moon Bay, CA

  (04-02-2010)

"Well done, Oakland. Quite an impressive showing for your inaugural running fest. Marathon highlights for me included no-stress parking, bag check and starting area; visiting neighborhoods that I've never ventured into before; ideal running weather; energetic and supportive volunteers; Raiders fans in full regalia; alp horns; the Flight of the Valkyries blaring from a wee boom box to urge us up the next hill; and the ska band at the finish area, even if dancing was out of the question in my state.

Wish list for next year: convince Bart to start running earlier so more marathoners can leave their cars behind. More bands and music along the course. Something a little more substantial to go with the fruit in the finish area. Good job on the race shirts, now convince more vendors to support the expo so the running fest can have a proper kick-off next year."

Reviewed by a: First Time Participant for 2010

Sandra .
San Francisco, CA

  (03-29-2010)

"For an inaugural event I was very impressed! The expo was pretty small and not very exciting. They had awesome long-sleeve half-zip tech shirts for the full marathon. They also had gender specific sizing which is a big plus in my book.

The start area was very relaxed since the marathon was so small (less than 1000 finishers). When I arrived there was barely a line for the portapotties (though I think for the half-marathon which started later, there wouldn't have been enough). They had one free parking structure which was still fairly empty when I got there for the marathon start. I am sure the halfers had more problems in that arena.

The course elevation profile looks pretty challenging. There were actually more downhill segments the first 10 miles than I thought there would be. But even then, there were a couple of brutal uphill climbs. The downhill segment actually hurt worse than the uphills. VERY steep for a little over a mile.

The crowd support was amazing for a first-time event! I was very impressed with that. It was so much fun to thank everyone who came out to cheer.

The day got pretty hot and I think they really need more water stations. I always carry my own bottle and I found myself still wanting to see a water table.

One thing I will gripe about is that the half marathon starts after the full and shares the same course at the end. I am slow enough that I only encountered the half marathon walkers (which was not a big deal). But I am sure the faster marathoners were very frustrated to run into a whole slew of slower runners at the end of the race. My boyfriend was spectating and said that a lot of the faster marathons looked pretty frustrated and were constantly yelling "on your left" to the half marathoners.

The finish area was great and made it a fun day for spectators. I wish they had more free food options at the end for the runners. They were giving out bananas and apples, I think. I would have liked a bagel. There were tons of food vendors outside the runner-only area and maybe they did this to encourage you to buy food. They did give out two free beer tickets to the runners, though.

All in all a great event! I actually like that the marathon was so small, but I am sure the numbers will grow as the years go by."

Reviewed by a: First Time Participant for 2010

Holly M.
San Ramon, CA

  (03-29-2010)

"Considering this was an inaugural event, it was well organized. The course was flat and very runnable with great enthusiasm and support from the crowds. Having lived in the East Bay my entire life, I've never been to this area of Oakland. Being able to run this race was a fun sightseeing adventure for me. Aid stations were well-stocked, but I did hear one of the stations on the marathon course ran out of water. Logistically there were some issues - both before and after the half marathon the porta potties I visited were out of toilet paper. Also, the finish line area was a bit congested. Overall, I would highly recommend to everyone! Great course to run a 1st half marathon. I took 7 min. off my previous PR. "

Reviewed by a: First Time Participant for 2010

Robbie K.
Danville, CA

  (03-29-2010)

"Inaugural event and it was pretty well planned but some things that they should consider for next time. I was not crazy about the fact that they started the marathon at 7:30 am and didn\'t start the 1/2 Marathon until 9:00 am. If you want to get a parking spot you needed to come early and then that meant a lot of down time waiting.
The course itself was well managed but mileage markers could have been more visible like they were for the marathon course (the latter half of the marathon course linked in with the 1/2 marathon course). And overall it was almost like the Marathon and the 5K were the big promoted events even though the most number of people ran the 1/2 marathon.
A lot of supporters all along the course as well as some bands and was nice that the last few miles were around the lake."

Reviewed by a: First Time Participant for 2010

Maureen F.
San Francisco, CA

  (03-28-2010)

"I thoroughly enjoyed Oakland's first marathon/half-marathon in 25 years! The energy in the air and among participants was great. I ran the half...a really flat/fast course. Some of the crowd support was a little...quiet...but I kind of understood because they're out of practice. I think they'll be better next year. Organization was tight. The half started 90 mins after the full and the courses merged and finished together. It was great! Plus, every bib (well, for 21+ participants) had two free beer tickets! I also had a stellar massage after! Go Oakland! "

Reviewed by a: First Time Participant for 2010

Jessica S.
Oakland, CA

  (03-28-2010)

"Oakland is my hometown, so I was pumped to run the inaugural race right along my usual running routes. I ran the half, a distance I've done a few times before. The race was well organized - really easy to find parking, medium lines for the bathrooms, a quick bag check.

The course zigzags through downtown, then heads out through West Oakland neighborhoods, before turning back toward Lake Merritt for a final loop. Crowd support was pretty good through most of the course. Really good at the start, kind of spotty through West Oakland, and strong pockets around the Lake. But there were fun distractions throughout, including several live bands, cheering sections sponsored by A's and Raiders' fans, and a hoop of fire near the Crucible. Oaklanders were really excited for the races this weekend, and you could feel the good energy on race morning both among participants and spectators. Some sections of the half weren't very scenic (industrial West Oakland), but I appreciated that the race organizers tried to bring us through the diversity that is Oakland.

Half marathoners got pretty nice long sleeve tech tees (plus 2 free beers!). "

Reviewed by a: First Time Participant for 2010