408K Race To The Row

I’ve done this run the past 3 years. It’s a nice transition for someone who wants to do something longer than a 5k but isn’t quite ready for a 10k. The course is full of spectator cheerleaders. They do a great job of keeping the energy high throughout the race.
At the end of the race the businesses in Santana Row offer great deals so you can hang out and enjoy yourself after the run. They offer buses to take you back to DTSJ from Santana Row and those were run very smoothly this year.

An organized 8k from downtown to @Santana Row. My ten year old can run this race in a world record time of 30:30 but it’s not a USATF course or record quality so it doesn’t quality for records! The mariachi music and lines of cheering onlookers is very cool and the destination point is fun and familiar to us as we live maybe 1.5 miles from the Finnish line! Will hope to fly through it again next year for fun!

This was a really fun and nice run. Just long enough to get tired, but not «I need a wheelchair» kind of run! I loved It was cool, early morning start heading toward the row. The packet pickup started off easy.
However there were some flaws. The herds of people were a flaw, it was confusing because all the blocks were full for your block. That became quite confusing when the group just ahead left. The mileage markers were pretty off, according to gps maps they were up to .3 of a mile off. Which was kinda of irritating if you’re trying to check your pace accurately.
Also the water stations I have to say made no sense. The first stop wasn’t until into mile 3, kind of a long ways in. And then one about .75 miles ahead.
The rest of it made a lot of sense, leading up to the finish line. That got confusing again. I finished at 52:00. A pretty steady srun time. About 10 mins per mile. When I got in, almost snacks left. Just water and apples. We all needed some snacks. I guess the empty snack goodie bags were nice?
Back to the positives, The mariachi mile was pretty cool, a nice touch to get in that last stretch. The volunteers for the most part were loud and super supportive. Actually funny enough the cops doing traffic stopping were cheering us on really good too!
Memorial mile was pretty cool. I must say that was a very good idea. Everyone seemed to enjoy that a lot!
Also the free mimosas afterward in the penthouses were awesome too.
I definitely would do this race again, seems like I complained a lot, but it’s more just the few mistakes hoping to get fixed for next year!

What a great way to start my morning! This was my first time signing up for the race and it was amazing! Thanks to the Volunteers and especially veterans who definitely showed support and cheering us on along the way! The race starts from Santa Clara downtown to Santana row (5 Miles) and you also get a medal when you cross that finish line. YAY! See you again this year 408!

Ran this as part of the «run the bay» challenge! I got the $ 39 early bird special and had signed up at the San Jose rock n roll marathon expo in sept 2014 (no online fees)!! This was a fun, short race!
PROS:
–easy and organized bib packet pick up
–nice technical shirt
–awesome medal (is a pseudo bottle opener too) and loved that it has Sharkie on it!
–nice route which takes you from SAP CENTER (hp pavillion for us older folks) to Santana Row.
–2 water stations
–memorial mile (around mile 4). There were a bunch of veterans in uniform along the course and people were giving them high fives. I thought this was a nice touch as this event benefits the Pat Tillman foundation for veterans
–mariachi mile (last mile) — several mariachi bands along the course here
–stagger start times (I think there were 4 waves). But this was based on when you registered rather than estimated pace
–snacks, drinks, free massages after race
–LOVED the collaborations they had with select Santana row retailers after the race to offer discounts for runners!!!
–free race photo
CONS:
–I feel the 2 water stations were too close together on the course; the first station could have been staged a bit earlier
–did not really see any restrooms along the course. Luckily I did not have to use them during the race but would be nice for people who might need to
-

