I'm new to the world of running marathons, but have run three this year (2006) and have found that each one has been an amazing experience of its own.
I'm also a big fan of the AFC half-marathon which takes you from Cabrillo Monument to along the San Diego Bay, hits Harbor Island winds through Downtown San Diego and ends in Balboa Park. The Silver Strand Half is great too. You run along the strand from Coronado to Imperial Beach which is very cool. Both races are nice runs, cheerful crowds and an enjoyable course. These are great training runs if you are working up to a full Marathon.
AFC Half - http://www.afchalf.com/
Carlsbad Half and Full Marathon - http://www.sdmarathon.com/site5.aspx
Rock N Roll Marathon - http://www.rnrmarathon.com/home.html
Silver Strand Half - http://66.77.216.76/exec/koz/half.cfm?publicationID=177
Carlsbad Marathon - 1/06
The Carlsbad Marathon was my first, and the USAFit training I did on Sunday mornings was good. It took you along every bit of the course at some point and you really felt ready on race day. I am not a huge fan of this race though. The out and ins (basically re-tracing your steps) are a bummer and although you get a lot of beautiful ocean to look at, if you're on the slower end of the paces you are going to be lonely - a lot of empty road.
Rock N Roll - Summer 06
The Rock and Roll Marathon is a bigger race, more fun due to the bands each mile and there are more fans too. I wasn't able to train for this one, and thanks to a good friend who agreed to babysit a few days before, I was able to jump in. I enjoyed this race a lot. But, I admit, I was dissapointed that so many bands were on breaks as we passed, or simply missing in action and replaced by cheerleaders - who bless their heart cheered their hearts out but just weren't the same thing. Admittedly, I didn't train for this run and I was hurting after mile 12. But, I was expecting this race to be a lot more rowdy.
Chicago Marathon - 10/2006
If you have the opportunity to do it though, I highly recommend heading to a big city for a Marathon. My husband and I just did the Chicago Marathon in October and it was my favorite by far. It was amazing to run through the city all of its rich neighborhoods, Little Italy, Boys Town, China Town, through the Downtown architecture, over the Chicago river in several places and of course along Lake Michigan.
I admit, it was a nostalgic run for me as I'm a Chicagoan and passed several apartments of mine, office buildings and favorite restaurants. However, the run was packed with people all along because nearly 37,000 runners were out that day and the race course was packed with spectators the whole way. I have never experienced anything like it. It was a personal best time for both of us and we had a ball. The cold was a bit of a surprise, but no snow, and our bodies performed better in the cold than the heat.
