Look Back: San Diego Half Marathon
A look back at the 2021 San Diego Half marathon on July 18, 2021
It's been over a year since my last in person race and I chose the 2021 San Diego Half Marathon my "return race." Having only spent 8 weeks to train for this one, I didn't feel ready to set any new records, but instead, I just wanted to have fun with it and going in with that mindset and expectation, I was not disappointed by the race.
For those looking to do their first half marathon, or veterans in the sport looking for a fun event, the (mostly) flat course San Diego has to offer is something everyone can enjoy. The course starts you off at the Gaslamp District right in front of the Convention Center. Upon crossing the starting line, you take a nice water front tour of San Diego, getting some amazing views of the Pacific Ocean, and as you get further away from the starting line, great views of the San Diego sky line as well. Parts of the race takes you really close to the San Diego International Airport which gives some fun views of planes departing as well.
At about the half way point, you start making your way away from the ocean and start heading more into the city where you take a nice tour of the various areas of San Diego. I'm not too familiar with the city, so I wasn't quite sure where I was, but it was cool seeing the areas outside of downtown. The real fun began at around mile 8 where what was a primarily flat course suddenly changed direction, teasing runners with two small hills only to greet them with a 300+ foot climb up a massive hill. At this point, runners of all experiences needed to start really pacing themselves, coming down to a walking pace up the hill.
However, once at the top of the hill, runners start entering residential areas where they are greeted with a well stocked hydration station, and a return to a flat course for the majority of the remainder of the race. Runners made their way to Hillcrest, running adjacent to Balboa Park, and finish with a nice and fast downhill into the Gaslamp District for a very cool and fun finish line.
All in all, the San Diego Half marathon was a fun event with a great course, offering some amazing views of the city that could only really be appreciated in this 13.1 mile running tour of the city. Overall, I highly recommend this race and look forward to doing it again!
Originally posted on imgoingto.run on July 19, 2021 (link)