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Submitted by coishi
June 21, 2015
Review
I love this race. I did the 5k in 2013 and the 10k in 2014. They made a few changes from 2013 to 2014 that really improved the value of your race fee. In 2013 I would’ve given the race a B-/C+, but in 2014 it’s gotten bumped up to an A. Since it’s a nonprofit race run by volunteers, the race fee is much lower than other 5k or 10ks in Los Angeles, which I like. A big complaint in 2013 was the medals, and the race organizers heard the feedback loud and clear. While I’m not the type of runner who really runs for a medal, I will say they substantially upgraded this year. They went from medals that were the size of a silver dollar to medals that were the size of your palm. And the designs were much better too. If you’re someone who goes for the “bling” this medal will definitely be one you’ll like. It’s one of the nicer medals I have. Another big complaint in 2013 were the shirts. They went to tech shirts in 2013, but the fit was rather weird and was small on a lot of people. This year they went back to cotton shirts, but rather than the generic Hanes beefy T’s a lot of races give out, this was a premium cotton bamboo blend on par with an American Apparel shirt. And the design was really nice, so much so that I actually wear the shirt regularly.
Onto the race itself. The 5k course is basically a run from Chinatown up to Dodger Stadium and back. While there’s definitely an incline to get up to Dodger Stadium, it’s manageable. The 10k course. Man. It’s a beast, but worth it. It takes you from Chinatown up to Elysian Park and takes you up to the top of Elysian Park. It’s not easy, but man is that view worth it. Breathtaking views of Los Angeles at the top, a nice overview of Dodger Stadium, Downtown LA, and since it’s early in the morning and pretty clear it’s quite nice. The first mile is fairly flat, but miles 2 & 3 are basically entirely uphill so you’ll really feel the burn. I did some incline training to prepare but still got by butt kicked. Miles 4 & 5 are basically entirely downhill, and mile six is flat with a rolling hill or two.
Pre course- I always just pick up my packed the morning of. Well organized and easy. Parking is the standard parking in downtown LA routine. You will have to pay to park in a lot, but if you’ve ever been to downtown LA you know there is no such thing as free parking in downtown and roll with it. I love the race opening festivities. Before the start of the races they light of a few thousand firecrackers and have dragon dancers.
Race itself- I like that the 5k and 10k have staggered start times. Often when doing an event that offers both a 5k and 10k they have them start at the same time and you’ll get clogged up with 5k walkers slowing you down. 5k starts half an hour before the 10k so it helps immensely. Still a bit of a logjam for the first quarter mile due to sheer volume of people, but it spreads out pretty quickly. There are taiko drummers playing along the course as you head out of Chinatown towards either Dodger Stadium or Elysian Park on both the 5k and 10k courses, so that’s fun as they are drumming right when you start to climb hills. The taiko drummers are also there right as you are coming down the final hill for both courses too to bring you home. Nice touch to get you pumped. Overall It’s very well organized, good course support, and good support from the local community. A lot of people cheering along the course and well stocked water stations.
Post race festival is less health/fitness expo you get at most runs and more cultural celebration, which I like. Stage has different dancers and singers to enjoy. And since you’re in Chinatown, awesome food options too. I like going for dim sum afterwards, it’s actually what motivates me as I run. I just thing to myself… 4 more miles to dim sum, 3 more miles to dim sum, etc.
After trying out the 5k and 10k course, I’ll definitely be making this an annual thing… although only doing the 10k course if I have time to do incline training to take on that beast.
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Submitted by
August 26, 2013
Review
I’ve run this race for a few years now. I love the atmosphere before the race with the ceremony. It’s a crowed race so we tend to arrive early and park a few streets away to walk to the race, although they do have parking lots. The lots this year have gotten smarter and were charging a bit more to park so it was worth it to simply street park further away.
The course goes up to dodger stadium and is very hilly. I actually like this. I do the 5k so its not that bad, but a 10k would be a workout!
I won’t be doing this race again though. The medals are different. I did the race every year to collect the nice medals for the different chinese zodiac years. They’re small, but cute and I’d imagines collecting all 12. This year was a total rip off and we got cheaper medals that I remember were given out to those doing the kiddie run last year. I was so disappointed. It completely ruined it for me and the other friends I’d gotten to do it with me every year.
