Overall it was good race - It is short though!! My garmin clocked 12.99 miles. The views were fantastic and the course was fun. Morning of it was smooth, and easy to maneuver. I also appreciated the amount of portopotties. It got really hot out there, you are pretty much in the sun the entire time. An early start time would be beneficial for this time of year. Start line was a little funky as the corral was on a corner block and it turned down another street which caused significant bottlenecking, it was extremely difficult to get up to your pacing time if you were looking for a faster pace. It took a few minutes to really be able to start running if you were behind the turn on the street. I had a really hard time with the end though. The last aide station was shut down by the time I reached it, about a mile and a half out at around the 2 hour mark. There was nothing there but the portopotties and again it was hot. The only hydration that was readily available was coconut water and waterloo sparking water. I really needed regular water but it was not easy to come as you needed your glass they provided you, but finding the location where they were handing out the glasses was not easy either and made the end of a hard race a lot harder. I understand they were trying to be sustainable by you using your glass you received from the race, but by not having it as easily accessible as your medal you put a lot of people at a hinderance who need to rehydrate.

Information on the web site was minimal and mostly vague. Race day parking was great, I parked 50' from the starting line. I am sure others didn't have the same luck. Pre-race was OK. Because my car was so close to the start, I didn't use the bag check. I had a bad experience at the Hot Chocolate race earlier this year. I am now gun-shy about bag checks. There was enough restrooms and the race was small enough to be easy to set up in the starting line. After the start, the pavement was a challenge with all the tracks and cracks. I didn't have the confidence to open up the speed gear in the first mile for fear of a twisted ankle. Otherwise, the course is nice and flat. Even the clime up the bridge was negligible. Such a gentle rise. Didn't even feel it. Little head wind kept it pleasant and cool. After the turn around, now running with the wind and into the sun, even though we were heading down the bridge, it was warm. There was no apparent wind at all. The race was interesting to finish. The anticipation of going to the bridge was behind us now and the reality of Oakland's freight moving district was now a weird inspiration to get this run over with. Coming around the last gentle curve and into the final straight away, I could not see the finish line. There was no colorful balloon arch or loud music and I was wondering if I missed a turn or was on the wrong street. Also, even at 1:53 finish time, there wasn't that many finishers crossing the line with me. The finish line was a somber and somewhat of a weak experience. The PA did announce my crossing, so I knew I must have finished. The metal was nice. Thank you for the clever design. The post race area was a fun experience. Could have stayed there all day. Nice music, plenty of beer and things to eat. Not sure about the advertised Cinco de Mayo food. I didn't find any. I would love to do it again. Please add some more hydration stops where possible and can you find a better vendor for the jackets? The material works, the craftmanship doesn't work. I have to re-stitch the pockets and other loose seams. Please review the website for idiot proof basic information. Looked like who ever put it together assumed we did this before and knew what to do. Also, the hotel that we went to pick up the bibs was a parking challenge. And it was raining that day. I know that wasn't in your control but it added to the challenge. Thank you for putting on this race. I enjoyed it. It's not perfect, but the next year's race will be better!

This is my 3rd time running the Bay Bridge Half. Running on the bridge itself is beautiful. The race is relatively flat with just an incline going up the bridge. Plusses include the medal, jacket, and the free snacks and booze at the end. As soon as you exit off the freeway, you just see weeds. You'd think Oakland would want us visitors to like the place. Every year, I'm disappointed at how gross the course is and overall how everything else is managed. Near mile 2, there's always a bunch of litter on the road where the tunnel/freeway overpass is. Obviously, the organizers don't go on the course prior to the race. They don't chalk lines around potholes or metal studs in the ground left over from removed posts. Runners have to point it out for others behind them. When running on the bridge itself, there were people running in both directions all over. Even the videographer got off his vehicle and yelled out "What is going on here?" and he tried directing runners to stay on one side. There aren't any volunteers on the bridge to keep order. There aren't very many mile markers. When we were nearing the end of the race, a volunteer told us we only had 2 miles to the finish line but we realized she was wrong when we reached the mile 11 marker after speaking to her. At the beginning of the race , there weren't any cups to get water out of the tanks so many people just put their mouths up to the spouts which was extremely unsanitary. The way the porta-potties are set up where they are vertically lined up against the right side of the street is horrible because people don't walk all the way down the street to line up in front of each porta potty. Or if they do, they start to hit up against the wall on the left or have to go up the stairs to line up. Most people line up at the closest porta potty making the line wrap up the street and then the view is obstructed so people don't realize there are a few other porta potties further down. As you can see, there are many things that can be improved upon. I'll likely still run this race because it's in May which a great time for a race. I just wish it were managed and organized better.

Pre-race: - Race website was missing some details. I wish they had included info about pacers and gear check on the website. - Bib pickup was relatively efficient. I was disappointed that they didn't have vendors and discounted running gear though. The music was so loud that I could barely hear when talking to the volunteers. Race day - I wish the race website would have included more details about the start/finish area. Luckily, it was not a huge race, so I was able to figure out where to go for gear check, porta potties etc. - Course signage was not up to my expectations. I saw signs for mile 2, 3, 10 and 11, and that's it. I expect there to be signs for every mile. Also, there was one main intersection in West Oakland where it wasn't quite clear which direction to go. I think that tying yellow tape between the pylons, or using metal fences to signify the course boundary would have made it clearer which direction to go. - Most importantly, the course was short. My watch said that I ran less than 13 miles. I asked other people in the finish area, and it seemed like others had the same result. My best guess is that the course was about 0.2 miles short. Overall, it was an okay experience. I don't think it was good value for money, given the cost of the entry fee, and I probably wouldn't do this race again, because there are others in the area that I think are better.

I love how simple the instructions before the race. I wish there were more hydrating stations with electrolytes, such as Gatorade. It isn't easy to see if they are handing water or electrolytes out when you are running. I wish they also gave out bags to put your stuff in towards the end of the race.

The Bay Bridge Half Marathon was a nice event with sceneric view. And it is good for beginners. This is my fourth time running the Bay Bridge Half Marathon. I started running this event since its inception. The route was great, flat and in good condition in comparing to other half marathon in the Bay Area. The view on the bridge was always breathtaking and and amazing. The event was well organized. The pick up day was smooth, petite, light , but contained everything you need for a Friday evening pickup. The same vibe went to the starting and finishing line/festival. I really enjoyed it. Suggestions: 1. Maybe the bib number could send to us a day or two earlier so that we can plan our trip to pick up. 2. Maybe a small souvenir for loyal runners. Haha ~ Thanks for organizing! I enjoyed it so much!