Lake Chabot Trail Challenge

came here for a hike on a Sunday afternoon. The trail is nice although there were a little bit more people than I’ve wanted. I guess this is what we get when it is so close to where people live. The trial itself is pretty and long enough but then maps are nowhere to be found and it’s pretty easy to get lost, in my humble opinion. Apparently the friend i went with got lost multiples before… so yeah. Maps with ‘here you are’ dots will be much helpful!

This Trail is amazing… Great for walking for biking!
Lots of picnic space and shade. When you’re here, seems like you’re in a whole different place… Love it

This was my first trail run… big mistake. This course kicked my butt!
The race consists of a 5k and a half marathon; you can sign up on
beforehand (very reasonable fee– $ 35 early registration for the half) with a quick bib pick up on site right before the 8am start. I knew the course was hilly– I grew up in CV– but I didn’t know that the majority of the race was on hills, and not flat. Whoops, I guess my normal road running did not train me properly.
Organization: Fairly well organized, quick bib pick up, start near the marina with the 5k and half marathon running separate directions. Several water stops (cold water and Gatorade, and super nice volunteers), but no mile markers until mile 9.
Course: long uphills mostly in the first half of the half (before 6.7mi); consider walking a few of these! Many shaded areas– and was thankful that it was foggy today but could potentially see heat-​stroke potential in normal June weather. Paved in the first mile and last couple miles for a strong finish. Dirt roads in the middle 75% of the course. Would suggest bringing your own water. Also many people with dogs, bikers, and some pedestrians.
No timing markers; time yourself.
Time limit: 3 hours. It seemed that most finished around the 2 hour mark (impressive!).
Parking: free on the street (Lake Chabot road), or $ 5 park entrance fee.
Post-​race: plenty of lawn areas to lay out and stretch. Bountiful free bagels, cream cheese, chunky pb, bananas, apples, water, and oranges. You could plan on bbq’ing here afterwards (although I personally went home to shower!).
Well– I’m sure sore now, so I consider this race a success!

This year, the 26^th annual Lake Chabot Trail Challenge is presented by the Castro Valley Track Club. The past 25 years, Golden Bay Runners organized this race. I don’t know the reason for this switch but just wanted to point it out.
The race consists of a 5k and Half Marathon. I registered for the Half Marathon and didn’t know what to expect as I’ve never been to Lake Chabot before. Only description from their website is, «A very challenging, hilly loop on mostly dirt fire roads 3-​hour time limit. Three aid stations.»
I arrived early and there was still free parking on Lake Chabot Road. Lake Chabot also has their own parking lot which requires a $ 5 parking fee. I also noticed there is a $ 2 dog fee.
Like most race events, the starting area was active. Runners were picking up their bibs as well as their goodie bag. There was also boxes of donuts, coffee, and water.
This was probably my most grueling race of the year. There are several steep inclines and never-​ending rolling hills. Flat terrain were few and far between. Besides the race runners, there were also random bikers, hikers, and dogs on the trail. I actually ran with a little dog for awhile till he beat me up a hill. :(
This race was nicely organized and included post-​race food at the end such as bagels, cream cheese, apples, bananas, oranges, water, and soda. They also had a raffle so even if you didn’t win a trophy, you still have a chance to win something. Somehow I won a Castro Valley Track Club runners bag. Other folks won a $ 50 gift certificate to Fleetsports, cherry and apricot pies, water bottle, and running caps.
Overall a nice scenic race, just be prepared to run up challenging hills.