Big Sur Half Marathon Race Recap

First, I love running along the coast, so any race that provides me this I am totally in.  Second the Big Sur Half Marathon is actually around the Monterey Bay area and not actually at Big Sur.  If you want to run from Big Sur to Carmel that is the Big Sur Marathon in April.  During that time they also offer a variety of other distances.

It was a chilly morning and I kept my sweatshirt on until the very last second to bag check it.

The starting line was right by the wharf in Monterey.

After starting we made our way through Monterey and pass Cannery Row.

We ran passed the Monterey Bay Aquarium where some awesome people were outside with big jellyfish puppet things.

We made our way out of Monterey down towards Spanish Bay.  It was overcast which made for great running weather.

As time went on the sun started to peek out a little bit.

The turn around point was out near Spanish Bay.

This man carried and ran with that huge flag.  SO SO amazing!

The course was primarily an out an back with a few areas of a loop. The finish line was in a slightly different spot than the starting line.

I finished in 2 hours 9 minutes and some seconds.  Not my best time, but certainly not my worst.  I was very happy with this considering it wasn’t a flat course.

The medals are actually made out of leather and ceramic and are super cool.  The medals for the Big Sur Marathon in April and the other races than are also made by the same artist.  I would recommend running one of the Big Sur races just so you can have one.  They are truly awesome.

I ran in my INKnBURN holiday sweater (not actually a sweater, it is a tech shirt) and my performance denim capris (not actually denim).  Check out INKnBURN!  I am an ambassador and if you use the code emeliatoldme you can get 15% off your first purchase.  All you need to do is set up an account on the website for the code to work.

Not only did I get a medal, but they also had chocolate milk and cookies!!!! I love this after a race.  The races in April are the same way too.

I would recommend any of the Big Sur races to anyone who is thinking about it.  They are some of the most beautiful courses I have ever ran.  They are not flat, but the views make up for that 🙂

Have you ever ran one of the Big Sur races?