2013 was my third year participating and I ran the 5K. Packet pickup was held on Friday (the day before the race) as well as the morning of the race. There is a triathlon and duathlon was well. The 5K is actually longer than a 5K, since it begins/ends at the Rose Bowl Aquatics Center area and goes around the Rose Bowl. There was no line for packet pickup on the morning of the race, but finding parking was a bit of a challenge. I arrived an hour before the race started and the line to get into the parking lot just west of the RBAC was already backed up. Registration included a bib and a blue tech shirt with the Pasadena Triathlon logo on it. The shirt sizes were unisex and ran big. At the start line, all of the 5K runners started together (no wave starts, no pace signs to line up next to) and it wasn’t crowded. The course wasn’t crowded either. I do not notice any mile markers. At the finish line, there were lots of spectators and there was water, Gatorade, and Slaters 50/50 burgers. I don’t know if I’ll run this race again now that I’ve participated three times. While it’s close to home, it’s longer than a 5K and the focus seems to be on the triathlon/duathlon.
