SOCAL River Marathon

I ran this race March 2 2024 and was a little worried after reading reviews. I discussed this with the race director at my bib pick up and he assured me that the course would be well marked with plenty of hydration stations. Race day weather was not ideal and my ankle injury was bothering me so I didn't do too well as far as time but everything from parking, to bus loading, course markings, volunteers helpfulness and energy was fabulous. I would definitely run this race again!!

The only thing that worked out was the parking since it wasn't ran by them. Course not marked as they said. They explain about green and red cones with arrows that were never put on the course. Only one water station for six miles! Watered down Powerade. Gross. No volunteers to guide you. The medal is the same for everyone. Started almost an hour late. They put both 5k and 10k together. Huge mess. Worst part 10k cut short by almost a mile!!!

In general, I agree with S.C.'s write up. I have waited long after the race to write these comments to make sure my comments are fair. The schedules planned some problems: bus loading, parking lot open, and same day bib pick up were all set to 6:00am at the finish area. The race was scheduled to start at 7:00am, which was 26 miles away. There was no way all could be done as 'planned'. The organizers provided bus loading address which was a mile away from the actual location. Many runners waited at the wrong location. Even the buses drivers were confused. Eventually, after all settled, the race started at 8:00am. It was a windy cold morning. The one hour extra in the cold wind costed a lot energy to everyone. The route was along Santa Anna River. The first few miles were not far from a freeway. The loud noise made me tired very fast. The view was boring most of the time. A strong gust headwind (> 20mile/hr) started at 10:00am that day. The one hour delay made the runners pay for extra energy fighting the headwind. On the river banks, there was no place to hide. Even if the course was gently downhills overall, the route went under many bridges crossing the river. Each time, after crossing a bridge, there would be a section of uphills. Some positive notes: There were plenty of volunteers along the way supporting the runners by providing supplies and by directing routes. They were very helpful in that dry, sunny, and windy day. I did not get my T-shirt at bib pick up. I was told the T-shirts ran out after I finished my run. The organizers mailed a T-shirt to my home after I filled a simple form online. Before the event, some friends warned me that I may encounter homeless camps along the way. To my pleasant surprise, the entire route were clean. It was mainly a bike path. The pavement conditions were smooth in major parts of the route. The path was not closed. The traffic were light and all encounters were polite and courteous.