Kaiser Permanente Half Marathon | Weekend in San Francisco, CA

Welcome to San Francisco

If you’re looking to get away from the cold in the middle of winter, consider heading to San Francisco. The winters are mild (~60 degrees) which makes for great hiking weather, and the Kaiser Permanente Half Marathon in Golden Gate Park is a worthy destination race. Held in February, the series includes a half marathon, 10k and 5k. While you’re there, you can also enjoy the epic scenery that makes San Francisco famous.

Where to Stay

The race takes place in Golden Gate Park so you can’t go wrong staying at an Airbnb in the Richmond or Outer Richmond districts. Both are beautiful residential areas close to the park as well as other walking areas in the city. Inner Sunset and Outer Sunset neighborhoods—just south of the park—are also nice places to stay, though a bit more out of the way in terms of getting around the rest of the city.

About the Race

The Kaiser Permanente Half Marathon is the ultimate ego boost. The half marathon course is downhill (~200 feet decrease in elevation), making it the fastest race we’ve ever run. The course route is great, traversing through famous Golden Gate Park and then for several miles along Ocean Beach. With 10,000 runners (about 6,000 of which run the half), it’s a good-sized race. I’d recommend this race to anyone, especially people who aren’t sure if they want to run for thirteen miles; the miles go quickly when you’re running downhill with this kind of scenery to keep you entertained. As an added bonus, they mail your bib to you, saving you the trip to pick up your bib when you arrive in San Francisco. (Course map)

**Day 1. Arrive and Go to (Alcatraz) Prison**

Friday

Arrive and immediately head out for a walking tour of the city. Enjoy a ferry ride and tour of famous Alcatraz Prison.

11:00 - Arrive at San Francisco airport. Take a ride share (~30 mins) to the Airbnb. Check in early or drop bags off.

12:30 - Have lunch at Burma Superstar (A). Be sure to get the tea leaf salad and coconut rice.

2:00 - Start out on a walking tour of the city. Walk through beautiful Presidio Park towards Crissy Field (B) where you will get a great view of the Golden Gate Bridge. Visit the Palace of Fine Arts (C) and then continue along the water to Fisherman’s Wharf (D). (Don’t spend too much time in the wharf as it’s quite crowded). Pop up to the famous Lombard Street (E), known for its very tight turns. You can stand at the bottom of the street and look up for a fun view.

3:30 - Head to the departing wharf of Alcatraz Cruises (F), the official source for ferry tickets to Alcatraz Island. Book a reservation in advance for the Alcatraz Night Tour ($48). The ferry departs at 3:50. (Here is the full schedule of tours to the island).

4:00 - Tour Alcatraz Prison. The audio tour is surprisingly fascinating and entertaining.

6:40 - Take the return ferry back to the city. Continue your walking tour along the Embarcadero (G) past the iconic Ferry Building (H).

7:00 - Head uphill to the Dragon’s Gate (I) and walk through Chinatown. End the day with dinner at The House (open daily until 10 for dinner), a delicious Asian-fusion restaurant. Make reservations in advance for this popular spot.

Take advantage of San Francisco’s proximity to world-class hiking by heading 45 minutes north to Mount Tamalpais State Park.

8:00 - Pick up coffee and breakfast at a cafe near the Airbnb, such as Cafe Enchante.

8:30 - Pick up a rental car or car share (like ZipCar or Getaound). Drive (~45 min) to the Dipsea trail head (A) near the Stinson Beach fire station.

9:30 - Hike the Dipsea Trail to Steep Ravine Trail Loop, a 6-mile, moderate difficulty hike with beautiful views of the Pacific Ocean. For those of you who are concerned about hiking the day before a long run: rest assured, we did this and can offer two appeasements: 1) remember, the course is downhill and 2) San Francisco is known for amazing hiking, so take advantage of it!

1:30 - After the hike, stop for lunch at The Siren Canteen (B) and eat overlooking Stinson Beach. Spend some time enjoying the beach after lunch.

2:30 - Drive back into the city. If you didn’t already receive your race bib in the mail, stop at Sports Basement Presidio (C) to pick up your bib.

4:00 - Stop at Trader Joe’s on Masonic Ave (D) to pick up ingredients to cook your pre-race dinner and breakfast fixings for two days. Drop off the rental car.

5:00 - Head back to the Airbnb to get cleaned up and cook dinner.

**Day 3. Race and Explore Golden Gate Park**

Sunday

Race day! Enjoy the course and then reward yourself with delicious food.

6:30 - Wake up. Have breakfast and head to the starting line at John F. Kennedy Drive east of Stow Lake Drive (A).

8:00 - Race! Enjoy the tour of Golden Gate Park and views of the ocean.

10:30 - Have a post-race snack to hold you over for brunch. Head back to the Airbnb to clean up.

11:30 - Head to brunch at Sweet Maple (B). This place is delicious but, unfortunately like most brunch places in San Francisco, they don’t take reservations. There will likely be a long line so be prepared to wait, though the line moves quickly. The food is amazing.

1:30 - From Sweet Maple, you can head south for a quick stop to see the famous Painted Ladies (C). Then walk north up Fillmore Street, a bustling shopping street (D).

2:30 - If you’re feeling up for a museum visit, head back to Golden Gate Park (E). If you’re more excited about a science museum, visit the California Academy of Sciences (Mon–Sat 9:30am–5pm, Sun 11am–5pm, ~$35.00) which has an amazing living roof. Alternatively, see the de Young Museum (Tue-Sun 9:30am-5:15pm, $29) if art is more your thing. Both are good visits. You’ll probably want to ride share to the park as it’s about 3 miles from the top of Fillmore Street.

3:30 - As it happens, the race falls on Superbowl Sunday, so at this point, you may want to head somewhere to watch the game. After the museum visit—or in lieu of—you can head to the San Francisco Athletic Club (F), a sports bar with lots of TVs.

7:30 - After the game (or earlier, if that’s not for you), take a ride share (~2 miles) to one of our two favorite restaurants for a celebratory dinner. Kokkari Estiatorio (G) (open until 10) is a fantastic Mediterranean restaurant, and Allegro Romano (H) (open until 9:30) is a charming hole-in-the-wall Italian gem. Both take reservations.

Spend your last morning in San Francisco hiking the Presidio’s Lands End trail for more amazing views.

8:00 - Have breakfast at the Airbnb.

9:00 - Hike The Lands End Trail in Presidio Park, a popular 3.4 mile loop. Start (A) and end (D) at Lands End Trail Eagles Point. Check out the Lands End Labyrinth (B) for a mental challenge. Sutro Baths (C) is the turnaround point.

11:00 - Head back to the Airbnb to clean up and check out.

12:00 - Pick up a sandwich at Lou’s Cafe (E) for lunch (open Mon-Fri 8:00am-7:00pm, Sat 8:00-4:00, Sun 9:00-4:00). The veggie sandwich is great.

1:00 - Head to airport to fly home.