What a great experience! I had a quick stretch session with Milton, and I'm so glad I gave it a…read moretry! This was my first time doing anything like this, but being active and in my 40s, I figured it might be a great way to help with workout recovery. Even after just one session, I could really feel a difference! I had been feeling super tight in my lower body and was even dealing with some twitching and cramps. Milton really helped me get a deep stretch and release that I didn't realize I needed. I left feeling looser and more relaxed, and my body definitely appreciated it! The facilities were clean, and the employees were awesome and welcoming. I'll definitely be back for more sessions! If you're active, feeling tight, or just need to give your body some TLC, I definitely recommend giving this a try!

This is my 3rd visit to the Brea stretch lab. The facility is always very clean and the staff…read morevery friendly I have worked with Milton the stretch Therapist all three times He is professional and have great technique to reduce my discomfort to my shoulders and lower back. I have recommended this location to several of my coworkers because of my positive experience. Would recommend this facility if you want to increase your range of motion and reduce pain

What a great experience for a spin class first timer!…read more Came with small group to try a new fitness activity since they have a $10 first timer promo (that comes with rental shoes, which is a steal!). None of us have tried spin class before but the friendly staff, fun vibes and clean facility made this a great first experience. We all got a good workout and went at our pace as we adapted to the movements. It's nice that you can pick your bike, so we chose to stick in the corner for this first time. Pedro was our instructor for K-Pop night and his energy definitely motivates you to try your best. If you've been curious about spin, I'd recommend trying it at Nova for the experience.

I wanted to share how much I appreciate your new studio. Yesterday, I attended my second class with…read moremy daughter, who was a first-time rider. While I was a bit nervous, the instructor and staff took excellent care of her. During the final song, as we were riding up the hill, I became quite emotional. When I was pregnant and during my daughter's early years, I used spin classes as a way to push myself, always thinking of her to get through the difficult climbs. Then looking to my left and seeing her all grown up and riding alongside me was a powerful moment and a memory I will cherish. Alanna said she felt so energized and felt great after her first ride. We are so excited and look forward to making this a regular mother-daughter activity. I will certainly be recommending your studio to others. Thank you

This was my first time running the Santa Hustle. I found out about it through Groupon and decided…read moreto throw in one last race for the year. Packet pick-up: Nice and easy at the Buena Park Mall. You got your bib on one side of the table and went to the other to get your sweater. They warned people that the sweaters ran small and let people try them on. I thought about getting a small and there was no way I could fit in it. Goodies: They gave you a bear and a hat. I did not wear them while I ran. My goal was to try and place in the top 3 to earn a medal for the 5k. Participation medals were not given out. Plus the beard ran a little small. It was fun seeing everybody wearing their red outfits. Race: There was a 5k and half marathon. They need to be a little more clear on the start. Some 5k folks started because it seemed like they were supposed to go and it was for the half marathon race or 10k, it's been a while. You got to run out of the parking lot, into Knotts, back out onto the street and into the parking lot. It was cool to run into Knotts. They had chips and candy at the end with water. I'm used to bagels and bananas, and aside from that there wasn't much else. There were some booths, but not as many as other races. Cool things: They brought out two reindeers, so that was fun. Weather: Cold! For CA it was cold. It was below 60, so I had a hard time warming up.

This was my second 5K in several months and this one was pretty fun. The Santa Hustle had 2…read moreoptions, a 5K and a half marathon. Half marathoners received a special medal and a voucher for free admission to Knotts Berry Farm. I really wanted a medal, but knew there was no way I could do a half marathon. A 5K is just my speed, especially the fun run variety, where there's a silly theme and people come with friends and family to just have s good time. A word to the organizers...consider giving the 5K people a medal too...even if it's smaller. I'd gladly pay more for the entrance fee to get a medal! Back to the event itself...things I liked: it was very well organized. I liked the emails sent out by the organizers spelling out the details of the event (i.e., parking map, packet pick up map, etc.). I opted to pick up my packet the day before to avoid the crowd the day of. It was an easy process and took about 5 minutes. I loved the dri-fit hoodie that I got with my packet. Very high quality and super cute. The only "bad" thing about the hoodie was that it ran very small. I ordered a women's large and it fit more like a medium. My friend's hoodie ended up being too small for her so she couldn't use it and ended up giving it to her daughter. You also received a Santa hat and beard to go with your hoodie. Like the hoodie, the hat was small (or maybe my head is just way too big?). In any case, I had to use an extra Santa hat I had at home which fit better. Not a big deal but just be aware of the size issues here! Other positives: Parking was free and painless. All the volunteers working the event were friendly and would cheer you on as you made your way through the course. They generously gave out choc chip cookies, M and M's, water, and powerade as we sweated away...which is a total exaggeration. We didn't break a sweat at all as we leisurely strolled the entire 3 plus miles. That's the fun thing about this type of run...you can stroll, run, sprint, whatever. At the finish line, we were handed bottled water and a granola bar. Oh, and I really enjoyed the holiday music playing throughout the course. The volume was just perfect and helped get us in the holiday spirit. Some mild disappointments: I wish the after party was on site. Instead it was offsite at a Farrell's restaurant. It was sort of anticlimactic to finish and not be able to immediately gather with fellow Santas to celebrate, cheer and dance. The other 5K I did a few months ago had an onsite after party with a dj, stage and music and it really made a difference in keeping the excitement going for a bit longer. Also the start line prep was sort of uneventful as well. They just had an announcer guy telling us when to line up, when the thing was starting, etc. At the other 5K I did, the start line area was sort of a mini event, with music, several guys throwing swag out to the crowd, getting everyone fired up and excited. I have to say, these pre- and post- run details make a huge difference in the overall fun factor. I still had loads of fun, though. Happy Holidays!

