Nike Women's Half Marathon

By -

finisher's necklace

 Months ago I was offered a free entry to the Nike Women's Marathon in San Francisco, so of course I took it. My ego wouldn't let me sign-up for the half, even though I never thought I would run another road marathon. I had every intention on running the full marathon, I mean I had been training for a marathon after all. But after getting to San Francisco and seeing all the crowds at the expo center I started to freak out a bit, I think I have gotten a bit spoiled by trail races where there are a few hundred runners not 30,000+. Then I decided that I would just run the half and enjoy my time hanging out with my sister and friends in San Francisco. 
start line

 The race started super early at 6:30am, luckily I was staying at the hotel right across the street from the start. I got to the start line a few minutes before race started, it was cold, the music was pounding and I was surrounded by 30,000 other women (and a few men) who had trained for months for this moment. The energy level and excitement was contagious, I got caught up in the moment. I started jumping up and down and dancing with everyone else, all of a sudden I was super excited to run with all these people.
half marathon route - from my Nike+ app

 The route starts in Union Square and travels along the waterfront and the Predidio and ending in Golden Gate Park. For a road race it is a really a beautiful course. There are a few little hills along the way, but nothing like the hills you normally think of when you think of San Francisco. I do have to say I did kill the hills, secretly it did get a bit of enjoyment passing all the people who were walking the hills, but that isn't what it is really about. 

 Nike knows marketing which shows along the whole course, they did a great job with the aid stations and on course entertainment. There were ample photographers along the way, which you don't always get in a trail race. My favorite part was getting the Tiffany's necklace instead of a medal. 

 Overall I think this is a great road race, the price is pretty high but you get to run in San Francisco with a lot of other women and you get a Tiffany necklace at the end, it is truly a unique experience. 
Location: Union Square, San Francisco, CA 94108, USA

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

24 for 2024

By -
Image
Top of Saltzman 2024   Susan and I decided to run 24 miles to kick off 2024. As I was looking through our previous routes, I found one called ' 24 mile taper run ', which seemed perfect - how hard can a taper run be? I didn't scrutinize the route closely. Nine miles in, I realized we had to run from the bottom to the very top of Saltzman. Who does that as part of a taper? Apparently, we did, ten years ago. Upon reaching the summit, I had Susan take a photo in the same spot as before. It felt great to push ourselves, which we plan to continue in 2024. Same route, different year -- 2014 Honesty, I love that we are still running routes we created 10 years ago, may be a bit slower though but who cares. I love that for us! 
Read more

Three days in Wonderland

By -
Image
Mt Rainier, glaciers, alpine forests, and a trail through the heart of it all 16-18 Aug 2015 No run has reshaped the borders of my soul like circumnavigating Mt Rainier. No run has infiltrated my dreams like spending three days just running and not much else, in the middle of the longest summer in the Pacific Northwest's recent memory. No run has made me fall so deeply in love with the magical combination of mountains, wilderness, and summertime. Like all of our great long runs, Ann researched and planned this one. She discovered that most people run the 93-mile Wonderland Trail clockwise, and that we could split the route into three days with a cushy hotel stay each night. We, however, would run the route counterclockwise to start with the longest day of running first. We had a beer with our friend Heather McGrath, who had run around Rainier the previous year, to hear more about her trip, get tips, and make sure that our plan wasn't too crazy.
Read more

Deception Pass 25k: Race Review

By -
Image
Welcome back to our blog and our only race review of 2023! This time, we're sharing our experience at the Deception Pass 25k – a true PNW trail runner's dream in the heart of Deception Pass State Park.  A Weather Miracle! We feel incredibly fortunate about the weather during the race. Having known the 50k runners battled through some pretty tough conditions the day before, we geared up for the worst. But, as luck would have it, we were greeted with near-perfect weather on race day. Clear skies, gentle breezes, and just the right amount of sunshine made our run more enjoyable than we could have hoped for. Lollipop Loops: A Sweet Surprise One of the most exciting aspects of the Deception Pass 25k is its infamous 'lollipop loops'. These trails, winding and unpredictable, add an element of surprise and fun that you don't often find in other races. Every twist and turn brought a new landscape into view; we ran through rocky trails, dense forest and a seaweed laden beach...
Read more