Berkeley Half Marathon Preview

BERKELEY HALF MARATHON

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2017

START TIME: 8:00 AM PST

Course Map // Elevation Profile // Results

Race Preview for the BATC | The Berkeley Half Marathon will serve as a nice rust buster and strength session for BATC Elite runner Megan Bordes and BATC Racing Team athlete Annie Dear. Both ladies are looking forward to testing their recent training in a race environment.

We chose this local race because it offers a great competitive atmosphere without requiring a lot of travel. We are thrilled to have the opportunity to compete with the best in our own backyard. This will be a great effort for Megan and Annie heading into the Thanksgiving holiday.

Megan, a 2017 graduate of UC Berkeley, is excited to make her half marathon debut on her home turf. She was primarily a steeplechaser for the Bears, so the half marathon will be a major step up in distance. She will be treating this as a long tempo run. It is a great opportunity for her to build on her solid training over the last five weeks.

Annie has a half marathon PR of 77:35 from 2016, when she finished runner-up at the Cambridge Half Marathon in Cambridge, MA. This will be her first test of the fall. Her recent training has been solid, and she hopes to get in a good race effort and gage her fitness before beginning her next training block: she has her eye on a 2018 marathon debut.

There has been a strong women’s field at the Berkeley Half Marathon for the past four years, with Madeleine Van Santen taking the women's title last year in 78:55. Anna Bretan is a three-time Berkeley Half Marathon champion, taking the titles in 2013, 2014, and 2015. Her 2014 run of 76:13 is the course record.

The race kicks off at 8:00am on Milvia St and finishes on MLK Way. The course isn't an easy one. For the first third of the race, there are some rolling climbs on the outskirts of the Berkeley Hills. The course continues down toward the marina, where it flattens out and heads back into downtown Berkeley for a fantastic finish!

Overall, the race should be fun and competitive. Megan and Annie are eager to see if they can compete with the best the Berkeley Half Marathon has to offer.