Just did this 5K this morning with my pup!! He and I both enjoyed it. There were actually quite a…read morebit of exhibitors and a couple food trucks present. The exhibitors were all friendly, nice, and fairly generous with their samples and giveaways! I was able to pick up quite a bit of dog food samples for my pup and some reusable bags, as well as a doggie poop bag holder! Some exhibitors gave away dog food samples, some has dog massages, there was a pet psychic, a vet, and some pet adoptions. There was also a coffee exhibitor there, so I was able to get in my morning cup of joe before running with my pup.There was a dance floor and stage as well. Parking was easy and best of all, free!! I must say though, that the organization of the race was a bit off. I couldn't figure out too easy where the 1K, 5K routes were. I had signed up for the 1K since it was my pups first run, I did not want to overdo it. However, at the start sign of the 1K, NO one was there to tell us where to go. I did look up the route online, but I was still confused... and we ended up on the 5K route and so did a further run... but my pup did it! LOL. Upon finishing, we were given a cute medal. Only one medal though. It would be cool if they made a smaller one for your dog. There were apples, bananas, and some yogurt bars (tooooo sweet though) and water bottles given out. Some people brought their dogs, but not too many, and it was good that they had a rule of keeping ALL dogs on leashes. Plenty of water stations all around for the dogs, many had iced water, which my dog loves. There was also ice in the buckets where the water bottles were, so I grabbed ice for my dog as that seems to be his favorite treat! There was also a photo booth where I took some pics with my dog. A cop walked by and it was hard trying to talk a selfie with my pup, so I asked and he was nice and took several pics for us. The paramedic at the first aid was also cute and nice. I just wished I hadn't lost my voice from all the screaming I did at Universal Halloween Horror Nights just that night before that race! I couldn't talk to as many people as I wanted to. Would I do this race again? Yes I would!! It is for a great cause! I love them furbabies!! Tip, make sure you look up your race number online BEFORE picking up your bibs! They are organized by number, not by name, so it would be very hard to figure out your number. There was a stand however, with bib numbers so you could look it up there too. Also, no need to pick up your stuff early, it is free the day of the race and it is not too packed either. I don't think as many people did this race as with other 5k's I have done.

My friends and I did the Race for the Rescues 10K at the Rose Bowl last year. It was their first…read more10K and my second one, so it was pretty challenging for all of us. But we were successful! Since it's located at the Rose Bowl, the race had plenty of parking. We picked up our bibs and shirts that morning and walked around a bit to see the different vendors. I like this race because all the proceeds go to animal welfare organisations. And since this is a race about animals, most of the vendors were pet-related. I wanted to get some complimentary dog treats for my friend's furpets, but it seemed like they were only giving it to dogs that were present (but then again, I didn't ask). There were a good amount of portapotties available for runners to use before and after the race. And after the race, if you are interested in adoption, you could stop by the PHS & SPCA booth where they had some of their available dogs. The start line wasn't very organised, however. Since we are slow runners, we just placed ourselves in the third corral. Seamus Dever came out to make a speech, supported by his fellow castmember Jon Huertas. They were cool to see. And then there were some cheerleaders, some other people making announcements... the point is, they didn't start on time and we ended up just standing at the start line for what seemed like forever (okay, it was more like 15 minutes past the stated start time). For the 10K, you make 2 loops around the Rose Bowl, but it was easy to see where to go after the first loop so we didn't accidentally cross the finish line. The Rose Bowl Loop Track is relatively flat so this was a nice race to do. The shirt is nice and they provide chip timing; the only downside to this race is that there is no medal. I seriously only race for medals... but in this case, I made an exception since the money is going to a really good cause :)

I ran this race last year (2012) and this year (2013). In 2012, there was definitely a learning…read morecurve. They have more than made up for last year! Love the new course, prompt start time, and much better logistics. Way to go! I'm proud to say I'm a Legacy runner

First time runner of the Hollywood Half/10K/5K and can't wait to run it again next year. My Dad ran…read morethis last year and loved it so much, that he made sure Jay L and I ran it with him this time around. While the 6am start time seemed a bit early, it ended up working out just fine. If anything, it kicked off a whole weekend of justified relaxation. Okay, here are the essentials: Race kicks off at Hollywood/Highland and ends at Vine between Hollywood/Sunset, so park near the latter for a fast escape. There are plenty of metered spots, so no need to deal with overpriced lots. While there are port-a-potties around the course, buy a beverage at the McDonald's on Hollywood before the race and use the restroom in relative cleanliness and comfort. While you might get all pumped up about completing the turn onto Gower, slow your roll because that extra stretch going west will humble you. Overall, enjoy the run and take in all of the costumes. Great event and can't wait to run again next year!

