Pasadena Marathon,1/2 Marathon

The Pasadena Half marathon has a great course that takes you through old historic Pasadena along Colorado boulevard, then past City Hall, along the Rose Bowl perimeter and finally back to old town Pasadena where it all started.
But the great scenery doesn’t overcome the poor logistics that came with your paid entry fee. The medal and t-​shirt were a joke and a half. The expo was small. Would have been better to pay the extra $ 25 just to pick your gear on race day, then to waste your time coming to the expo.
The heat. Everyone knew that this was going to be a hot day. The race organizers advertised more water stations, even with cold towels along the course. No cold towels along the course, only at the end. Also, some water stations ran out of cups.
And at the end of the race, they didn’t separate out the half marathon runners with the 10k and 5k runners. So some of the 10k runners were getting half marathon medals. Wtf yo?!?
Their facebook page even acknowledged that they ran of medals. Way to go there! Also, the post race refreshments were being distributed to non-​runners too. Gee whiz, where is the crowd control.
Although I did enjoy the course, everything else just sucked donkey b@lls.
Note to self: 1:48:09 in 2013

First of all, Congratulations to all finishers of the 5K, 10K and half marathon.
Now, the organization, preparation and execution of this race.
Expo: The posted directions to the expo was fine. Even though it was small (not a lot of vendors), it was organized. Only item missing from my bag was pins for my running bib — no big deal, I always have spares.
Race: Poorly planned and organized. This is there fifth year doing it. And they did not have to plan for the full marathon. They still messed up. The race did not start on time on a very hot day. Then, there were no first aid tents along the course. Normally, there’s three to four aid tents along the course. All the fluid stations were water only. No Gatorade or electrolytes fluid. They did have one vendor providing gel boost at the 6 mile and 9 mile mark. The topper that made this race THE worst race I ran in 33 years of running was NO Finisher Medal! They ran out!
Post race: Runners complained. Several runners including myself walked back to the finish line to inquire about our medals. Some volunteers did not have the answers. Finally, I came across a volunteer who told me to go to the website to request my medal. At this point, I was mad for the whole day. I sent emails to the Pasadena City Council and the Mayor and Pasadena Marathon Committee. I got quick responses for the mayor and council members. It’s been 3 weeks, no respond from the Pasadena Marathon Committee.
Then, I see on the Pasadena Marathon website a response on the problems they encountered. They made excuses for the mistakes. They knew they were short on medals. Yet they did not tell the runners in advance that some of you might not get a medal but we will assure that you will get one mail to you. They didn’t say that. Then they said that they were not pleased with the quality of the tech shirts. Yet they did not tell us that they were going to replace it at the expo.
In summary, having been a legacy runner of the Pasadena Half Marathon, this was my last one. I will not run this race again.

This halfie kicked my a$$!
Unfortunately, this half marathon occurred smack in the middle of a heatwave! The race started about 6:30 AM and it was already in the 80’s. No bueno. Let me say that I have been doing this race for the past 4 years. I have done it in extreme weather. (Cold, rain, heat, etc.) For some reason, the weather is always crazy! However, this year was by far the hardest… the course has changed. It’s a beautiful course, but a tough one, mile 9 was almost all uphill. I nearly died. After that I wasn’t able to bounce back and meet my goal time of 1:55. Around mile 10, I realized a PR was not gonna happen :/​
At that point, I just wanted to finish in under 2 hours.
There were plenty of water stations and the iced towels got me through the last 3 miles when it was uncomfortably hot. The volunteers and spectators were awesome, they braved the hot weather for us. Thank you.
I heard that they ran out of water afterwards, and plenty of people noticed that some non runners were helping themselves to the post race treats. Shame on them, they should not have been in the finish line chute! What the hell?!? I didn’t notice this because I was so wiped out at the end.
I’m also not sure about the mileage on this one, my Garmin watch read 13.39 miles, when it should have been 13.1 miles.
I would definitely run this race again. It’s a small event and I like that.
Official time 1:59:30
I was 3 minutes slower on this one, but given the hills and heat, I’m glad that still managed to get a sub 2 hour run. Thanks again to my pack for pushing me!

