Divas Half Marathon

This was my first half marathon and I’m so happy that it was. There were bathrooms and water stations at every mile, the swag was awesome especially the medal and everyone on the run was supportive. The bus shuttling was organized and everything was running as scheduled. What a beautiful place to host the event. I didn’t get to participate in the wine tasting portion however because it felt too crowded for me. Lots of opportunities for photo ops too. I would run the Divas again.

This was my first time running this race and I was a little disappointed considering the price they charged. But let me start by telling what I loved about this race. Shuttles were very well organized and ran smoothly, the shirtless fireman were a very nice touch, expo was small but nice, post race snacks were really nice, volunteers amazing and the winery did an amazing job. Loved the light up tutus and boas. The wine glasses were nice, I’m not a drinker so I didn’t partake in the wine tasting.
Now for what I didn’t like. The jackets were a joke, very poor quality and ran 2 sizes too small so needless to say my is useless because I can’t wear it and couldn’t exchange for a bigger size because that was what everyone else was trying to do. They had two different sizes for the tiaras and I ended up with the toddler size which meant that mine fit around my arm not head. (They should have all been the same, they know how many are running) I think the medal could have been a little nicer. It was so heavy and a little blah. Last years was really nice

You had me (sign up) at wine tasting!
You know you’re a runner when… you sign up for a Special Edition race for February the following year… and it’s only summer (2014). Then you stalk the registration site with your running friends so when midnight strikes, you’re one of the few thousands to have purchased a bib. That’s exactly what happened when I signed up for Divas Half, Temecula. I lost sleep and a couple of hundred dollars to ensure I got that golden ticket to run this race.
SWAGS: Run Like a Diva promised swags to include tutus, feather boas, a tiara, a free race picture, a race shirt, complimentary wine glass and wine tasting, and a to die for medal/​bling. And… they delivered. I think it’s a pretty good way to get even non-​runners to sign up for this event any day! I mean… c’mon! Even men signed up for this race.
I actually liked this race… even though I felt a bit off. I forgot my salt tabs so I was hitting the restrooms (4) on the first half of the half. I kept thinking to myself how this race could have been my PR; But at the same time an inner voice in me is telling me to slow down and save my leg for another race in a couple of weeks. So, I was hitting them restrooms fast and running slower.
The HILLS: I used to hate running hills… actually I still do. My arse and calves have not been this sore in quite a while. So, I get it now… California Flat is no such thing. That was a cruel joke. Even the run to the finish line was a killer. Thanking that girl who pushed me to race her to the top — as I whispered to you jokingly, «You WILL not win.»
Post Race Food: Again, another tasteless joke. I was walking in circles trying to find the post-​race food. They provided us with a banana, dried fruits (that could probably feed a bird) and a small bag of pretzels. At this point, I wanted to give back the tutu and tiara for some protein bar. They did have burgers and salads outside where the expo was, but something that heavy is not what I tend to eat after a long run.
The WINE tasting: So, after swallowing the banana whole, I headed for my free 2 oz. wine tasting in my own personal Diva wine glass. Word. This running diva is happy.
Final thought: Divas is a great race to do for first timers, but I don’t think it’s worth over $ 165 to do this race again… even if you try to bribe me with light up tutus and pixie dust.

This was my 3^rd half marathon and my least favorite course. It was advertised as «California flat» but it was anything but flat. I would say about 60% of the course was hills. You even had to run up a hill at the very end to the finish line. I have run hilly courses before but I knew ahead of time and trained accordingly. I just wish the organizers would have been more honest about the course ahead of time. The scenery of the course was very pretty. The expo was really small. I thought the shirts, tutus, medals and commemorative wine glass were nice. The wine tasting was just okay, they only gave you two 1 oz. pours. The mimosas that were available for purchase after the race were great. Maybe they should include those next year. Another thing I didn’t like was that the post-​run food area was pretty far away from the finish area. Who wants to walk that far after running 13 miles?