As of 2018, I've run this half marathon all 9 years since it became part of the Rock n' Roll race…read moreseries. The course has changed throughout the years with the majority of them starting and ending in Downtown LA. This makes the logistics for this race very easy. You can actually take the Metro rail to get to everywhere you need to go and save a few bucks. Currently the expo is at the LA Convention Center. You'll need to pick up your race packet at the expo on Friday or Saturday before the race. They don't allow you to pick up bibs for other people so be sure to plan ahead! Since the race normally takes place around Halloween, it is appropriately themed. That includes the shirt as well as the finisher medals. They have almost always been pretty good designs. They provide post race drinks and snacks in the finisher chute. The post race celebration has been on the top level of the West Lot just next to Live LA. There will be a concert up there. You will be able to pick up your gear bag and enjoy 1 free beer in the beer garden. Make sure to bring your ID if you plan to drink.

The Rock n Roll Los Angeles Half Marathon was pretty good. Picking up your race packets at the…read moreConvention Center was pretty easy. There was lots of parking. Getting your actual packets was FAST. I only had to wait in line behind 1 person. There was PLENTY of volunteers staffing this event so it was easy to get us in and out. The photo-op was pretty cool too. They had an Elvis mask for you to wear.. and pose with other Elvis'. Past the packet pickup - in the expo.. there were lots of vendors..with TONs of free samples to give away. Most of the vendors who were here, were also at the San Francisco Marathon. There was four rows of vendors. It was.. alright. You had an opportunity to register for other RnR events for $15 off, or for next year's RnR LA for $20 off. Now, getting to the race Sunday morning was not too painful. We were dropped off, so I can't really comment on how efficient the shuttle was. From the drop off point, you had a mile to walk to get to the start line. Not sure how everyone else did it, but a lot of people were going in from the back making their way up to their corral. So, if you were in corral 1, you had to walk past all the runners in each corral. Now the race. I think they did a pretty good job with the waves. There weren't really any bottlenecks. A few hills. Big huge mile markers which you couldn't miss. Water and Cytomax every mile or so. And one station (mile 8ish) with Gu. The course was nice. Especially running through Griffith Park. At the end of the race, there was a nice photo opp for runners... on the "red carpet". They also handed out bagels, bananas, oranges, and granola. For liquids, Cytomax and water. Also outside near the Staples Center, there were food trucks! The Dim Sum Truck and I forget what else. There were about four of them. And the beer garden... was not really a beer garden. A little lame. Still, I feel this was a pretty good race. Not too hard, considering my only long run prior the the race was 7 miles a month out. Lots of people dressing up in costumes. I saw the KISS guys and about 4 Elvis'. Also saw a Guitar.. and 3 Disney Princesses! :)

It was a awesome and cheerful half marathon, despite the fact that it was postponed because of the…read morefires. Pasadena half it's a yearly run which helps me prepare for LAM. This year it was more ghetto as there was a running club from the valley screaming and drinking alcohol out in the open with out concern for other sober runners, but regardless, a must do run.

This race was acquired by the McCourt Foundation several years ago and became the Rose Bowl Half…read moreMarathon. Everything about the race is the same but a few logistic and planning decisions take away from the overall experience. The bib pick-up process is by far the biggest negative. They don't allow you to pick-up for others and only provide a few locations in Pasadena and Santa Monica. There's no expo so why make everyone pick up their own bib. Or why not provide more locations to make it more convenient for those who don't live in Pasadena/LA? The other complaint is that the only recognition for legacy runners (whose who've run every race since 2016) is a banner at the race. Loyalty runners (2 consecutive races) get a pin. Most other races have more substantive recognition for their loyal runners.

What an amazing gathering of love, community and awesome people…read more Get there early, be prepared to stay very very late. Just do the 10k. Starting earlier and finishing earlier is the best

Tip: sign up immediately because it sells out quickly!…read more This was the 9th race and first one at the Rosebowl. We were really impressed at all the swag and goodies for a free race. There was both race day packet pickup and another option the day before. On race day, there were complimentary food trucks and we had an awesome grilled cheese. The 10k started at 8:30 and the 5k was set to start at 9:30. However it was delayed a half hour due to clearing the roads. For me, 10:00am was a late start and it was already getting pretty toasty out. Overall was a great day. Only thing that I'd suggest is starting both races earlier.