I really want to give this event more stars. I desperately do… but according to Unilocal,2 stars means «Meh. I’ve experienced better.» and so I have to be honest and give it 2 stars, because 3 means «A-​ok,» which it wasn’t.
In 2012 I ran the 10k and it was great. A lot of fun, big party atmosphere and I really enjoyed it. This year I decided to run the half. It was my 6^th half inside of the last year, so I wasn’t a newbie.
It was extremely hot, but this isn’t factoring into my review. We started out at 6:30am and it was almost 80degrees. So that sucked.
The expo was tiny, held on the pretty campus of the Fuller theological seminary in Pasadena. I don’t care much for huge expos because they often have all the same stuff, but I know that a lot of people were very disappointed at such few booths.
T-​shirts were white tech tees, better than the black of last year, but the men’s were cotton! The men got a cotton tshirt and the women got a tech tee. Doesn’t make sense to me at all. For a serious runner, a cotton shirt is relegated to the pajama drawer.
We started about 10 minutes late due to lots of runners still in the bathroom lines. I felt that there were about 20 too few port-​a-​potties, making for long, slow lines.
The course itself was nice, going through Pasadena, over the lovely arching bridge and down into the Rose Bowl area. By that time, though, the heat was stifling. For runners in my time group (between 2 and 3 hours), course support was good. Lots of volunteers and lots of water, thought I found out later that they ran out of water. Ouch. On a day where people are running 13 miles in 80 – 90 degree heat. Bad.
Mile 9 featured the life-​saving Pasadena Pacers with a water hose who drenched some us and made it possible for me to finish without passing out. I was dripping wet when I crossed the finish line.
And here is where the 2 stars arrive. There were two huge finish line problems that ruined this race for me and a lot of other people.
Problem #1: No medal! I know it’s hard to believe, but those of us who finished after around 1:50 did not receive a medal, but instead a volunteer saying «your medal will be mailed to you» just as we crossed over the finish line, exhausted and overheated and dizzy. For some people this was a deal breaker, so huge that they promised never to run this race again. They also ran out of medals for the 10k and 5k. I think this was due to having no registration deadline – they accepted entries as late as the day before. How on earth would they know how many medals to order when people were registering up until the last day?
Problem #2: Spectators! No, not you supportive and polite folks who selflessly cheered us on and sprayed us with your spray bottles and played toy drums and gave us water. No, you guys were cool. It was the finish line spectators who crowded the finish line chute! Ack! Just after running all those miles, and many of us sprint the last half mile to the finish, we run into the chute and find spectators everywhere. Crowding the water and food tables so that we had to pry ourselves between them to get a drink and a bite to eat.
Spectators were zigzagging all over the place inside the chute, taking pictures, hanging out with their runner buddies… as the way-​too-​loud MC on the microphone droned on about them getting out of the chute, which they completely ignored. But no volunteer that I saw made any attempt to clear the chute. Chaos! It was terrible. I needed to eat but found myself desperate to get out of there as quickly as possible. Spectators not only crowded the area, but they ate some food meant for finishers and drank the precious water that ran out a bit later. Truly incredible behavior.
There was also no photography company hired to take photos, so, no race photos. None.
I think Pasadena Marathon has some serious issues and I think they will work on these and present a better race next year. They moved this one a month later than last year’s, which I think was a mistake, but might have been out of their control. I may consider running again next year, because I love Pasadena and love smaller races like this. But I think they’ve got a lot of work to do in the coming 12 months.

This is a great local race. It’s on the expensive side for a small race, I paid a bit over $ 100 to register. The expo this year (2013) was held at the Fuller Theological Seminary and it was tiny. Cliff was there passing out treats though. If you don’t make your way out to Pasadena the day before the race you’ll have to pay $ 25 the day of to pick up your bib and goodie bag.
The race itself is very well organized. Plenty of porta-​potties, jumpers for the kids waiting for you to finish, and despite there being no corrals nobody was tripping over each other at the beginning of the race.
In terms of hills, there were a couple of them on the course. Steady incline around mile 2 – 3, mile 5 and 6, and a doozie around mile 10. If you want to pick up your pace you’ll get the chance around mile 4 – 5, 7 – 8, and after mile 12.
The race is right smack at the start of summer so expect hot, unless you’re blessed with a thick marine layer in the am that stretches all the way to the SG foothills. The staff is well prepared for the weather with extra water stations, wet towels, two hoses that spray you down around mile 9, and many volunteers that are prepared with spritz bottles to spray hot runners. Oh, and GU shots were passed out between 5 – 6.

