Question:
Can anyone provide details on San
Diego marathon in January. Saw an
ad for entry, and just may consider
a trip if I have the time. What
is the course like? - I suspect
it may be hilly (for we Floridians,
a bridge over a river is a hill!).
Weather expected? Quality of organisation?
Is there a closing date for entries?
Answer:
It is not all flat, but around here
would not be called super hilly
either. I'm going to cycle the course
in about a week and I'll check it
with my Avocet 50. The last miles
are flat or slightly downhill. There
may be a bit of a grade in the middle
on Palomar Airport Road. The second
half has a couple of coastal mini-rollers
(50'?) and substantial flat. There
are several local 1/2 marathons
that probably have more total climb.
ould be slightly chilly at the start
but what we call chilly is pretty
tame in the rest of the country.
If the sun comes out it should be
high 60's - low 70's during the
race. Singlet and shorts should
be fine.
Maybe a garbage
bag to start if the night was clear
and the air temps have gone down.
They do have a gear check tent.
It is close enough to the ocean
that it can't get too cold. It could
rain but it probably won't.Pretty
adequate I think. I did the 1/2
last year and was satisfied. Pretty
good sized expo, aid every mile
(Gatorade is the drink), decent
tshirt and medals. This is not the
original San Diego Marathon or America's
Fine City Marathon but the group
promoting this incarnation seems
to want to do a reasonable job.
The volunteers from Carlsbad are
great. The promoters sponsor a 6
month training program (San Diego
Fit) for marathon hopefuls of all
levels.
There is an
early start available, and there
are some special aid stations toward
the end with a group of knowledgeable
and motivational volunteers to keep
the slower
folks on track. Of course there
is also a Hasher-run aid station
replete with beer and other gastric
challenges.
