Race Report: Fontana Half (June)

Hold onto your hats and glasses because this is the fast Half! 

I wasn't kidding last week.  Fontana Half Marathon is where PRs are made.   I'd been told by several running friends... "There's your PR, and then there's your Fontana PR".  I mean, it was like they were passing out PRs to anyone that showed up.  Then again, how couldn't they with a straight downhill course??

The Ladies and I headed out Friday morning for packet pickup.  There really wasn't a reason to get out there so early, but we saw it as a chance to do a roadtrip and relax.  Packet pick up consisted of pop up tents outside the community center for simply your packet... so you can pick it up.  No expo.  Which was fine by me... I was warned.  So, I planned ahead and stocked up on my race fueling needs the day before.  I'd have been bummed otherwise, because other than the 99c Stores... Fontana doesn't offer much.

I think I've mentioned before... but there are the Hard Core Athletes, and then there's me.  The Hard Core Athletes are the people who watch their Carb to Protein ration the night before, drive the course to be "prepared", and warmup with pushups in the corral.  And then there's me (and my gang of Ladies).

What I mean by that is, after the short 15 minutes it took to pick up our packets (complete with a hat, T-shirt, collectible pin, snacks, etc - apparently they were making up for last year's snafu and their lack of a T-Shirt), we headed to the hotel to check in.  And like I said, this trip was a chance to race... but also a chance to relax.  So, unlike the Hard Core Athletes we opened a Chardonnay and proceeded in watching "Say Yes to the Dress".  It was 3pm.  The way we see it, we were saving our legs for the big day and hydrating.

Bottle number two was opened.  One of the Ladies was asleep.  And we were now discussing the importance of Spanx when trying on your dress for the show.  Oh, and a spray tan.  By 6:30 we decide it's time for dinner.  So, off we head... you guessed it, to the bar.  I mean, we wanted to underplay our speed in case the competitors in our Age Group showed up.

And did they!  At the bar we met two ladies.  One wanted to race Fontana to get a 1:30, the other wanted to get 1:26... We sipped our cocktails and looked on in awe.  Clearly, they were out of our league, even if they looked older than us.  Not to fret.  Running's an individual sport.  No need to size ourselves up with two women who didn't drink a cocktail while sitting at a bar (weird!).

Onto the day...
Fontana is a super convenient course.  You can pick up your packet day of the race and parking was a cinch!  Race starts at 7:30, but you have to take the shuttle up to the top (again, I cannot emphasize enough: "this is a downhill course") of the course.  Since it's point to point, you leave the finish line knowing your quads will be screaming at you next time you see it.

You should know: 
Up at the top of the course, there's really nothing.  It's a camp ground and about 10 degrees cooler than below.  We brought along a 99c (store purchased) table covering and a roll of toilet paper.  Our gang gathered, quite literally, outside the women's bathroom (which was better than hanging out inside like the 5 women I saw when I used it - I mean that couldn't be good for your lungs!)  After about a half hour, we disrobed as much as we dared and headed over to the start line.  While we were chatting about our friend's amazing back-to-back marathons she did(in one weekend), the "gun" went off... oh, that's right.  We forgot.  We are here to race.

Fontana delivered on it's reputation.  Small town course that's nicely organized.  Downhill that literally pulls you down to the finish line, screwing your quads for the next two days.  And PRs for almost everyone (I figured out later I was 19 seconds off from my PR that I set when I was 27 - so close!).

Perks of the course:
  • PRs handed out like candy!
  • Downhills... all... the... way.
  • $30 for registration to the Half
  • Local, organized race
  • Shuttle system was seamless.  Lines to get on were fast and the volunteers were helpful.
  • Clearly marked course (except Mile 9 marker... but I'm convinced someone stole it)
  • Nice post race refreshments for the racers
  • T-Shirt, Hat, Collectible pin AND a medal.  I feel like I'm sponsored by Fontana Half now with all my schwag!
  • A Saturday race.  Which means you can recover Sunday before going back to work!

Things that sucked about this course:
  • Lack of crowd support - then again, how could I expect them to be up in the mountains or on the deserted road back into town??
  • Lack of scenery - if you want a scenic race - don't go to Fontana.  Then again, if you are going to Fontana - I doubt you expect a scenic race.
  • No expo
  • They could do better with their aid stations.  I'd almost consider wearing my water belt next time.  The small Dixie cups on a hot day could be brutal.
  • Apparently the weather is pretty hot for this race (which truthfully, I love), but Saturday was a crisp 75ish
  • No Beer Garden - and I didn't have the courage to go into any of the local bars for my post race beer.
  • Once you're done with the race, get out of there!  They've got the Fontana Days Parade that will shut down the streets and cause you a slight headache from the traffic.  Plus, it's Fontana - you'll just want to get out.
  • Their website could use some help.  I'm still at a loss for where the Race Results are.
Don't be deceived by my list of items this race sucks at... truthfully, I was pleasantly surprised by the organization of the race.  I'd totally do it again.  And now that I know what my Half Marathon PR time is I'll be chasing that sucker down! 

I highly recommend people give this race a try.  However, I'd strongly recommend you do at least one Half Marathon BEFORE you do... otherwise you'll be greatly disappointed because you'll never have the same results on a different course and will always be chasing down a hard PR.

I give this course a 9 out of 10.

.... oh, and the lady in the bar attempting a 1:26... She won!  Not just her Age Group.  She won the women's division OVERALL with a 1:20 time!!  I can't hate her... she was nice. 

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