A number of small, gradual hills, but a lot of fun. The support along the course included some of the funniest, inspirational signs I’ve seen (would be great if my mind could have actually retained the chants). Prep yourself for the large hill at the beginning.

This was my first year running the Pasadena Half Marathon.
The registration process was very easy, and I was able to sign up online about a week before the event. Registration was under $ 100 at that time, which was still good.
I attended the expo (located at the Pasadena Convention Center) on Friday right when it opened. I had no trouble parking (you do have to pay for parking in the parking structure at the venue, but I would recommend it because it’s super close and quick) and getting my tshirt, goody bag, race number, and other goodies. This event wasn’t as big as other marathon/​half marathons, so there weren’t as many vendors, but I did get a nice variety of samples and other product information.
Race day was great! It rained for at least the first half of the race, which was really nice. The course was hilly and a challenge in some areas. I never passed any gel stations along the course, so I will remember to bring my own next year. The energy drink passed out wasn’t that great (a lemon lime flavored drink I’d never heard of before). There weren’t many spectators on the course, although maybe that was due to the weather.
By the end of the race, the sun had come out. The finish line was very organized, the medal given to all finishers was very nice, and there was post-​race entertainment. However, most all the food you had to buy. Note to self: bring money for food after the race.
I really enjoyed this race. It was big enough to have variety and a feeling of optimism and energy, but it wasn’t like some races where the course is so packed it’s hard to enjoy yourself.
I think I’ll run it again next year!

I ran this marathon in May 2012, two weeks after achieving a BQ at the OC Marathon. I had a little letdown on this one, partially because I was not rested from the OC, but also because I did not respect the course. Although generally flat, the two huge hills near mile 20 took me out of the race completely I limped through the last four miles of the race and had to see medical at the end after my legs locked up after crossing the finish line!
The good thing about this race is that it is small and very well run. The expo at Santa Anita Park was pretty small, but parking was easy. As mentioned earlier, with the exception of the hills at mile 20 the course is relatively flat, but it runs through a lot of unspectacular residential areas, especially in the last half. Another bad part about the course is that you start off with the half marathoners, rejoin them midway through the race, split up again, and then rejoin with them again for the last couple of miles. This causes much congestion during those parts of the races, as the half is a much bigger event.
The best part of the course was running past the Rose Bowl. Also, as I experienced firsthand, the medical staff is responsive and professional.
Great race for a smaller event, just prepare yourself for those hills late in the course!

I ran the half marathon this past May with no training. I thought I was going to die towards the end but here I am writing this. Can’t comment on the race pick up as my bf did for me, but was disappointed with the shirt color (come on really? black in CA? for long runs?) and the sample stuff, like a teeny bottle of olive oil and balsamic vinegar. I couldn’t even get one gu. I paid full price for this event, and compared to my first half marathon (Nike’s women in SF) this was not really worth it.
Anyways, actual race day parking was easy and relatively well organized. This is a fairly small event, so it wasn’t THAT insane. It was actually quite quiet which I didn’t like because it just seemed kind of sleepy and not that pumped.
One star is taken off because of them running out of water cups fairly quickly and towards the end they were giving you water in your palm –_​-​. how sad. I also had to be a little more careful because since this is such a tiny event they only had water stations every other mile, not at every mile even for the marathoners. Needless to say their resources are rather limited.
The course however was very pretty and residential. There were a LOT of supporters and even just neighborhood people cheering us on. There was one house with guys serving beer too near mile 11. I also liked we passed the Rose Bowl and City hall which I just learnt is the Pawnee city hall in Parks and Recreation!!!
Overall, good experience, though I prefer my Nike Women’s Tiffany’s necklace to their medal, it’s a bottle opener so still cool.

