Rose Bowl Half Race Report

The event itself: Where? How long? When? Weather?

Starting and ending at the iconic Rose Bowl in Pasadena, CA. I ran the half marathon. It was Saturday, January 18th, 2026. The start line felt cold, but the temp was mid-50 degrees Fahrenheit. It was mid-70s by the end of the race and sunny with only 2 mph wind. The wind is significant because we've been having gusts up to 40-50 miles per hour.

Course description and evaluation of event logistics

This course is nostalgic for me because I biked these routes 2 or 3 times per week for a few years. I know the hills and I know the effort needed to climb them. The city is so cute and there's a lot to see.

How did you train for the event

I have been following the LA Road Runners Level 3 plan for the 2026 LA Marathon. The Rose Bowl Half is a stepping stone. We have had six long runs in Nov, Dec, and Jan to prepare for this race. We followed a 2-week taper to run strong today.

Gear and Nutrition

I wore my hydration vest and took lots of goodies with me. I drank almost all my water. I set a timer on my watch to take either an electrolyte tablet or carbs every 15 minutes. Precision Fuel & Hydration was the nutrition partner. I picked up two PF 30 gels and took them. I also ate one frozen waffle with peanut butter, one package of four belvita cookies, two Gu, and one sleeve of six Clif blocks. I did drink some electrolit but maybe only twice. At each water stop, I dumped the water on my head.

Specific experiences

After each mile I thought, "that was my favorite mile." I actually enjoyed the whole race and ran consistently throughout. My only goal was to finish my race before the kids race. My son ran with the five year olds. I had enough time to get lined up along the rail, and film him. He was pretty jazzed. After collecting all of the goodies for finishers, I had brought my gear check bag to collect everything, we had a "picnic" on the grass of the field. It was honestly everything I dreamed of when I registered us for these races.

Finish and associated emotion

The pace leader of my training group was there at the finish line to give me a fist bump and a hug and take my picture. It was so special to have someone there waiting and recognize me and congratulate me. Someone called me out by name on the course, but my bib didn't have my name on it, and I think I know who it was. But honestly, I was just tickled pink that somebody gave me a shout out.

Overall evaluation of the event

Since I didn't have a kid running in the kids race last year, I couldn't speak to the logistics of that race in last year's race report. My husband got a bib that said "parent" so that he could join us in the stadium, on the grass, without having to run at all. My husband and son also watched the 5k finishers from the stadium bleachers and collected dropped pins from the finsh line festival. They both agreed it was fun and a good way to spend the day together as a family. So that made me feel good that we all got to participate.