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Marathon Details - Oakland Marathon Running Festival

North America Marathons > USA > CA > Oakland > Oakland Marathon Running Festival

Oakland Marathon Running Festival

Oakland Marathon Running Festival & Half Marathon, 10K, 5K

Oakland, CA USA

March 23, 2025

http://www.oaklandmarathon.com

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Race Details

Marathon - rolling hills in first half, flat in the second half. Half - flat and fast

Contact Information

Name:	Gene Brtalik
Address:	PO Box 5211 Walnut Creek, CA 94596
Phone Number:	510-371-5CSE
Fax Number:	410-605-9389
Email:	Email the organizers

Runner Reviews (38)

Course 4.4

Organization 4.7

Spectators 4.3

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Number of comments: 38 [displaying comments 1 to 11]

More Comments: [ < 1 2 3 4 > ]

J. P. from Birmingham, AL (4/5/2017) "Loved this event!" (about: 2017) 50+ previous marathons \| 1 Oakland Marathon Running Festival COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was a top notch event! Beautiful course, which gave a really great tour of the city. Wonderful traffic control by the police and volunteers. Plentiful aid stations. Expo was great - everything you needed, but easy to get around. The medal is beautiful! I loved the theme of 'Rooted in Oakland.' The pride in the city was obvious and deserved! Really nice event!
V. R. from Long Beach, Ca (4/3/2017) "Had a blast! Great course." (about: 2017) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Oakland Marathon Running Festival COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 The beer garden sucked! They ran out of beer and there is no excuse.
p. S. from Ontario, CA (5/3/2016) "Very scenic course!" (about: 2016) 50+ previous marathons \| 3 Oakland Marathon Running Festivals COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 2 This was my third Oakland Marathon. I love the course and the varied scenery. I do not like that the course is over measured. I had 26.8. The shirt has improved - it was beautiful this year. Course marking has improved, but still could use better marking in the last few miles.
D. R. from San Francisco (3/21/2016) "Decent race with room to improve" (about: 2016) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Oakland Marathon Running Festival COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 True to comments posted by others, this is a hilly course in the first half with relatively flat terrain the second half. The downhill at mile 11 is 11% grade...very steep! Pros: easy logistics to get to and from since this race is still relatively small; the volunteers and crowd that did come out to support were enthusiastic; the finish around the lake the final three miles was great. Plenty of porta-potties before, during and after; easy to navigate race expo. Cons: course markings were inadequate...a number of us in the top 50 went off course around mile 7.5, and it almost happened again later in the race. Water stations by neighbors had to help make up for places where official water stations weren't located; course took runners through many neighborhoods where race had few if any spectators. All in all I'm glad I ran it but it's not one I plan to run again.
S. M. from Davis, CA (4/6/2015) "Hilly but fun" (about: 2015) 4-5 previous marathons \| 1 Oakland Marathon Running Festival COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Challenging hilly course in the first half and flat as a pancake in the second. Makes for a challenging course where pacing yourself on the up and downhill is important. Pros: Well organized, lots of portapotties, decent support all through the course. Locals seemed genuinely excited to have runners going through their part of town. Lots of hi-fives, cheers, and other good fun. I'd do it again. Cons: Having all the hills in the first section makes it interesting, just don't go out too fast!