I have never had so much fun running in a race than I have in this one. I was running for A Runner’s Circle and the support from our club and random spectators were overwhelming.
The first half of the full marathon course, for the most part, the Rock n Roll Pasadena Marathon but in reverse. In the RnR you ran out and back into the Rose Bowl while the Pasadena Marathon you ran into then out of the Rose Bowl.
Oh boy was it hot out there!
My racing bib actually read «Mr. Tights» and someone questioned me in a disappointed tone «Why are you Mr. Tights and you aren’t in tights!?» My only answer was its hot! Which it really was as it reached up to 91 degrees.
One word to describe the Pasadena course is «hilly»
The first 10k was nothing but rolling hills then you get to mile the half point mark of the marathon and it is just a climb. I am surprised for all who PR’d at this run because it was a tough one.
Shout outs to Gritty City and the Pasadena Pacers running clubs.

Came back a second year and had a BLAST.
This is an update to last year’s run, and I was thoroughly pleased with the event except for the Expo. Please bring it back to the Pasadena Convention for 2013, then I’ll most likely upgrade to 5 stars.
Yes, I will be back next year, and might opt for the full marathon.

My first marathon!!! awesome experience it really showcases how nice Pasadena is. Since it was my first race i have nothing to compare it to but i found that it was really organized and and all the volunteers were awesome! good amount of water stations but due to the heat i wish there was a little more around the last 6 miles but all together it was a great experience i will definitely be back next year!
i would also like to thank the hills of Pasadena especially towards the end! (you know what im talking about) for officially kicking my butt! see you next year!

The Pasadena Marathon was my come-​back/​training race. The last time I ran a full was in November 2010. I thought I was done forever, but when I heard about how wonderful the Pasadena Marathon was, I caved and signed up. Besides, there were plenty of my friends running this race and I didn’t want to miss out on the fun! Most of them ran the half marathon so I only got to see them for about 8 miles, but that was OK.
The registration part was not too tough, but it wasn’t the smoothest process either. I’ll spare everyone of the details, but I did get pretty stressed out because of what happened and this is a big reason I docked a star from the rating.
The expo this year changed locations from the Pasadena Convention Center to the Santa Anita Race Tracks in Arcadia. I’m not sure what the reason was, but the race committee gave pretty clear directions on how to get there and where to park. Kudos to them for that. The expo itself was REALLY SMALL and I was a bit disappointed. I had my heart set on buying one of those massage sticks, but there were hardly any vendors there. It was great seeing Run With Us and A Runner’s Circle repping their stores though! And of course, a big shout out to the Pasadena Pacers, who also had a tent, for being the most awesome and FREE training group in So Cal!
The race course had a lot of volunteers. The water stations ran out of cups (same thing happened at Hollywood Half) within 2 hours of the start of the race. That concerned me because I was still less than halfway done with the race! It was really hot on Sunday and people were at risk for heat strokes. Good thing I always run with my Ultimate fuel belt or else I would have been screwed. There were a couple times on the route where I ran up to people with ice chests and asked for ice to dunk into my bottle. The ice melted right away because of how hot it was out there. If not for those kind spectators, I would probably have ended up in the medical tent before reaching the finish line! Now I kind of wish it rained instead of getting so hot…91 degrees is not good running weather!
The course itself highlighted a lot of beautiful Pasadena landmarks, including the spectacular City Hall and the Rose Bowl. It was my first time seeing it up close even though I pass by it all the time. I can’t wait to see the pictures. Speaking of which, I saw more photographers towards the end of the race than I did during the beginning of the race. There was one guy for sure at the Rose Bowl, but I didn’t really see that many until I was almost back at PCC, which was where the race started and ended.
The medals for the half and full marathons were cute. They both showcased the Pasadena Bridge and either the numbers 13.1 or 26.2, depending on which event you ran. It kind of sucked that the bike tour, 10K, and 5K finishers all got the same medal instead of 3 different kinds to distinguish them from one another.
There was a decent amount of port-​o-​potties at the start. I saw two different groups of them, one being crowded as heck while the other barely had people lining up, if at all. Not sure why people didn’t see the cluster that was close to Bonnie/​Colorado. They were clean and hardly used! Lucky me, I suppose?
Anyway, this was definitely not my best race and I will always have bittersweet memories about it. But nonetheless, I can say that Pasadena Marathon was my 3^rd successful marathon! I am now ³⁄₃! Not too bad even if I AM a snail.

