Coastal Trail Runs

Excellence Doesn’t always look or cost the same. Full and half marathon races and such are not an exception. Competitor.com’s Rock ‘n’ Roll Series races are well-​organized, very large races through the streets of major cities in the US and other countries, with lots of activities and goodies for racers. The registration price is fairly high ($ 85-​$ 120, depending on when one registers). Brazen Racing does excellent, small-​medium sized races on SF Bay Area park trails, with great finish area activities and goodies, for a moderate price. Coastal Trail Runs & Zoom Running Events does very well organized small park trail races in the SF Bay Area (and some farther away), with slightly more basic goodies, at a bargain price. All three are excellent at what they try to do!
Coastal is the «brand» used for challenging hill trail runs, while Zoom is the «brand» used for «flat» and less challenging hill trail runs. I’ve done a couple of Zoom events, and use the course for a third Zoom event for personal exercise and training.
Coastal/Zoom’s bargain price does not mean poor quality in any respect. Coastal/Zoom’s race webpages are well-​organized and have all the necessary information. Online registration is easy and trouble-​free.
Parking is extra ($ 5-​$ 6 for the races in which I’ve run), and bib and T-​shirt pick-​up is race day, onsite. This is not a trivial logistic task, and Coastal/​Zoom does it well.
Coastal/Zoom’s venues and courses are beautiful and well marked. Aid stations are appropriate in number and spacing, and well stocked, even toward the end of races. The goodies at the aid stations are of pleasantly variety (I’ve been in races whose aid stations had «just» water and sports drink).
There are no chip timing sensors at the start (in the races I’ve been in), but there are sensors at the finish. I suppose there are people for whom precision to the tenth of a second matters, but I’m nowhere close to that league. So this is not an issue for me. Those for whom that precision matters can queue up at or near the front of the starting group.
Finish area goodies are less elaborate than some races (and better than others), but not skimpy in quantity or variety. Finish times are posted in the finish area, with fairly regular updates. A family picnic atmosphere prevails, which I especially like and large-​scale races cannot do. Final results are posted online. Coastal/​Zoom has many helpful and friendly volunteers who assist throughout the race.
The T-​shirts and finishers’ medals are less elaborate than some. This does not at all mean they are flimsy or poor quality. The artwork is on the simple side, with the T-​shirt and medal sharing the same graphic design. The medal is a disk, with the design stamped in and painted (baked enamel?) on. Coastal/​Zoom gives tech T-​shirts to runners of all distances. Other race organizers’ races I’ve run reserve tech T-​shirts just for half marathon and marathon runners. I should mention that, of the two Zoom race T-​shirts I have at present, I very much like the humorous design on the Turkey Trot T-​shirt (and medal).
Lest it seem so, I’m not trying to «damn» Coastal Trail Runs/​Zoom Running Events with faint or qualified praise. Their races are very well managed, in very pleasant venues, with very friendly runners and volunteers. All in all, they provide a GREAT race experience! I do plan to run in Coastal/​Zoom races in the future. Coastal/​Zoom races are particularly excellent for the budget-​conscious and for runners new to races who do not want to spend a lot of money for something they might not enjoy. Zoom races are excellent for runners who want courses more scenic than city streets, but are not sure they are ready for challenging hill trail races (e.g. Coastal races).

Just did the Steep Ravine Race with these guys.
My first race by then.
Although the race was REALLY hard if you ask me (but I’m also still a novice) I think Coastal Trail Runs did a great job.
High quality T-​shirts — always awesome.
Well spaced aid stations with lots of variety of snacks and beverages.
Not too big. Don’t you hate it when you have to wait in a huge line for your t-​shirt? I do. Not here.
Large variety of snacks and drinks at the end — including a cooler filled with sodas and beer! I like that it wasn’t commercialized — no booths giving away little samples of their next thing (which you may or may not like) — just a table full of food that you actually want to eat.
Oh — and totally the right price.

Excellent sausages, burgers, chicken drumsticks on the BBQ, very tender and juicy. Watermelons are always perfectly ripe and they don’t ever run out at the end. Salt tabs are on every station, coke and sprite aplenty. Want to grab a PBJ along the way? grab two wedges if you can. Always baked potatoes already cut up next to a bowl of salt. Did I mention the chili and chicken wild rice soup? On a cold day, it’s heaven sent after pounding the trail. A perfect picnic day with excellent BBQ at the end. Every 4 – 5 miles well stocked stations with snacks and drinks, friendly people to chat, endorphin high people flashing you with perfect pearl-​white smiles while telling you «good job» along the way, you think: «what drugs are they on, how could they be so happy, my legs are killing me just about now?» And then 16 miles in, you are just like one of those happy idiots, doing the exact same to others.
I’ve done three so far: Cinderella 30K, Rodeo Beach Marathon and Coastal 50K. When I did my first one with them, I was utterly surprised by the abundance of after race food. Especially the sausage, very tasty. At the risk of repeating others before me, here are the few things I like about them:
1. Really great after race proper food
2. Great tech shirts and medals
3. Perfectly marked routes
4. Yummy treats along the way
5. Perfectly spaced stations.
The point to point race route is obviously the best. They provided shuttle for Coastal 50 which was nice.
I had done Inside Trail Race a dozen or so times and several others. But with Coastal, if you run three races a year you get a slight discount.
There are shorter runs of course. But. I like to eat. How can you justify eating a sausage AND a beef patty AND a chicken drumstick if you don’t run the 50K?
Go crazy with food. Enjoy the view. Listen to the new track spun by German DJ Zwette. Meet great people. Log your desirable distance. This is as good as it gets.

Coastal Trail Runs has some fun and challenging events in some fantastic Bay Area locations. These are typically low-​key runs that take full advantage of steep terrain — but the shorter (5 mile) runs are doable by beginners. Oh, cool technical T-​shirt designs and medals for finishers too!

First time doing my trail run and long distance run ever in my life organized by them. I had a blast. Well organized. Great snacks. Happy volunteers– thank you for doing that. I signed up again next month. See you at San Lorenzo river run

If you’re looking for a healthy and fun weekend activity, Coastal Trail Runs has events planned for just about every weekend on the calendar.
Not ready for a marathon? That’s OK. They also have shorter runs, starting at 5K. Beautiful state parks and national forests are the backdrop for their runs. We recently participated in the Diablo Run on the Clayton side of Mt. Diablo State Park. A small registration fee included an awesome shirt, which we picked up the day before the event at a convenient and local Sports Basement. An additional $ 6 for parking was paid on the day of the event. Volunteers directed us to a parking area. A well-​organized team explained the courses (4 mile, 10 mile, ½ and full marathon runners all started on the same trail at the same time).
I was afraid we’d finish last, but our hand-​in-​hand 51:35 finish was 20 minutes after first place, and 34 minutes before the last 4 mile runners. We didn’t do bad! The trail was marked and easy to follow and we had a great time. Photos were taken as we crossed the finish line and we were given healthy drinks and treats. Plus lots of words of congratulations and encouragement.
No matter what you believe your level of fitness to be, you can do this! Sign up for a 5K, walk/​run it, and be amazed at how proud you feel when it’s done. I can’t wait for our next run! This is my new favorite group and I love having a healthy activity to share with my husband.