A. P. from Central valley, CA (3/23/2015) "Beautiful views,organized traffic,great supporters" (about: 2015) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Oakland Marathon Running Festival COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 Course was varied and challenging, traffic was very well organized, the spectators were great along the course, and Lake Merritt was a pleasant addition.
G. S. from SF Bay Area (3/23/2015) "Great organization, great crowd and city support." (about: 2015) 4-5 previous marathons \| 1 Oakland Marathon Running Festival COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 It's a solid and worthwhile big-city race. Some scenic stretches on the backside of the course (in the hills) and a spectacular view as you drop most of your elevation around mile ~11. Has a community-building feeling that is super cool. Crowd support was great, way better than expected based on my experience at the SF Marathon. Probably the best I've seen. Lots of spectators cheering and bands. Super friendly police, even. I have nothing against the police, but I think it's the first time I've been so resoundingly and consistently cheered on by the police at the intersections. Frequent, fast aid stations. Overall, a great feel Oh be forwarded: it's hilly. ~990 feet of elevation gain. :-)
T. S. from Boston MA (3/27/2014) "Great time, well organized" (about: 2014) 1 previous marathon \| 1 Oakland Marathon Running Festival COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 This was my first full, I had run a few half marathons in the past couple years. Pros... -great weather, especially compared to winter training in Boston MA -easy course for a 1st marathon: one long / big hill early but downhill / flat for the last half with some great views at the top of the hill -bands, performances in the last third of the race and at the park at the finish line provided a good atmosphere -very accessible to BART and San Francisco. Cons... only one -The last 7 or so miles merged with the half marathon race and the route got clogged. I had to dodge past hundreds runners going much slower and finished at 4:00:01, so I can't help but be a bit frustrated thinking I could have gotten < 4 hrs. Overall great time, would definitely run it again.
N. G. from Oakland, CA (3/26/2014) "One of my favorite marathons so far" (about: 2014) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Oakland Marathon Running Festival COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I loved this race! It was extremely well organized, had great crowd support, and the course was challenging but very scenic and fun. The race traverses through so many different neighborhoods in Oakland that you get a good feel for the makeup of the city, probably similar to the NYC marathon, but with less glamour and on a smaller scale. The course is reasonably tough, particularly the climbs from miles 6-11 or so. After a steep decline from miles 11-12.5 or so it's pretty much flat as a pancake, though. I would say it isn't impossible to set a PR here. I finished only a little over four minutes off of mine, and with better training possibly could have beaten it. The post-race amenities generally don't matter much to me, but there were some nice snack foods for runners, as well as two free premium beers (21st Amendment, for example) and a nice looking festival. Overall, I had a blast and hope I can run Oakland again next year!
P. L. from Oakland, CA (3/25/2013) "By far the best road race I have ever run" (about: 2013) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Oakland Marathon Running Festival COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 The course was well planned and well supported, and ran through all of Oakland. The volunteers were great, and I've never seen so many people come out to cheer just because. Houses along the course had their stereo speakers pointed at us and whole neighborhoods seemed to be throwing a party. The energy was amazing. Like bay to breakers, without all the booze. I didn't use bag check in and I'm a beer snob, so avoided the bud light, but the medals and shirts are great. Everything was easy to get to and find. A very fun day. I'll definitely be back next year!