I ran the Pasadena half to stretch my legs post-26.2 and to just have a good time. The packet pickup this year was on the infield at Santa Anita race track. It was very easy, parking and admission were free, and I was in and out in 10 minutes. Race day parking was super easy with all the lots at PCC and free parking again. WIN!
This year, the weather was perfect since it was the first year it wasn’t raining! The sun was shining right at the start. Everyone got through the shoot right on time at 6:30am. They didn’t have any pace groups that I saw nor did they have any order to how people lined up. The announcer just said if you’re a 7 or 8 minute mile, get to the front, everyone else fall in behind them. They played U2’s Beautiful Day after the national anthem and it got everyone pumped up.
I had a little bit of passing to do for the first half of the race and then the crowd thinned out along Orange Grove Blvd after we finished the out and back across the Colorado Street bridge. The course was mostly flat except for a short uphill going west on Colorado Blvd to the bridge and then a nice downhill on Orange Grove. The killer hill was after we passed the Rosebowl and headed east on Mountain toward Raymond Ave. I thought the incline was never going to end! By this point, the weather had really heated up and I could’ve used some electrolyte drink. The course map showed that there would be Ultima electrolyte drink somewhere near the Rosebowl (mile 6) and again after that but I never saw it. I grabbed water at every station and took 1 Gu at mile 8 but I could feel the need for sodium. Our legs got some relief on the downhill on Wilson.
The volunteers were all very friendly and there were lots of kind, cheering folks along the route. I got a nice hi-​five from a finisher when I was passing the 12 mile marker. I love that camaraderie! Some of the highlights along the course were running by Pasadena city hall, running out and back across the Colorado Street bridge and up Arroyo Blvd under the bridge. The folks on Wilson Ave in Bungalow Heaven were so wonderful. There was a guy handing out Tecates, someone else with a tray of small cups of some sort of drink and a family with tambourines and musical instruments cheering us along.
I heard the Crystal Method song ‘Get Busy Child’ blasting as I sprinted to the finish line. So cool! At the finish, there was plenty of the usual postrace goodies: Ultima (there it is!), water, bananas, bagels, orange slices, granola bars and coconut water.
Overall it was a fun course and a great way to spend a Sunday morning.
Finish: 2:09:27
Finish minus porta potty stop: 2:07:18

Oh heck ya, this race ROCKED! Everything about it was good.
The pros:
1. Easy registration
2. Expo was nicely laid out and easy to pick up your bib
3. Was not over packed
4. Waves went out nice and smooth
5. Weather was PERFECT
6. Scenery and course were good and reasonable challenges
7. Hydration and Gu stations were plentful
8. Volunteers were outstanding
9. Support along the ENTIRE course was fantastic… never have I seen so much support.
10. Bands kicked ass!
11. Ending at the finish line was super easy to navigate through
12. Lots of convenient porta potties on the course, I didn’t need one but saw them
13. LOTS of inspiration on this course amongst the runners and walkers… it was RAD
The cons:
1. My Garmin clocked longer than the course and based on others comments that I read, mine wasn’t the only. I understand depending how you take your turns and how much weaving you do it could add mileage but I did very little weaving and I hug most of my turns and that would not justify .25-.5 added mileage.
2. More hills than I care for, but my own fault for not training better… but suicide hill… REALLY?!
3. Last 2 miles or so around the golf course were easy but slightly boring which at that point I was ready to be done.
4. The color of ribbons on this years medals were slight ewwww (baby diarrhea green)
Yea…no real cons (except #1), just my personal cons ;) This was a phenomenal course and I would absolutely recommend it and run it again!

