Runners will need to be ready for a challenging trail run filled with hills, single-track dirt trails, fire roads and the occasional stretch of paved trail through the 5,342-acre Las Trampas Regional Wilderness area, which lies near the small city of San Ramon in the hills on the eastern side of the San Francisco Bay, at the 15th annual running of the Rocky Ridge Half Marathon, 10K & 5K.
First off, runners in the half marathon will need to know they’ll actually be running a distance that’s slightly longer than the standard half marathon distance — this race’s half is 13.7 miles. Also, for this year’s race, the Rocky Ridge Half will serve as the Brazen Racing Half Marathon Championship Race (see more details on the event website, shown below).
That will likely feel like a longer distance thanks to the hills and trails that take runners up toward the peak of the Rocky Ridge Trail inside the park area in the race’s second half, from which they’ll be able to view stunning vistas all around including the nearby Santa Cruz Mountains, Mount Diablo to the east and Mount Tamalpais to the west, off in the distance near the Marin Headlands across the Golden Gate Bridge from San Francisco.
