Mermaid Run San Francisco Official Website

The "Nitty Gritty" Details (User Opinions)

Kathy D.
San Francisco, CA

  (03-22-2010)

"I have never heard of Mermaid before doing this race. What drew me to sign up for this inaugural Mermaid run in SF was (1) the Finisher's Necklace and (2) the post race pancakes. The necklaces for the Mini Mermaid race (1.5 mile race for girls 6-12 years old) were different from the ones we got. Their necklace looked similar to the ones from the Nike Women's Marathon while ours were more of a flower design (no, neither of them were Tiffany's!).

The course is flat, but if you run in the Presidio a lot, you may get bored running the same course over and over again. I had the flu that day, and it was sprinkling, but I still managed to PR. That's how flat the course was. I would normally sign up for the longer distance, but because the 10K was the 5K loop twice (*snore*), I decided to just do the 5K to get to my pancake breakfast sooner. The 10K also started 1/2 hour after the 5K. Many of the 5K runners were done or nearly done when the 10K started, so there was no traffic on the course.

I did like the photography because they get a great shot of you with the Golden Gate Bridge in the background. There's another photographer that takes your picture as you run through the finish line.

You pick up your race bib and goody bag the morning of. Even the race bibs were cute and had a similar design to the shirt. The shirts were cotton, but they were gender specific and very cute. The Mermaids were also selling additional shirts from their other races for cheap. The goody bags are reusable and had the same design as the shirts. I still use mine as a lunch bag. The goody bags for the Mini Mermaids were Lululemon bags.

It was nice to participate in an all-women's event for once. I didn't see any men in the race. Sure, some people may think it's discriminatory, but women were banned from participating in races for years, so it's about time there's a race just for us. I would definitely do another Mermaid Run again. If Finisher Necklaces and Post-race Pancakes motivate you, I would recommend you check the Mermaid site to see if they offer the same perks for their next race. As of this review, I didn't see a Mini Mermaid run option on their site for their Nov 2010 race."

Reviewed by a: First Time Participant for 2009

naomi n.
san mateo, CA

  (11-15-2009)

"I loved this race! If I could describe it in one word, it would be "nurturing."

My favorite part of the race was the Mini-Mermaids Race, where little girls ran 1.5 miles. It was heart-warming to see little girls running with their moms! What a fantastic idea!

Other things I loved about the race:

- Flat, fast course at Crissy Fields. I've ran this course many times and it never gets old. How could it? The GGB is breath-taking.

- Well-organized. Packet/bib pick-up was great and the race was just run well. I was surprised that for a small race they had timing chips.

- They served breakfast! And a good one too -- pancakes and fresh fruit!

- The finisher's necklace is so cute. Race shirt and bib were pretty cool too! I'll wear them proudly.

I will definitely be doing this race again next year, and will be looking into getting more involved with the Mermaid organization."

Reviewed by a: First Time Participant for 2009