Had a great time, but with all good things it can be better. I hope the organizers will read this and make some changes as I can imagine a minority of participants were involved in some registration issues, like in my girlfriend’s case.
This being in my only 3^rd timed/​organized run, I’ve had a decent experience in my first two. I’m still new to the running scene so I don’t have a huge pool to compare to but if I am paying $ 50+ for a short run I hope for the best. The issue with the 408K was with the customer service (or lack of). My girlfriend shares the same name with about 2 – 3 others that registered, and so her registration and post run experience was not pleasant. We all know that we pay for and expect a good experience before and after the actual run itself.
She lives an hour away so having the bib number is important because I picked up the wrong bib due to the information given to the organizers. Repeated email communications from the customer service never really fixed anything. I really don’t want to get into it, but let’s just say she received responses like «don’t worry, we’ll take care of it» but obviously things were never patched up.
She didn’t receive her email notifications regarding her bib number, nor her start and ending times, her run times were not posted, and worst of all she never got to have her run photos. I feel bad because the rest of us get to share our photos on Facebook, but she got nothing.
Ugh, just a mess. I hope this is a one off and as long as you get registered properly, the experience is likely positive for 99% of runners out there (I hope).
That said, I did enjoy the run experience. Workers were friendly and encouraging. The mariachi mile is unique and fun, and a flavor of San Jose. They had about 4 groups pushing us to the finish. And the Memorial run really makes you remember the sacrifices our soldiers made for our country (including our fallen brother Pat Tillman) allowing us and protecting our freedom to participate in fun activities like the 408K Race to the Row.
The medal is sweet. I love that they got SJ Sharkie in there as a mariachi guy, and the shirts are nicely designed and super comfy. Even the bibs looked cool… well except for the Wave 4 bibs. Looks like they ran out of time to color them in, or telling them they need to «earn» their colors LOL. I’ll say the graphic designers did a fantastic job with all the logos.
I’ll keep an open mind and consider the issue a fluke, and update when I hope to run it again next year.

Registration:
Super easy. I got the $ 39 opening special. Email updates get a little tedious after a while and I ended up getting 2 or 3 of the same thing in the 2 weeks before the event.
Packet Pick up:
I really wish they had day of pick up as I live over an hours drive away and had to make the trek to San Jose twice in one weekend. That said it was really easy to get my packet, you just needed to know your bib number and they check it against your name. The TShirts are pretty cool and something I will actually wear.
Course:
Nice and flat. Nice addition to have the different ”miles” (Veteran /​Mariachi). The mile markers were not completely accurate though (yup. the serious Runner in me notices these things). Mile 2 was actually 1.1mi and mile 3 was just 0.9mi.
The event started right on time as planned and without any hitches however I do think that some kind of enforcement of the waves has to be done. Upon coming to the start line there was no one checking bibs. I was put in wave 1 for my sub 8 min mile pace and standing at the start with about a dozen people deep in front of me I noticed a lot of the people around me were wearing bibs marked waves 2, 3 and even 4. Once we started it was also made clear that some people placed in wave 1 really should not have been there. I had to zig zag around people that were not going the correct pace for the wave. Had I been out to PR I would have been really pissed off.
Post Race:
I didn’t experience the ”hearding” that people had mentioned in previous years but I guess that could have been down to the fact I was one of the first 90 people to finish. There was some walk to the end to get our bibs but nothing major.
The post race food was really lame and looking at the pictures from previous years I was expecting to get more than what I did — a bottle of Water, Apple and some Fruit chews. NO BANANA! Really? That gives me the sads. It’s common knowledge that Runners eat Banana’s. The occasional Orange slice, yes. Apples No. Unless they’re in some form of Pastry (Mmmm, Carbs).
The medal is also pretty cool, it can be removed from the lanyard and used as a bottle opener and overall I am glad I can now mark this event off of my Running Bucket List but I doubt I will do it again. Way too far to come for what it is.
Additional:
This event is 1 or 3 of the ”Run the Bay” series challenge where if you complete all 3 events you get an additional medal. Other 2 events are the Across The Bay (12k or 5k) in San Francisco and Let’s Go 510 in Berkeley.
Personal shyt:
Time: 34:54 /​6:58 min mile.
I intended to do a moderate 45:00 /​9 min mile and for the first half mile I was well on track but then some dude with a stroller ran past me. That’s never happened to me before and I didn’t like it (I now know how my poor husband feels. lol). So I had to speed up to my comfortable ”Aaah yeah, It’s on!” pace. Competitive much?
Place: 90^th out of 5,000+ and 18^th Female. BOOM!
–Crazy Runner Girl.