Even with the pouring rain, this run was awesome! Well organized and the 10K/​5K *almost* started on time.
I liked the location of having it at PCC and the route went through pleasant residential areas and was fairly flat.
The Tech shirts were HUGE though… my small still looks like a dress. Loved the goodies they gave us and yay for Zico and Mix smoothie give aways!

OK OK OK, not «AS GOOD AS IT GETS» like best Marathon EVA’ but I cant really think of 1 think I’d change… It was their 3^rd year putting on this race, and to only be 3 years old with such consistency is nearly unheard of!
Marathon #4 done and done,
Oh Pasadena Marathon how I love thee, you were full of some of the nicest most positive runners I’ve encountered yet, you had some of the best volunteers I’ve ran past, and your hills, well your hills have only built more confidence in my own running abilities.
13 miles in the rain, and 13.2 more in the sun, with a slight comforting breeze, down tree lined streets, up hills with close to no end straight to the finish line for a vintage looking medal.
Yes Please, over and over again, oh and a really awesome marathon shirt? The Cherry on top.
Water Stations: Plenty
Support: SO AWESOME (from volunteers and neighbors alike! The enthusiasm never ran out)
Over all runner attitude: 105%
Weather: Hardcore Rain and shine
Course: Pretty, Challenging, and Awesome, oh and HILLY
ok, ok, bad example this picture is totally flat, but its pretty aint it?
Goodies: Shirt= awesome, medal sweet, the bag didn’t have many items, but every item in there was something that would be used, coffee, olive oil, Vaseline.
Poopers: Plenty of em, here, there and almost everywhere
Overall great race, totally organized, good expo, great people, and I cant wait to run another!

I love my City of Pasadena and once again ran the half marathon this past Sunday for the 3^rd consecutive year. I always opt running the half marathon for this event because I really don’t want to run back to back marathons (I do the LA Marathon every year since 1996). I want to make sure that I am injury free for the rest of the year so I can enter and compete in other athletic events. But for some odd reason, it always rains during this event whether it was held in February (2009) or May. Although I would say the rain this year was not as bad as last year’s.
I am happy to complete the race though not too happy with my clock time. Nevertheless, i cannot complain as I did not train at all for this race. Despite my lack luster performance time –wise, I must say that I was pleased overall because not once did I stop throughout the 13.1 miles, except for the occasional drink of H2O at the water stations. I guess i have to draw from my experience from past races.
I enjoyed the Expo at the Pasadena Convention Center. The bib pick up was hassle free as usual. I love the blue shirts they gave out this year!
Pasadena, what can I say? I am returning next year! Thanks to the organizers!

5k, half marathon, full marathon, and bike tour! Wow, so many events and this race is still relatively new!
This is my 2^nd time running the half marathon and I actually liked this run more so than the Surf City one! For a 2^nd year in the running, I have great belief that this race will eventually atttract more outsiders once it develops more connections. Besides the residents cheering us on and the different elevations/​routes, easier signs to navigate with, I would definitely run this again (if and when I know where my future lies next year!).
I also got to take advantage of their early bird special so I ran at less than 50% of the cost of my Surf City registration fee! (definitely a bargain!). One complaint that I have is that no mylar blankets were available after the run. It wasn’t the sunniest day, but it was definitely cold after my run; I had to fetch my jacket in the car as I waited for my brother to finish his full marathon. Another thing is that PCC should have free parking that day. Come on now, they’re sponsoring the event, at least let us park there for free!
The post-​run «convention» area was not as great as Surf City and by the time my brother finished his full marathon, they were all out of Muscle Milk and they were no longer giving out demos for those sprays that instantly relieve fatigued muscles. I felt bad for him because I thought the Muscle Milk worked like magic to my body! :)

Review for ½ marathon!
Cool run, had it not rained! =(Route is awesome — good amount of hills, get to see the Rose bowl, Cal Tech… Medals are pretty neat also. Pasadena is quite picturesque. Hopefully when you run it, it won’t rain though because it can get seriously wet. Oh yeah, more porto-​potties would be nice, saw a bunch of people waiting in line…15 minutes! Yikes. Not a good way to get a PR!