5 stars for accessibility to the public…read more I am always on the search for public tracks and have been meaning to stop by. When I used to work closer to LA, this was out of the way, but now that work is closer, I had to just stop by to check it out. Parking - located on both streets (pay attention to no parking signs) Surface- asphalt, second best to rubber tracks. (Slight negative: didn't really like the random rocks that magically slip into your shoes but that is probably a me thing, and not a you thing.) Restrooms- close by/ convenient Overall, would definitely come back again.

A year later and I am still on these tracks couple times a week! I really appreciate that they…read moreleave it open to the public. I will say parking can get quite busy (the only parking I know is the street parking), but the tracks are never too crowded. I see many runners practicing track workouts, as well as casual walkers enjoying a nice stroll. And everyone seems very pleasant. Plenty of room for all to get their workout in, whatever that may be for their day.

First time doing Dan Nitro Clark's Gladiator Rock N Run event. Gotta tell ya, I was not…read moredisappointed. Course was around 3.42 miles. I especially liked the balance beam over a 6ft drop into water obstacle. I didn't make it and the drop was super fun! Def get your money's worth. 17-20 obstacles that are both fun and challenging for athletes of all levels. Volunteers were awesome and Festival area was decent. Extra star for Nitro being so approachable and friendly with everyone at this event. I would recommend this run for people interested in doing a Spartan Race or Tough Mudder obstacle course race but aren't quite ready for it. Plus, they donate to TACA so that's cool. Too bad Irvine decided to build homes here as it looked like a decent venue for GRR.

This was my fourth adventure run and by far, the most fun! While some of the obstacles were a bit…read moreeasy (and there were way too many tire fields), it was a great experience. Parking was easy, lots of free stuff from the vendors, and Nitro was out and about and didn't seem to care a whit about the mud we got all over him during our picture with him. I'd like better rinse off options (or more of them, readily marked) for the next time. And more difficult obstacles. I think this event will only get better as it gains momentum!

Beautiful event, I participated for several years. The organization is good and they resolve any…read moreissues very soon and efficiently. The course is not that hard so many different levels of athletes can complete it.

Labor Day 2014 started off great...beautiful coastal morning, sun shining, and a nice and light…read morecool breeze. I decided to register for this race for myself and two kids, as a way to bond and hopefully start a tradition of us finishing races together. We live in San Pedro, so thankfully there was no real commute. From our house, we got there in less than 10 minutes. The parking was great. We parked in the lot shared by The Grinder and a hotel. On our way to park, we noticed that many people parked either at meters on the street and in lots or parked in the same lot that we did. We arrived at 7ish and there was already a significant amount of people there. The atmosphere was great so early in the morning. People were excited, friendly, and chatting it up with those they knew and strangers, alike. The organizers got on the loud speakers and gave us all instructions, which I felt was helpful for all of us who had never done it before. The race promptly started at 8:05 and off we went. Of course there were full on olympic track stars there who took off and spanked us all. I did a combination of running and walking. I'm just now coming back after a long hiatus of physical therapy and reconditioning, so I didn't want to re-injure myself. In all honesty, there were way more walkers than runners. The majority of people seemed to be focusing on finishing, period, not necessarily winning. It was nice because there were people from all walks of life out there, all fitness levels, etc. There was even a woman out there with what I am guessing to be cerebral palsy, crutches and all, but she was doing it and we all cheered her on! The race was nice starting off. We began right in front of The Grinder at Harbor and 5th St. That initial climb up the start of the bridge had my cheeks quivering at the anticipation of the real hill that was coming. And I don't mean the cheeks on my face. Climbing that hill seemed eternally long... what helped to get over it was the slight cool breeze and the spectacular views. There was no water station or port-a-potties on the initial "going up" side. It would have been nice to at least have a water station, because I was dehydrated by the time I got to the water station on the other side. We even said that it would have been nice to have a second water station at the shaded underpass. Climbing back up on the otherside was a serious challenge. By then, it was getting really hot and that nice cool breeze that we cherished earlier was gone. I dont think I was ever as excited than to see that big blue arch coming up. We wanted to collapse in the grass along with others, but we were afraid that we may never get up again. At the finish line, they have timers set up to see how long it took you and we all received finishers medals. That was exciting and the kids were very happy to get a medal. We quickly went and grabbed water and they had oranges and cut up bananas for us. I was looking forward to the oranges, but they had just run out as we stepped up to the table. No problem. We noshed on the bananas and drank water. In all, if you asked me if I would do this again as I walked up that hill, I'd say HELL NO!!! After all, 5.3 miles is no joke, especially when it's hot, but now that I finished, yes I'd probably do it again. Overall, I enjoyed it, but I suggest preparing by going for long walks or runs if that's your thing, and include some hill training, so that you dont struggle too much on the inclines. :)

Organ donation event? ABSOLUTELY YES!!!…read more As a living donor, I am grateful to have participated in this event. Very well organized. Circle of Life in the middle of the field. A DJ to amp up the crowd. The vendors were in their own area. There were swag bags here and there. There was even a massage booth - FREE. The was also a family village area and on the other end many activities to keep the kids entertained. The walk/fun itself was great. A lot of good energy and people showed up for this great cause - awareness to donate and support. Pink dot on your drivers license? PLEASE CONSIDER DONATING.