The entire 13.1 miles I kept thinking about President Palmer saying "You're in good hands". Damn…read more24 and catchy Allstate slogan. Free beer, free pizza, and free massage at the end of the race? I'm IN! Sadly all we ended up getting was a can of beer, the pizza was out, and we missed out on the massage. Oh well, I didn't need those pizza anyway after burning all those calories. We had two options for parking; either the Santa Monica lot or the Venice lot. We parked in the Venice lot and the walk to the start of the race was actually pretty far away. Jogging there gave us a good warm up I guess. The event was pretty well organized. They had bag check in and pickup signs everywhere. They had plenty of photographers everywhere. And they had plenty of water booths, porta-potties, as well as security everywhere. As for the running portion, it was alright. Parts of the race was really nice as you ran along the shore. Sadly, of all the times, LA suddenly decides to have a cold snap and record lows in temperature! Throughout the race, about every two miles, there are water / Gatorade stations and porta-potties. And at certain mileage points, there are either DJ's playing music, live bands performing, or groups of people cheering. At one of the turns there was a group of cheerleaders doing pyramids, pretty cool! And at another part there was a group of people playing giant drums, also very cool. The first half of the race was quite okay, but the second half became freezing as you're sprinting mostly downhill. It really sucked right before that downhill portion though because it was all up hill for a couple of miles before the loop back down. The worst part was that the road was very deceiving into making you think that it was going to loop soon.. and you end up going a good handful of miles before it actually does. Sigh.. Overall its a nice race, on a nice course, with good organization. The medal at the end is pretty neat, and I really liked the free t-shirt you got at the packet pickup. I was really sad about the pizza running out though, since I was starving by the time I was done.

Awesome Half Marathon Event (4 stars)…read more The half marathon event was an awesome event. -online registration was quick and easy -confirmation came right away -email information came regularly -bib pick up was a little downer -start line was conveniently located on Venice Beach -route was easily marked with lots of police escorts -great support from the water stations -nice bands along the way to entertain -finish line was nicely located downhill -lots of shuttle buses to return to the start line -AWESOME Medal Yay for my finish at 1:58, and I definitely plan to return next year Give the option for bib pick up in the morning of the race.

When the California sun starts cooking you like a baked potato, there's only one logical answer…read more.. Grizzly River Run. You can hear this ride long before you see it. The roar of rushing water, people laughing, kids screaming, and that slow click... click... click... as another raft climbs toward the top. It's like listening to a soundtrack that says, "Somebody's about to get soaked!" As we're climbing, everyone in our raft is pretending to be brave. Then the spinning starts. The turning. The bouncing. Another turn. Another drop. Another spin. By this point, you're just holding on and hoping the raft picks someone else to get drenched. Spoiler alert: The raft doesn't care. You hit the bottom, water explodes everywhere, the cannons start firing, people on the bridge are laughing while they're trying to soak you even more, and suddenly nobody is dry anymore. It's absolute chaos... the fun kind. The best part of the whole day wasn't even getting soaked. Before we got on, my son wasn't sure he wanted to ride it. After we climbed off, he looked at me and said, "Dad, thank you for taking me on the best ride in all of California Adventure." Then he thanked me again... and again... and again. Those words meant more to me than he'll probably ever know. Sometimes the best memories aren't the drops or the splashes--they're hearing your kid tell you that you were right. The ride was clean, the Cast Members were friendly, and the whole atmosphere was full of laughter from beginning to end. If it's hot outside, don't think twice. You're either getting soaked... or wishing you had.

Grizzly River Run is one of my favorite ride's in Disney's California Adventure. I love water…read morerides. Grizzly River Run is an whitewater rafting ride located in the Disney California Adventure Park's Grizzly Peak area of the Disneyland Resort. When Disney California Adventure opened in 2001, Grizzly River Run was also one of the original rides! Grizzly River Run is themed like a giant, bear shaped mountain called Grizzly Peak that is inspired by California's state and national parks and represents the natural beauty of the forest in Northern California, featuring pine tree stands, rocky mountains, and the sound of running water. You board large round rafts that can be used for groups of up to eight people, and as they float through an area with strong currents on the ride! The rafts twist and turn in unpredictable directions. During this twisting journey, the rafts send you floating through waters, mist filled caves, and sometimes sudden drop offs. I did speak with the cast member and the large drop is about as large as the Pirates of the Caribbean. The moment when the raft plunges into the water during the latter part of the trip is fun, especially due to the amount of splashing the raft receives from the water, which often results in some of the riders getting wet. Sometimes I get drenched and other times, I barely get wet. Due to the design of the raft, which the raft rotates, you'll have a unique ride experience each time you ride Grizzly River Run! The ride is different during the day and night. During the evening hours you can see all of the beautiful Disney California Adventure lights which is stunning! It's great to ride this ride at night during the summer hours! This is a must ride if you're visiting during the summer. If you don't like being cold though, I'd recommend avoiding this one during the fall and early spring months.

Love Love Love this ride! Super kid friendly and it whips you around ‍‍…read more At times, the lines could be long so make sure to check the Disney experience app to see how long it takes to get through.

We waited about a half hour for this ride, not too bad. The lines can get long as the day goes by…read more We opted to go on the ride early morning. This ride is located in Cars Land. Pretty popular ride and fun. Mater whips you around in the trailer. The music, well it can get a little annoying. LOL. The ride is fun! Just have to gauge the wait times on the app.