The best part of all? Besides the chocolate mile and the race start at Union Square (meaning you have to stay in SF's shopping district!). Tiffany necklace at the finish!!! Handed to you by firefighters in tuxedos!
I've done the half marathon twice and had a blast! But I have never been so sore after a half. The hills are long! Uphill a mile, dowhill a mile, uphill a mile, downhill a mile. The downhill is what made me so sore the next day, I could barely walk! And the views are amazing! That is, if it's not fogged in. The first year I did it it was really foggy, no view. The second year it was clear and beautiful! People stopped running on the course to take pictures!
This is a fun read, Kristen Armstrong blogged about last year's race on Runner's World. "Going to San Francisco for Nike Women's Marathon weekend is like a regular girl's trip on caffeine. Think of 20,000 fit, fabulous, and likeminded women gathered in one spot..." Read the whole article.
Course Highlights - here is a sampling from the Nike site of all the fun stuff on the course to keep you going!
MILE 1
Oakland Interfaith Choir: A 20-member gospel choir in full robes (with Nike sneakers underneath) is the first act to greet the runners. With a dramatic view of the bay right behind them, this starts the event with a great a Sunday-morning-go-to-meeting feel.
MILE 2
Stewart Tartan Bagpipe Band: Always a hit, these bagpipers wear Scottish kilts and tartans – with Nikes, of course. The sound of the Scottish heath brought to the middle of San Francisco.
MILE 4
Safeway Cheer Station: Cheer on your runner at Safeway’s Cheer Station and enjoy music provided by WiLD 94.9 and steak sandwiches provided by Rancher’s Reserve.
Cheer SF (Marina Green): Cheer SF is a San Francisco institution. They execute extreme stunts and powerful dance routines as a means to entertain, inspire and motivate audiences to strive for personal excellence. High-energy and a great motivator!
MILE 5
Nike+ PowerSong DJ: Underneath a Nike+ banner, a DJ will be spinning a mix of Nike+ PowerSongs, hand-chosen from over 2,500 songs that runners have picked as their personal favorites.
Rock Force Dance Crew: Break dancers and a live DJ will show the runners some moves as they pass through Crissy Field.
MILE 6
Nike+ PowerSong DJ: Underneath a Nike Plus banner, a DJ will be spinning a mix of Nike+ PowerSongs, hand-chosen from over 2,500 songs that runners have picked as their personal favorites.
Run Like a Girl: Don’t miss these inspirational and amusing thoughts that celebrates being a girl!
MILE 8
Creole Belles: This California based all-women band is well known in the Cajun music scene for bringing the raw, driving authenticity of southwest Louisiana dancehalls to their shows. A Zydeco sound that’ll keep you moving!
MILE 9
Los Mex Pistols Del Norte: These guys combine traditional Mexican music with spaghetti-western soundtracks and straight-up rock ‘n’ roll – they’re like nothing else!
MILE 10
Dolorata: All-woman straight-ahead kick-butt rock’n’roll. This is a local band that’s going places – you’ll be hearing their name a lot in the future, but we’ve got ‘em before they’re rock stars!
MILE 11
Safeway PowerSurge: As you run throughout Safeway’s PowerSurge, we’ll be using the biggest turnout we’ve ever had from SF Cheer! Eighty cheerleaders will be split into twenty different groups of four and spread out through the park. Every few hundred feet runners will pass another pod of cheerleaders urging them on.
Chocolate Stations for Half Marathon: Volunteers hand out squares of Ghiradelli chocolate to keep that sugar level up!
MILE 12
Sha-Bang: A Caribbean island experience – lots of rhythm delivered by a steel drum troupe.
MILE 12
Safeway PowerSurge: As you run throughout Safeway’s PowerSurge, we’ll be using the biggest turnout we’ve ever had from SF Cheer! Eighty cheerleaders will be split into twenty different groups of four and spread out through the park. Every few hundred feet runners will pass another pod of cheerleaders urging them on.
Fogo Na Roupa: The Samba sounds of Brazil, with colorful costumes and a lot of energy!
MILE 13
DJ Arielle: This Safeway-sponsored DJ will spin in front of Safeway branding at the end of the Safeway PowerSurge
MILE 14
Groovy Judy: Groovy Judy takes the spirit of the late 60s and early 70s and put it into her music, colorful dress, and upbeat personality. Fun outfits, a positive message, and a touch of silliness will mark the full-marathon halfway point.
MILE 15
Sha-Bang: A Caribbean island experience – lots of rhythm delivered by a steel drum troupe.
MILE 16
Nike+ PowerSong DJ: Underneath a Nike+ banner, a DJ will be spinning a mix of Nike+ PowerSongs, hand-chosen from over 2,500 songs that runners have picked as their personal favorites.
MILE 17
Nike+ PowerSong DJ: Underneath a Nike+ banner, a DJ will be spinning a mix of Nike+ PowerSongs, hand-chosen from over 2,500 songs that runners have picked as their personal favorites.
MILE 18
Notorious: San Francisco’s top party/cover band will keep runners going with all their ‘80s, ‘90s, and contemporary favorites. Lots of energy and fun!
MILE 19
Hip-Hop Drum Line: This combination of a New Orleans Brass Band and a "Drum Line" band incorporates lots of heavy hip-hop drum beats with all styles of music.
MILE 20
Rising Phoenix Brass Band: This brass band uses the cream of the crop from Berkeley High School’s rising jazz musicians.
MILE 21
Nike+ PowerSong DJ: Underneath a Nike+ banner, a DJ will be spinning a mix of Nike+ PowerSongs, hand-chosen from over 2,500 songs that runners have picked as their personal favorites.
Chocolate Stations for Full Marathon: Volunteers hand out squares of Ghiradelli chocolate to keep that sugar level up!
MILE 23
Run Like a Girl: Don’t miss these inspirational and amusing thoughts that celebrates being a girl!
MILE 24
Yeh De De: An all-woman world music fusion ensemble whose Afro-Latin percussion nurtures their listeners’ global consciousness and instills in them an overwhelming urge to put their body to the dance. Inspiration to get through the last two miles!
Nike+ PowerSong DJ: Underneath a Nike+ banner, a DJ will be spinning a mix of Nike+ PowerSongs, hand-chosen from over 2,500 songs that runners have picked as their personal favorites.
MILE 25
Nike+ PowerSong DJ: Underneath a Nike+ banner, a DJ will be spinning a mix of Nike+ PowerSongs, hand-chosen from over 2,500 songs that runners have picked as their personal favorites.
George Washington High School Cheerleaders: These high-school cheerleaders squad provides enthusiasm and routines to inspire the runners and keep them going.
Union Square - this is where you have to stay!All the action is here. Shopping, expo, Niketown, and great food!
I highly recommend this race. Except now it's hard to get into because it's so popular. Now you have to enter by lottery. It's been a few years since I've done the race, so I think I'm going to try to get in next year!
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