Course description:
The 408K (named for Silicon Valley’s original phone area code and the the race’s 8K distance) is a benefit for the Pat Tillman Foundation. It was first run in 2012. The start is in central San Jose, uses many of the streets used by the Silicon Valley Turkey Trot and Rock ‘n’ Roll San Jose Half Marathon, except it finishes at the Santana Row outdoor mall (i.e. it isn’t an out-​and-​back). Other than a freeway underpass or two the course has no hills, so it’s a fast, not especially scenic — nor especially unpleasant — course.
Organization & Production:
There are appropriate aid stations (four in 2015?) along the course with water and sports drink. There are groups of musicians and cheerleaders from local schools along the course, and mariachi bands in the final mile. The 408K is a mostly well-​organized race, with a family friendly distance, time limit, and atmosphere.
In 2014 I chose not to have the race T-​shirt mailed to me with the bib (a service that costs extra). After the race, I had a little difficulty finding where the T-​shirts were being given to finishers. When I did find the area, due to finishing toward the end of the race they no longer had my size. They took my name and info, and I got my T-​shirt by mail two weeks later. The process worked, but it sort of felt like it was made up on the spot by the volunteers rather than something planned in advance. To some degree this less than excellent part of my race experience was due to the finish area size and layout (pretty much dictated to the organizers) and the large number of people who signed up just before or on race day.
Judging by the 2015 webpages, packet pick-​up and mailing are something with which the organizers are still tinkering. The 408K is a large race, with thousands of runners, getting bibs and T-​shirts to as many as possible while accommodating late– and race-​day registrants is something close to a logistical nightmare. Those who prefer to wear their race T-​shirts during the race should choose pre-​race packet pick-​up or mailing options that permit that.
The 2014 finish area, in my opinion, was too cramped for the size of the race. This discourages hanging out after the race to enjoy the goodies and activities. Thousands of spectators, finishers, and ordinary business patrons were all together in a relatively small area. It also brought some of the race-​end activities close enough to where runners finish that congestion could have been caused, affecting finish times. This was not a problem in 2012 or 2013, whose finish areas were a slightly different area of Santana Row.
So, the course is a point-​to-​point rather than an out-​and-​back, and tired finishers are some 5 miles from where they started. Now what? Well finishers could arrange to be picked up, or just run back to the start area. The 408K also has free shuttles to take finishers back to the start area. In 2014 the shuttles used the parking lots of the closed theaters across Winchester Blvd., and may have done the same in 2015. Personally, I got on the Light Rail at the Winchester Ave, turn-​around and took it into downtown San Jose. After the race I walked several miles down Winchester Ave. back to the Light Rail station. I’m weird.
Swag & Goodies:
The race bling has evolved over its first 3 runnings (see pics). The first year, 2012, had a very nice tech race T-​shirt, but no finishers’ medal. The 2013 T-​shirt was tech, but the artwork looked like some one sized the artwork for a small child’s T-​shirt but put it on an adult T-​shirt. There was a finishers’ medal for 2013, but the design seems pretty gaudy and cheesy to me. In 2014 «somebody» got it right: the race T-​shirt and finishers’ medal designs are excellent. I’ve seen pix of the bib, race T-​shirt, and finishers’ medal for 2015. All are excellent: the finishers’ medal, to my taste, is even better than in 2014; the T-​shirt is solid; where the 2014 bib had some artwork that was obscured by the medium-​dark orange color, the 2015 bib has even more artwork, with a more neutral background color.
My Results & Opinion of the Race:
The 8K distance is kind of unique. My 2014 time was a little better than 12:40 miles, with which I’m happy. I’ve been in 8 races over the past 2 ¼ years whose courses were in the same area of San Jose, so I gave the 408K a pass in 2015. But it is very convenient for me, and I may do it again. Like the Silicon Valley Turkey Trot, this is not the kind of race to which one might ordinarily travel long distance to run, but it is pretty well organized, benefits a worthwhile charity, and is very accessible to runners in Silicon Valley and the South Bay.