Overall
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Course
Post-race
Submitted by
August 26, 2013
Review
I’ve run this race for a few years now. I love the atmosphere before the race with the ceremony. It’s a crowed race so we tend to arrive early and park a few streets away to walk to the race, although they do have parking lots. The lots this year have gotten smarter and were charging a bit more to park so it was worth it to simply street park further away.
The course goes up to dodger stadium and is very hilly. I actually like this. I do the 5k so its not that bad, but a 10k would be a workout!
I won’t be doing this race again though. The medals are different. I did the race every year to collect the nice medals for the different chinese zodiac years. They’re small, but cute and I’d imagines collecting all 12. This year was a total rip off and we got cheaper medals that I remember were given out to those doing the kiddie run last year. I was so disappointed. It completely ruined it for me and the other friends I’d gotten to do it with me every year.
Overall
Pre-race
Course
Post-race
Submitted by pasadena13
February 25, 2013
Review
This event consists of numerous different races over two days (Saturday and Sunday) and includes a bike ride, 5K, and 10K. This was my second year participating and I ran the 10K. If you like steep hills, this race is for you!
Expo/Packet Pick Up: I took the Gold Line to Chinatown Station and walked a block west to the expo on Saturday. I arrived around 11AM. Packet pickup was easy and there were tons of helpful volunteers to assist you. I got a nice top handle backpack with the year of the snake logo on it and a t-shirt. The t-shirt was a soft cotton and I made sure I got a medium this year since I got a small last year and it was on the small side. The goodie bag had some future race ads, some healthcare products (lotion, etc.), and some brown rice. Race entries featured a carbo-load “meal”, which consisted of a medium sized box of chicken chow mein and a fortune cookie. The expo was small with a few free samples. There were also local food establishments selling food. Entertainment was provided by local performing arts groups.
Course: The 5K started at 8AM and the 10K started at 8:30AM. There were thousands of runners/walkers there. The 10K started several minutes late and it took a while to cross the start. Fortunately, the race was chip timed. The first mile was slow because there were no wave starts and there were dozens of walkers, runners with strollers, and runners with dogs lined up near the front. The course was extremely hilly from about miles 2-4. Water stations were set up about every other mile, which was very nice, given the hilly terrain and warm weather. Mile markers were placed at every mile and were very easy to see. The views from the top of Elysian Park were amazing. There were hundreds of spectators cheering you on near the start and finish areas.
Finish Line: At the finish line, each finisher received a very small medal. From there, you are provided with water bottles, PowerBar chews, bagels, bananas, pistachios, and almonds. I got back on the Gold Line and headed home. The gear check was fast and simple. Very nice, but only provided to those who presented their Metro card.
Final Thoughts: I don’t think I’ll run the 10K again, but I’ll definitely be back next year for the 5K. The hills on the 10K were jThis was my first year participating in this event and I ran the 10K. This event also included a triathlon, a roller skating race, a 5K, and a 10K.
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Submitted by Blush
April 24, 2012
Review
I really like this race. I did both 2011 and 2012 and loved both my medals with different animal designs. The 10K is pretty tough because you have to go up Elysian Park which is a very high elevation. The view up the hill is beautiful. You get a great view of downtown LA and Dodger Stadium. Going down hill was fun though. There was good water support. Post race was fun with lots of food and vendors. Will definitely do this race again.
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Submitted by gavini
February 17, 2012
Review
challenging race runs from chinatown up to dodgers stadium, 10k actually looks down on dodgers stadium at one point and has amazing views of downtown LA as well, you pay for those views though, check out the elevation chart. fun race though. they start it with firecrackers and dancing dragons at the start line.
you wont run a more unique 5/10k anywhere near LA anytime soon. good post race food, pick up your bib etc the day before and get some free grub during the bike tour event.
first class event all around, well organized. parking is not as tough as you would think in this area and the metro stops basically at the start finish line.
kids run is good too with a dedicated kids zone afterwards, in 2011 they even had a petting zoo for the kids, they go all out for the participants at this event, i think they even gave finisher medals for 5k & 10k runners. not something i want but i know some people will do anything for a medal so there you go.
we also got nice tote bags when i did it in 2011. the shirt is always an interesting design commemorating the chinese new year and whatever animal that year is tied to.
easily one of my 5 favorite races.
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