5/5 Stars

Buses were a bit slow, but that meant less time waiting in the cold! I fueled exactly as I had in training, and it worked wonderfully. Course was beautiful, and I crossed the finish line much faster than I had anticipated!

I did, by over an HOUR. BQ +2 minutes!

Beautiful and VERY fast. A quieter course, which I personally love. The last few miles were only ok, but I feel like by that point, it doesn't make a huge difference.

Overall, I would do more downhill training. I ran ~50 miles a week, and this seemed like a good amount of training - 1-2 speed workouts a week and a long run, plus easy miles.

Don't stress about the small things.

Flew in from CO the day before, so we didn't have much time to do anything before the race. We went to Disneyland the next day. No regrets, although my legs may tell a different story.

5/5 Stars

Awesome course.

5/5 Stars

IERC had about 80 members at the race - so great seeing so many friends on the course and PR with most of them!

Yes! By 10 minutes over Revel Canyon.

Perfect.

I just run regularly, don't really train specifically for a race... although it would probably help! Advice... runners need to cross train - squats are your friend.

Figure out what works for you during your training runs, not on race day.

Live relatively local.

5/5 Stars

It was perfect weather - Finally!!

Yes!!! OMG.. By 19 minutes!! My best for a half before I ran this course was 2:19 and I got 2:00.27!! I only ran the half ( as I am running Mt Lemmon in few weeks for the full). I will definitely run Big Bear full next year and see if I get to my goal! Great course!

Very strong downhill and then for about 4 miles it flattens out as it goes into the town.

I am a LA Leggers.. I train all year and run between 2-3 marathons per year. I train on a lot of hills and downhills ( uphills are speed in disguise).

Always put vasaline on your feet before you run (at least if your running more than 10 miles).

We ate at a very good Mediterranean restaurant.

4/5 Stars

Weather wasn't good, but not your fault. The course was okay. The last half could have been a little better. Would like more people along the route to cheer. Overall I did enjoy it. My son and a niece ran as well. We will do more revel runs.

First run so yes here. Also I did pr overall. Have run 3 halves so far. Pr bu 9 minutes.

Nice. Love the mountains didnt like the flat. Would rather have more mountains.

I didnt train like I wanted. I train by myself around my house when I have the time. I'm very busy so training is not as easy as it is for some.

Train more before. Do it for fun not for the race. Find some friends or relatives to do it with you.

Went to big bear lake. Shopped there. Rented a cabin and enjoyed the hot tub and the wood stove. My wife and I traveled from texas, my niece from Indiana, and my son from burbank.

5/5 Stars

Got up before 2am, met up with friends and carpooled to the race. Met up with more friends at the start area and watched the fog blow and out like a giant dragon was breathing nearby. Had a good start and ran with the 2 hour pacer for the first 4 miles and left them behind at a water stop. Ran a really fun first 8 miles, then a difficult 3 miles, and really didn't have any fun at all on those last 2. :)

Yes, this was my first half marathon where I broke 2 hours. I PR'd by about 4 and half minutes over my previous fastest half marathon back in 2011.

The first 6-7 miles were very scenic, running out of the mountains. After mile 9, it was pretty bleh. The grade and elevation were great for the first 11 miles, then it flattened out enough that even if it was still downhill it really didn't feel like it, especially that last mile when we turned on Opal. That mile was grim.

Trained a lot on downhills. Came out to the course and ran the first10-12 miles several times so that I knew the grade, the curves, the uphills. I did regular speed work and tempo runs in addition to the long runs and cross training. I probably ran about 25-30 miles/week.
Next time I might start slower and try to hold to a more consistent pace for those beginning miles.
I'd advise folks planning to do this race to really, seriously, train on long downhills. It makes a world of difference. A day after the race and I was walking like a normal human... many of the other folks I know are still feeling wrecked.

Don't expect that the weather we had for this race is normal. The weather we had was outstandingly good and really unusual for Redlands in October... expect hot and windy.
Course tips? Don't expect the hills to carry you to the finish, those last couple miles feel flat.