The 408K race is one of the most organized races I have participated in (I have to admit, I don’t do many races.) This race goes from downtown SJ to the Santana Row.
Starting with the registration process to the day of the actual race everything was just easy to deal with. They constantly kept the participates informed about any changes via email.
The morning of the race there were UPS trucks that were loading your stuff and would drop it off at the ending location, very nice touch. Especially since this race does not end where is starts, like most races.
The course was pretty nice. Easy to follow and pretty safe.
Yes, the mariachi mile was the one I was looking forward to, being Mexican the Mariachi’s really gave me that extra push for the last stretch. I think there were about 4 bands throughout the way.
The medals are pretty nice and they goodie bags you get at the end have lots of freebie.

I just completed my first 408K race a couple weeks ago. It’s a fairly flat run for the whole 4.97 miles (8k) from the SAP Center to Santana Row. This is a good way of preparing yourself for a full 10K if you’ve only ever done a 5K. It was pretty boring throughout the race. Most of the volunteers looked bored and there wasn’t much entertainment until you reached the Mariachi Mile,
There was plenty of parking downtown and I think the SAP Center and lots around charged about $ 5 for parking. UPS trucks were lined up if you had items to check-​in. I’m glad the weather held up and didn’t pouring as
predicted.
My biggest complaint would be the packet pick-​up on Friday afternoon. I don’t think they had enough volunteers and it was well organized (unlike the Turkey Trot pick-​up days). You first line up to get to the lines that are separated by last names. Then you get into another line just to get your t-​shirt size instead of walking to your size area to pick-​up your race shirt. I feel more volunteers and a larger space would have made it easier. I’m not sure if this was how the packet pick-​up was organized in previous years or was it modified due to the rain that afternoon but it took longer than I had hoped for and I was getting pretty impatient by the time I picked-​up everything.
Overall, I think the race was fairly well organized, minus the lack of entertainment aspect. After the race, you are herded like cattle towards the back parking lot to pick up race goodies and your medal. The medal was actually pretty cool and featured a mariachi guy. They also had charter buses across the street near the movie theatres to take us back to the starting area. I don’t know if I’ll be doing this race again in the future since I like to try different ones but this is the first in my run the bay series challenge. Next up, the 415 in Marin in July and the 510 in Oakland in October.

This was a fun and fast race. This was my first run in the Bay Area and I was very happy.
I was a little worried about the weather, since it had been pouring the days leading up to the race. But, the weather was great. it sprinkled a bit during the run, but was tolerable and it was never too cold.
The course starts in downtown San Jose at SAP center. There is plenty of parking and lots of portable potties :/​. There were also UPS trucks shuttling your gear to the finish line so that you have nice warm and dry clothes when you’re done. There were corrals that were designated by the color of your bib, however no one seemed to follow the corral placement nor was it enforced. This was a bit annoying. There were walkers and strollers in the faster corrals, making it an obstacle course to get through these people if you wanted to run the entire way.
The course itself, was mostly flat going through a lot of residential areas. Volunteers and neighbors were great holding up signs and cheering everyone on. There was even an elderly vet in FULL uniform cheering and saluting us in front of his home. This sight truly warmed my heart.
The theme of the race was ‘sounds of san jose’ so there were many radio stations along the course playing music. However, the mariachi mile was by far, my favorite. During the last mile, by Valley Fair, we were entertained by at least 4 different Mariachi bands in full show! I’m talking violins, tubas, trumpets, full costume! That was absolutely awesome! I actually took off my headphones at this point and enjoyed the serenading.
As we approached the finish at Santa Row, I felt like I was at one the much bigger well known races. It was spectacular. There were balloon banners and a HUGE finish line with a large clock to document your time.
However, after crossing the finish you basically were herded off like cattle in cage like corrals that you couldn’t get out of. This corral was really REALLY long. But, they made it worth your while because at the end you FINALLY received your sustenance. I received an above average race drawstring bag filled with goodies like water, granola, craisins, bars and flyers of info. Some time midway through the cattle you received your beautiful medal from a uniformed military officer.
One of the best parts of the race was that it ended at Santana Row and there were tons of deals like $ 4.08 mimosas and bloody marys. Many places were offering specials for runners in the 408 theme.
Overall, this was one of the better organized and run races I’ve been a part of. I loved the course, the enthusiasm of volunteers and staff, the goodies, the medal and tech tee, the entertainment and deals. I did not like the unenforced corral placements.
I would run this race again if I were in the Bay Area again. Oh, I will be doing the ‘Run the Bay Challenge,’ so I’ll be back in July and October!

