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Submitted by songsta
January 14, 2014
Review
This was my first small sized marathon and it was a blast. I had run LA and Long Beach before. I really liked the convenience and intimateness of running with less than 150 other marathoners vs over 20,000 in the other two races. I picked up my bib on race day and avoided having to devote Saturday to driving to Anaheim from LA. The start wasn’t crowded at all; I was one of the first at the start line even though the half marathoners and 5k runners all started at the same time as us. the water station support was awesome. the course was pretty flat; elevation change was less than 400 feet throughout the 26.2 miles. they even announced my name as I crossed the finish line. it’s clear that the race organizers re-invest the proceeds from the race into making the event as memorable as possible: the medal is the nicest I’ve ever received and the zip up long sleeve looks great. definitely a race I would recommend to my friends.
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Submitted by andyrun2014
January 14, 2014
Review
I have only been running seriously for 3 or 4 months and this was my third 5K and by far the best. The registration was as easy as the other races I’ve done, just do it online – can’t really get any easier than that! Packet pick-up was easy too, I picked mine up before the race, but I saw plenty of people doing it on race day without any problems. Tons of free parking too.
The best things about the 5K section of the course is that it is mostly flat and away from any street traffic. It is quite narrow in places, so it was a bit of squeeze for large groups of runners, but as they keep the number of participants low it was not too bad. On the whole the course probably deserves an A rating.
The organizers and volunteers were very friendly and helpful and post-race was great. The bottles of water were appreciated even by some of us 5K runners!
I had a great time, ran my best race time (I have ran faster on a couple of training runs though) and shocked myself by winning my age group! I definitely plan to come back next year, but maybe by then I will be ready to try the half marathon. I think if I ever get to the point where I can run a half or full marathon I would make this event my first one.
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Submitted by Sarah
January 13, 2014
Review
I enjoyed this race more than I thought I would. For a small, affordable race, it provided some great amenities, especially post-race. The marathon course is a 6.5 mile out and back and then out and back the other way. It is mostly flat minus running under the many overpasses, but there are a couple hills around mile 19. Nothing to worry about though. The only drawback is the course gets a little boring.
There was a ton of aid stations, about every mile or so it seemed which was great. They even handed out gels which I wasn’t expecting, and the volunteers were really friendly.
The race started on time which I love and the weather was great for running: cool and cloudy in the early morning but ended up in the low 60s and sunny. There’s an early start option for race walkers or people who need a little more time, again, another nice feature.
The post-race goodies were great: bottles of water (I just ran another race where the only post-race refreshments was little tiny cups of water), chocolate milk, apple juice, bagels and bananas. And the race shirt in the goody bag is a long sleeved zip up! Even the big expensive races don’t do that. Add in plenty of free parking, race day bib pick up and this race is really worth the money! I’d do it again.
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Submitted by Zellis
October 29, 2013
Review
Loved this race!! Great event to start off the new year. I did the half marathon and had a blast. This course is a GREAT Boston qualifier as it is a flat and fast course. It was very organized, and everyone involved in the race were cheerful and extremely helpful. I would definitely do this race again!!
