Disclaimer: I received an entry to the 2020 Napa Valley Half Marathon as part of being a BibRave Pro. Learn more about becoming a BibRave Pro (ambassador), and check out BibRave.com to review find and write race reviews!
Rachel and I at Mumms Napa in 2018
If you have been reading my blog for a while, you may have noticed that I love to bundle races with vacations, and frequently have been known to find a race, and then plan a trip around it. Well, its happened again, and this time I will be heading to California to run a half marathon!
My husband Dennis and I will he traveling to Napa valley, where the Napa valley half marathon will take place this March. Lucky for us his sister Rachel and her boyfriend Greg live in Walnut Creek, so we will be able to bundle the race weekend with a visit.
The last time we visited them we focused our adventures in San Francisco, and just spent an afternoon in Napa doing some wine tasting. This time around our plans will be centered around Napa Valley, and I’m looking forward to a more immersive experience in the area.
The race takes place on March 1, 2020 on the Sonoma trail. The race distances include a marathon, a half marathon, and a 5k - personally, I will be running the half marathon. Greg has agreed to run as well, but he will likely be much faster than I am, so we will part ways at the start and reunite at the finish.
Dennis and I at Greg’s family vineyard during our last visit
Thanks to BibRave, I have been given the opportunity to experience the VIP race package, which includes some pretty awesome perks, including a bottle of local wine, a private pre-race area with dedicated porter potties on race morning, and a VIP gear check among other things. The VIP program is limited to 100 runners per distance, so if this is something that appeals to you, make sure to register soon! If you use the use the code “BIBRAVE10” when you register, you’ll even save $10.
I’m looking forward to visiting California once again, and can’t wait to explore new parts of Napa! If you have any tips or favorite places I should check out, let me know in the comments below.
Like many runners, I have a long term “bucket list” of running a half marathon in each of the 50 states, and since this will be my first half in California, it will also bring me one state closer to that long term goal of running a half in each of the 50 states.