Such a great south bay event! So much fun and pride, and good spirits all around.
The course was a flat 8k/​5 miles, and led from SAP Center through downtown SJ to Santana Row. Finishing at the row was nice, as the lights were up, and it gave a nice waiting place for people waiting at the finish line, and for celebrations afterwards! My favorite part was the mariachi mile (last mile of the course) with full on mariachi bands playing throughout. Runners stopped to dance, there was singing, and it was such a great way for San Jose to display a lot of its cultural uniqueness and pride.
There were people throughout the course waiving and smiling and encouraging runners, which is always such a beautiful thing to experience. There was even a WWII vet — 95 years old — out on his curb waiving and hugging people. There were also military personnel at the finish line handing out medals and saying congratulations, and plenty of military personnel running the race too! Such a wonderful way to support our troops through a really great foundation!
Finally logistically, there were a lot of great things. UPS trucks brought runners gear from start to the finish line. Santana Row restaurants had discounts and were open early. Finish line had coconut water, smoothies, and goodie bags with granola and other post-​race foods.
Loved this race and running it with my family. Would recommend dressing up with your group as it adds just more fun to it all. Not too crowded, and no real gunners; just everyone out, having a blast, and doing good things. Tons of families ran together, friends, co-​workers. Everyone was just having a great time!

Another successful 408K race! 3^rd year running the race and I still enjoy the scenic route of San Jose. This years medal and t-​shrit are my favorite! Great design and awesome Sharks colors.
If you didn’t know already check out the Run the Bay Challenge (
). See you in 2015 :)

It was a great course for 4.97 miles. The Mariachi mile was fun! 4 bands all in costume & cheering us on.
Overall, it was a very organized race. Even in a windy, light rain, the paths were clear & police officers were on guard for every turn. I liked how the UPS trucks were at the race start for check in gear & then drove to Santana Row for pickup. The Royal Coach tour buses were waiting for us to be dropped of back where we started. The medals were cool & the Santana Row restaurants were open early with discounts to congratulate the runners. I’d do it again next year only coz they organized this so well.
Forgot to mention that I got to shake World War II veteran Joe Bell as he was cheering us on. The video of him cheering the runners went viral all over the country. It felt great to be able to say thank you & shake the hand of such an honorable man. For serving our country & protecting us so we can run races like these, I’m proud of our military officers & grateful.
Oh, the military voice ensemble did the opening with the Star-​Spangled Banner! That was amazing! It was classic, honorable, perfect harmony & I felt very patriotic (teary-​eyed here). None of the past year’s solos where they improvised the high pitched notes at the end. They did it right this time.

Good overall race.
About 5 miles of nice easy road to run on. Starting at what once was called the HP Pavilion and ending at Santana Row. Good crowd, not overly crowded, so starting went quick from one corral to the next.
I could imagine as this gets more popular, if they keep things how it is, there definitely would be bottlenecking. ESPECIALLY at the finish line in Santana Row. But for now, the about 5000 participants is not enough to cause that.
They had a hiccup with the XL shirts just gone missing. Probably on ebay by now or being sent to relatives overseas. Thankfully they addressed it via email and promised to mail it to those who requested this size. Just unfortunate those who wanted to use it to run during the race could not.
Packet pick up was smooth, then again I went right in the morning. Everything is always smooth sailing when you are up early handling business first.
Back to the actual race, you basically run through the streets of San Jose, through the nice neighborhoods which some locals don’t even realize exist. The «nice» areas of San Jose. As someone said, volunteers were kinda boring. They really did basically just look at you bored without any enthusiasm. The announcer at the starting line seemed good. He was hyping up the crowd, good music, so that was cool. The «Mariachi Mile» didn’t show case that many bands.
The giveaways were ok. Typical stuff. The shirt design this year for 2014 was very nice and clean. Not super cheesy and lame like other race shirt designs. The best part was the medal. Very nice looking. Quality! Timing was good, and results posted rather quickly.
Overall again, good event. It was executed perfectly for the size of it and the crowd.

