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California > Oakland Running Festival Marathon, Half Marathon, Relay & 5K
Oakland, CA • Sunday, March 24, 2013 • Course Map
Though marathons and half marathon races have been commonplace in nearby San Francisco for years, the city of Oakland hosted its first marathon race in more than two decades with the inaugural running of the Oakland Running Festival in the spring of 2010, at a race event that now features a full, 26.2-mile marathon, a 13.1-mile half marathon, a four-person marathon relay and a 5K race.
Now set for its fourth annual running -- after a 2012 race that saw more than 5,500 runners cross the finish line in all four races combined -- the race takes runners along some of the city's most notable sights through a combination of downtown areas and residential neighborhoods, and nearly all the way around the waters of Lake Merritt just east of downtown, past the campus of Laney College and through Lake Merritt Channel Park. Those running the half marathon share the same starting line as those running the full marathon, on 19th in downtown Oakland near Lake Merritt.
From there, those running the half follow an out-and-back loop course that follows a roughly clockwise direction around the city, first north along Broadway for a run past the Paramount Theatre and then left onto Grand Avenue. The course then turns left onto Martin Luther King Jr. Way and then follows southward past Lafayette Park to 8th Street, where runners turn left again and heads east toward Chinatown, and then turns left again on Harrison Street.
The next stretch of the race follows turns on 14th Street, Madison Street and 10th Street, as runners make their way to the race's first significant downhill stretch around the mile 3 marker. The course then drops in elevation between miles 3 and 4 as runners make their way around Laney College and the Frank Youell Athletic Field, turning right on 5th Street and then again on 7th Street, toward the stretch of the race through miles 5 and 6 along the Oakland Waterfront, taking runners past the Oakland Inner Harbor.
As runners make their way past the waterfront, they next start the stretch of the race that takes them along the northernmost part of the half marathon route, northward along Cypress Street up to 26th Street, where they turn right and head east toward 27th Street. Between miles 8 and 9 runners hit what is the biggest uphill stretch of the half route, and then keep heading eastward to the stretch that takes them through Lakeside Park and around Lake Merritt. After the run around the lake, runners head back into downtown for the finish back on Broadway.
Race Weather & Climate
Located just across the Bay Bridge, over the San Francisco Bay a few miles east from downtown San Francisco, the city of Oakland typically experiences mild to moderately cool weather conditions in the early spring, and generally wetter weather in the winter and spring than in the summer, when conditions are usually their driest of the year.
In March, the city's average monthly temperatures range between 63°F and 49°F -- on the day of the race (March 24), the average high is 64°F and the average low is 49°F -- while rainfall amounts average just over 3.5 inches for the month.
Course Map
View the race route map for the Oakland Running Festival Half Marathon
Fees
$70 for the half marathon, if registered before November 1, 2011
$80 between Nov. 1 - December 31
$90 between January 1 - March 16, 2012 (at 10:00 AM)
$110 at the race expo, depending on availability
Registration
To reserve your spot in any of the race distances at the early spring 2013 running of the Oakland Running Festival, register online at the event website.
Official Race Website
www.oaklandmarathon.com
Leave a Comment
Ever run in California's annual Oakland Running Festival Marathon or Half Marathon? Share your impressions and read fellow runners' stories and tips for the event.
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