I live about 45 miles away in Diamond Bar, so we didn't really hang around in the area before or after (aside from the post-race festival area).

5/5 Stars

Hardest accomplishment of my life!! Love the support group at the last three miles. Charlotte helped me stretch and motivated me to continue with my last three miles. I love her!

Yes but because it was my first. Lol

9 miles was hard!! Not all downhill. Wasn’t expecting all the hills/incline.

Could have trained much harder.

Train Train and Train

5/5 Stars

Early arrival to the parking lot on Hospitality Lane in SB, the view of the cloud cover over the valley from the half marathon start in Forest Falls, running down through the canyon on Highway 38 ... and the post-race donut with sprinkles!

No, wasn't in PR shape, but it is in my top three fastest for the half marathon distance.

Very scenic.

It wasn't what I had planned out due to a bunch of circumstances, but to run a half as fast as I did was a credit to the course. Advice: Be consistent, stick to your training plan, make sure you get a least a day a week when you're running a 10K pace tempo run with high foot turnover.

Be consistent in training.

I'm local, so aside from the race, it was a "typical" weekend for me.

5/5 Stars

I was super anxious to start the race since it was my first half merathon didn’t really know what to expect I really loved how people were just so encouraging throughout the course

I set an RP to finishe within 3 hrs
I RP 1:43 way better than what I expected

The scenery was amazing definitely would have loved to have run the full merthone to see more of the beautiful view

I heard about the Marathon/half marathon about two months before the race I wanted to challenge myself so I trained abou 4-5 days a week 2-3 miles every day . I wish I would have pushed myself a little harder and ran more miles a day so I would have gotten a better time.

just have fun just remember it’s a memory your making and even when you feel like giving up just push yourself harder it will be worth it at the end when your done and you gave it all you had to give. Dress warm so your muscles stay warm if you take a sweater/sweats take something your not going to miss if you lose also make sure you take actual running shoes with good padding you don’t want to get shinsplints they are not fun to have

I traveled from Azusa not that far about an hour away arrived about 45 min before the race stared

5/5 Stars

Everything about REVEL Big Bear was nearly perfect! This was a no expectations race for me coming off cancer surgery only 5 months prior. My goal was to finish as strong as I started. The course was perfectly designed to allow me to execute a near flawless race. By the time I reached the 20 mile mark, I knew that I was in the window for my first ever BQ. By the time I reached Mile 24, it was in the bag! I was completely numb from the emotion when I crossed the finish line. Thank you REVEL for allowing me to achieve a dream that I've been literally chasing for over 10 years. To do it coming of cancer just made it even more other worldly. October 14 2018 will be a day I never forget!

Yes! PR'd by over 30 minutes including a +7 minute BQ for 2020!

The course was extremely fast. Coach Paul's course seminar laid it out perfectly. By breaking up the course into 6 separate segments (Warm Up, Slow But Steady, Rolling Downhill, Pick Up Speed, Accelerate, Fast Finish), it made the race execution pretty simple and not so overwhelming. Add the perfectly cool fall temperature and it was a race that was going to see a lot of PRs and BQs.

My training was a bit unusual since I also had to account for recovery from cancer surgery. Ideally I would have executed a 4 - 5 month training cycle between 160 - 180 mile months. Because I needed time to recover from my surgery, my full training cycle was about 3 months including back to back +200 mile months to make up for the lost training miles. I ran the old REVEL Canyon City course a month before Big Bear to get some extended downhill training and I also did bi-weekly long runs with mile hill repeats. The downhill training is really key in assuring a solid performance on race day.

I would recommend that you definitely run this race. Train properly and maintain a good nutrition plan. You will achieve all the success on this course by doing so. If you decide to run this race, follow the REVEL Race Series Facebook page to get all the advice and tips you need from training, to course reviews, to race day logistics, etc. The crew at REVEL do their very best to make sure all their runners have the best possible race day experience.

I traveled from Pasadena so I didn't really stick around very long after the post-race celebration.