This review is for the 2014 event. This was my first time running this race. The road itself was fairly flat from downtown San Jose to Santana row. It’s pretty boring throughout the race. Most of the volunteers were just looking at you and not really in the spirit. Once you reached the last mile, they had mariachi bands (I think I counted three) playing.
The race shirt was decent. It wasn’t cotton and I’m very happy about that. The race metal was awesome. It had a mariachi guy with the 408k symbol and bling! Oh and at the end of the race they had bus shuttles taking you back to the starting line where we parked our cars.
Overall I give this race a 3.5 stars out of 5. It’s for a good cause and the swag was pretty cool.

I RUN THE BAY
(5 stars)
I’m after that «I Run The Bay» medal, 1 of 3 series, finished… 2 to go!!! That medal of the bridge with 510, 415, 408 is worth the sign ups. You know me, running is my game, AND IM BACK ON COURSE!!!
Overall: placed 627 out of 2000+ at 9-​something a mile. And didn’t work out for two weeks prior. Lol!
408k
— organized
— proceeds for the Pat Tilman Foundation
— flat course
— mariachi mile was so cool
— great after party
RAIN OR SHINE, we run!!! I rarely run these smaller runs. And usually I run for any race that’s for cancer research. This ones for the Pat Tilman Foundation; I’m a military brat so I support the cause of this race. Started at SAP Center and ended at Santana Row. Course was flat and nice, lots of support and water stations and music. Be nice if one of the water stations had Gatorade because it was all water. Many of us stopped in The middle of our race to shake the hand if an elderly veteran in uniform cheering us on from the sidewalk. It was such a. Honor to shake his hand and personally thank him for his services. The mariachi mile was SO dope, it was fun to hear all these mariachi bands playing through the last mile.
After running the aftermath and restaurant discounts was happening at Santana Row. It was well organized. The bag trucks were there waiting, free massages, buses back to SAP center. It was great!!!
For one who hasn’t done any cardio in two weeks and eating like no tomorrow, I did fairly well! Place 145 in my division, hit the first half amongst over 5000. For a cold to humid to cold kind of race, it was FUN!!!
And thank you to the tall girl with headphones and black shorts who tapped me on the back and said «you can do this» when I felt like slowing down. Hope you had a great race!
AND I LOVE MY MARIACHI METAL!!!
Will I be back? Yup!

Packet pickup is fast and great. Thanks for the free water bottle from Unilocal if you check in from mobile.
Race Day review
— Overall, it is 5 stars event for me. I does run/​bike event every month and this is one of the best. Rock was also great but this is awesome since is for Pat Tillman foundation.
— Start was good with 3 corrals so slower runner can start at the back. They have national anthem before the start and they use drone for video/​photo.
— I wish they have more gatorades at the water stop. Water is good, thanks.
— Love the end at Santana Row and lots of goodies.
I will be back nest year if God willing,

Of the 3 big races in San Jose (Rock N Roll, Turkey Trot, and 408K, I don’t count the tiny trail runs with less than 1000 people), I rank this one 2^nd.
It’s only about 5 miles, but its definitely a fun one. You end at Santana Row. There’s alcohol, albeit not free, at the end.
Make sure you get dropped off at the start and have them pick you up at the finish, buy them a drink or lunch.

For an inaugural race, the SJ 408k was well planned and put together. I’ve done a lot of races and this was the first where there wasn’t a misstep or unorganized piece.
The crowd was great and the race route was a great walking tour of the Rose Garden area. I joined a lot of others and walked vs. run this course, but it was still quite enjoyable.
I highly encourage all Bay Area folks to sign up for this race next year. Proceeds went to a wonderful cause and the dry fit shirt at the end was an added bonus.
Highlights:
–Great music at the start of the early morning.
–Course layout
–Perfectly placed hydration stations
–A mariachi band at the last mile (they actually signed up and wore race bibs too
–The finish line through the driveway of Santana Row
–Small yoga/​stretch class at the end
–Great booths
–I recommend having breakfast at the Village Bistro after. SO GOOD.
–Mariachis playing music at the very end while crossing the finish
–Watching the young kids run a lap around Santana Row after it was all completed
–Great dry fit shirt
–Fun time for all!
Two thumbs way up for this way.