Lake Merced Half Marathon

Who can resist a $ 10 half marathon?
Veteran runners will know half marathons can cost anywhere between $ 50-​$ 200, so $ 10 is a steal! Granted, there’s no finisher’s medal or race shirt, but the experience is well worth it.
This is a low-​key event, with just about 200 runners when I ran this in 2013. The small cohort provided a relaxed and laid-​back feel, making it ideal for any first timers looking to complete a half marathon. The fast and flat course also makes the race easier to complete — or at least, as easy as running 13.1 miles can be. If you’re looking to PR, this is a great race to do it!
The scenery during the race wasn’t stunning, but the views of the lake and trees were calming and enjoyable enough. Some people might find the three loops around the lake boring, but I appreciated knowing exactly where I was and how much more distance I had left to go with every loop. The path was straightforward considering there was just a single trail around the lake to follow, but there were white markings and volunteers present at turning points to navigate runners in the right direction.
The aid stations were loaded with an abundance of snacks in addition to the usual drinks. Bananas, orange slices, chips, Goldfish, cookies, trail mix, and more were spread over the table. My boyfriend, who was running his first half marathon at the time, stopped to eat snacks every time and became known as the snack guy to the volunteers.
Race swag included a cute little finisher’s ribbon plus a goodie bag of health food snacks and vitamins. There was also a feast of snacks.
Don’t miss out on this fun and cheap half marathon happening every fall!