Thank you to Ellen C for posting this event and organizing our little Yelp team for this run/walk…read more The purpose of this run is "to celebrate giving the gift of life and spread awareness on organ and tissue donation". It can be pretty moving to attend an event such as this. Some people are just there to raise awareness and money, but some are running/walking in memory of their loved ones. It can be heart wrenching to see the pictures of the departed, hearing the occasional voice crack with emotion or see a mother overcome with grief. But sadness aside, it's always great to get out and exercise and this was a nice sunny day to do so. Our Yelp team of 6 split up into runners and walkers. Since we were not quite as ambitious as Debbie and Kevin who were running, Ellen, Travis, Erin and I walked. We debated between the 5k and the 1k. The 1k was too short, but the 5k was too long since we knew the runners would be done so early. So we kept going after the 1k, past the first mile, then kind of made our own 3k or so! The route circled around portions of CSUF, through parking lots and even through the Arboretum. I think that was the best part. Although the path was narrow and crowded with people (and perhaps an overly eager wheelchair pusher!!), it was shady and cool, with beautiful trees, plants and other wildlife for us to enjoy. As one child behind us pointed out, we were walking through the forest in the school. :) I was even able to snap a few pictures of a crane. Then I did some running to catch up with the rest of my group. See, I did run after all! Minus one star for what seems to be some disorganization and/or poor planning. Parking and traffic were awful, which resulted in starting almost an hour late. I was disappointed by the use of styrofoam cups at some of the water stations (luckily, not all). They also released a large number of balloons to represent the number of organs donated, but I wish they could have done it in a more environmentally friendly manner. (But the blue and green balloons did look pretty neat floating up in the sky.)

That time of the year again. And yes, The Fenians are playing tomorrow night…read more Show up for a great neighborhood party. Catholic style. See y'all there..................

I stand by my previous review, but the beer is now $4 per cup. Still a great time. Try the hot…read morechicken hoagies and the funnel cakes. Carnies is still funny.....not intentionally......but still funny.

A great raceway park for adults and children, both boys and girls, race their BMX bikes. Entrance…read moreis free for spectators. Racers vie for prizes and trophies. Good clean fun and great exercise for the bikers!

I've been coming to this track for 20 years. The BMX community here is stellar. Tammy the track…read moreoperator and Jeff the track official are wonderful people who genuinely care about the sport and the people.

Pros: - friendly/easy…read more- well marked course and LOTS of volunteers guiding, pressing street crossing button, cheering, etc. - money goes to charity - swag (canvas bag, squeeze water bottle, energy gel, tshirt, finisher's medal, lots of snacks at the end) - ample free parking - responsive race coordinator - very safe (volunteers driving w/hazard lights slowly near bikers, life guard on duty, bike vendor on-site) - reasonably priced - easy bib pick up (day before or an hour before race on the day of the race) Cons: - swag is a bit low quality. Last year's finisher's medal was so nice (recycled bike chain wrapped around nice piece of wood, branded/embossed with event name and logo) and was suppose to be similar for this year. Instead, for my hard earned triathlon, I got a cheap medal disk with a bubble sticker - bike portion was off by 1.01 mile! - bib has nothing but your number (no event name, no timing chip)

If I were to run any race, this would have been it. Food plus running. Two of my favorite things…read more Unfortunately, I didn't run but I did enjoy hanging out with my friend Albert, some of the Yelp crew, and meeting up with some familiar faces. Irvine Park was a great venue. It was spacious and there were plenty of places to sit and ample shade. The White Rabbit truck provided some music and we got to sample from several trucks - Fresh Fries, The Lime Truck, Great Balls, Lobsta Truck, and Tapa Boy. Also got to run into my favorite, Chunk n Chip and take a ride in their truck. Woohoo!! The highlight of the day was seeing Adam Richman. I LOVE his show. We stayed to watch it being filmed and managed to get a photo at the end. That was beyond amazing. I loved every moment of that. Experiencing how the show is filmed, talking to the competitor, and watching it being filmed was just so cool. Can't wait for it to air in 4 weeks. I feel like a mini-celebrity. Great job Munchathon crew! You rock!

Woohooo! It was food truckin' all the way this weekend in Santiago Canyon!…read more Thanks to the awesome Hazel Q, I snagged myself some complimentary tix to the food truck festival at the Munchathon event this past Saturday! Although it took awhile to find this elusive event, as soon as I did, it was like finding a gourmet food oasis in the middle of the dessert! There were loads of gourmet trucks serving up tasty street fare to hungry athletes and spectators alike! With that said, I wasted no time in diving into the food frenzy and sampling some new tasty food truck fare for myself! I hit trucks like the Cheeseball Wagon, Short Stop BBQ, Lime Truck, Vchos Papusa Truck, Kona Ice and Tornado Potato to name a few! Everything I tried was fantastic and I must say I left totally full and satisfied! To my surprise, Adam from Man Vs. Food was spotted filming on the grounds and folks started snapping tons of photos! Unfortunately the crew trumped most of us from nabbing a snapshot of the food star. As you can see, I said some of us... I did in fact manage to get a photo! Of his back, of course! Buzzkill! In any case, it was good fun and although I missed my Yelp buddies, I was able to hit up some really awesome food trucks that I've never tried before! Here's to tasty new discoveries and awesomely good times! Happy Eats!