More Comments: [ < 1 2 3 4 > ]



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J. P. from Birmingham, AL (4/5/2017) "Loved this event!" (about: 2017) 50+ previous marathons \| 1 Oakland Marathon Running Festival COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was a top notch event! Beautiful course, which gave a really great tour of the city. Wonderful traffic control by the police and volunteers. Plentiful aid stations. Expo was great - everything you needed, but easy to get around. The medal is beautiful! I loved the theme of 'Rooted in Oakland.' The pride in the city was obvious and deserved! Really nice event!
V. R. from Long Beach, Ca (4/3/2017) "Had a blast! Great course." (about: 2017) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Oakland Marathon Running Festival COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 The beer garden sucked! They ran out of beer and there is no excuse.
p. S. from Ontario, CA (5/3/2016) "Very scenic course!" (about: 2016) 50+ previous marathons \| 3 Oakland Marathon Running Festivals COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 2 This was my third Oakland Marathon. I love the course and the varied scenery. I do not like that the course is over measured. I had 26.8. The shirt has improved - it was beautiful this year. Course marking has improved, but still could use better marking in the last few miles.
D. R. from San Francisco (3/21/2016) "Decent race with room to improve" (about: 2016) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Oakland Marathon Running Festival COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 True to comments posted by others, this is a hilly course in the first half with relatively flat terrain the second half. The downhill at mile 11 is 11% grade...very steep! Pros: easy logistics to get to and from since this race is still relatively small; the volunteers and crowd that did come out to support were enthusiastic; the finish around the lake the final three miles was great. Plenty of porta-potties before, during and after; easy to navigate race expo. Cons: course markings were inadequate...a number of us in the top 50 went off course around mile 7.5, and it almost happened again later in the race. Water stations by neighbors had to help make up for places where official water stations weren't located; course took runners through many neighborhoods where race had few if any spectators. All in all I'm glad I ran it but it's not one I plan to run again.
S. M. from Davis, CA (4/6/2015) "Hilly but fun" (about: 2015) 4-5 previous marathons \| 1 Oakland Marathon Running Festival COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Challenging hilly course in the first half and flat as a pancake in the second. Makes for a challenging course where pacing yourself on the up and downhill is important. Pros: Well organized, lots of portapotties, decent support all through the course. Locals seemed genuinely excited to have runners going through their part of town. Lots of hi-fives, cheers, and other good fun. I'd do it again. Cons: Having all the hills in the first section makes it interesting, just don't go out too fast!
A. P. from Central valley, CA (3/23/2015) "Beautiful views,organized traffic,great supporters" (about: 2015) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Oakland Marathon Running Festival COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 Course was varied and challenging, traffic was very well organized, the spectators were great along the course, and Lake Merritt was a pleasant addition.
G. S. from SF Bay Area (3/23/2015) "Great organization, great crowd and city support." (about: 2015) 4-5 previous marathons \| 1 Oakland Marathon Running Festival COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 It's a solid and worthwhile big-city race. Some scenic stretches on the backside of the course (in the hills) and a spectacular view as you drop most of your elevation around mile ~11. Has a community-building feeling that is super cool. Crowd support was great, way better than expected based on my experience at the SF Marathon. Probably the best I've seen. Lots of spectators cheering and bands. Super friendly police, even. I have nothing against the police, but I think it's the first time I've been so resoundingly and consistently cheered on by the police at the intersections. Frequent, fast aid stations. Overall, a great feel Oh be forwarded: it's hilly. ~990 feet of elevation gain. :-)
T. S. from Boston MA (3/27/2014) "Great time, well organized" (about: 2014) 1 previous marathon \| 1 Oakland Marathon Running Festival COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 This was my first full, I had run a few half marathons in the past couple years. Pros... -great weather, especially compared to winter training in Boston MA -easy course for a 1st marathon: one long / big hill early but downhill / flat for the last half with some great views at the top of the hill -bands, performances in the last third of the race and at the park at the finish line provided a good atmosphere -very accessible to BART and San Francisco. Cons... only one -The last 7 or so miles merged with the half marathon race and the route got clogged. I had to dodge past hundreds runners going much slower and finished at 4:00:01, so I can't help but be a bit frustrated thinking I could have gotten < 4 hrs. Overall great time, would definitely run it again.
N. G. from Oakland, CA (3/26/2014) "One of my favorite marathons so far" (about: 2014) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Oakland Marathon Running Festival COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I loved this race! It was extremely well organized, had great crowd support, and the course was challenging but very scenic and fun. The race traverses through so many different neighborhoods in Oakland that you get a good feel for the makeup of the city, probably similar to the NYC marathon, but with less glamour and on a smaller scale. The course is reasonably tough, particularly the climbs from miles 6-11 or so. After a steep decline from miles 11-12.5 or so it's pretty much flat as a pancake, though. I would say it isn't impossible to set a PR here. I finished only a little over four minutes off of mine, and with better training possibly could have beaten it. The post-race amenities generally don't matter much to me, but there were some nice snack foods for runners, as well as two free premium beers (21st Amendment, for example) and a nice looking festival. Overall, I had a blast and hope I can run Oakland again next year!
P. L. from Oakland, CA (3/25/2013) "By far the best road race I have ever run" (about: 2013) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Oakland Marathon Running Festival COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 The course was well planned and well supported, and ran through all of Oakland. The volunteers were great, and I've never seen so many people come out to cheer just because. Houses along the course had their stereo speakers pointed at us and whole neighborhoods seemed to be throwing a party. The energy was amazing. Like bay to breakers, without all the booze. I didn't use bag check in and I'm a beer snob, so avoided the bud light, but the medals and shirts are great. Everything was easy to get to and find. A very fun day. I'll definitely be back next year!

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Marathon Details - Oakland Marathon Running Festival