What an amazing experience!!!…read more Got there bright an early to cheer on the extraordinary athletes in the mornings triathlon event!!! I found my yelp people and we soon headed towards the water where the first event was getting ready to start. The first group to dive in the water was the young men's group followed by the young female group. It was very heartwarming seeing the smiles on the athletes faces as the crowd cheered for them when they passed us by. Next, was the walk to get their bikes and they were soon off for their 11 mile bike ride! yikes!! They looked so determined and focused that it was inspirational!!! The final event was to run to the finish line. I was lucky enough to see the first US men and women to finish the event. USA men was first and USA women came in second place. I was very impressed with Costa Rica cause a lot of their men and women where one of the first ones to finish the race!! I was really happy to be apart of the Special Olympics 2015 even if I was just a crazy enthusiastic fan!! I did get tieried eyed a couple of times because I know they worked so hard to get here and they deserved to be cheered to the fullest!!!

Well organized, small event, only about 100 or so triathletes…read more Fun course, 0.5 mile swim in Alamitos Beach, 11 mile bike ride near Queen Mary (2 loops), 3 mile run along the beach (1 loop). Parking $10, lot opens at 4:30 am. 5:30 am when Registration opens 7:00 am start time of waves. Only 2 waves, 1 for men (less than 49) and the other for females (and men over 50+). Timing chip was huge. Kim Kilgroe was there racing that day! Awards ceremony at the end, all proceeds benefit Special Olympics.

The race itself was great. The course is flat and very scenic with the ocean on one side. The pre…read moreand post events have the right mix of sponsors with my favourites being Zico, Celsius and the electrolytes booths. The big peeve this year is the start time of the 5k which moved to 11:00am, so with the starting waves, the actual start time is closer to 11:15. Problem with this late start time is the California heat in winter, which by noon is close to 29 degrees Celsius. If this had been summer, the temp around noon is closer to 35 degrees Celsius The time also kills the whole day (can't really do anything before the race and by the time the race is done and you are out it's close to 2pm. My suggestion is to bring back the earlier start time or at least have the latest start at 9:00am.

+ Love the many generous sponsors' freebies both on Expo day & on race day. Nutrients and…read morerevitalization galore! + Well marked race map provided beforehand. + Their website has an informative, detailed FAQ section. - Crowded, inefficient shuttle from HB Civic Center to the race event. Parking lot was overwhelmed and the line of 50+ runners moved slow. Despite its farther proximity from the race compared to closer lots like Pacific City mall, many still parked at CC cuz it's free. + Thankfully free residential street parking behind CC that morning. + Nice that they include DJs and music to amp up the ambience. - Not sure why the race start alley was fenced off. Made it hard and inaccessible to join the race once thousands of runners had poured in. + The entire trail was well marked and sectioned off. You never get lost throughout your run. Many traffic marshalls and volunteers present to help keep you on trail. + Good amount of hydration stations (water + gatorade) spread throughout the track. . The only additional supplements were GU chews. For the 1/2marathon, this station was only placed once, halfway through the track. -- SUPER crowded. Could not run my own pace cuz constantly struggling to shoulder past high concentrations of slow runners. Scored far below my goal time. - Sporadic congested runner traffic. It'd be nice if the slow ppl or walkers kept to the right to leave the left side for the joggers/runners. + Hundreds of spectators come to cheer runners on. - Some of the aid stations were ill-prepared or behind. Runners piling up and the volunteers were out of Gatorade or struggling to quickly fill the cups. - They didn't provide a map of the event area (gear check, sponsors, food trucks, bike lock, etc) - Even the workers/volunteers there didn't know where key spots were. - Event didn't clearly designate the bus pickup spot. The transportation map just vaguely designated bus pickup to be something like "on Pacific View Ave between 1st St and Beach Blvd". Turns out the exact bus pickup spot was at Pacific View Ave & Huntington St. Wish they told us this beforehand more clearly (and provided coordinates). - Should post a large flag/banner at that bus pickup intersection. - Even the traffic controllers weren't sure where the pickup buses were arriving. - The buses aren't labeled nor announced where they're going. - Event neglected to preinform us that the shuttle back doesn't go straight from the race back to the Civic Center. It detours to drop some runners off at Edison HS, which adds 10-15min to the bus ride. Had I known, I'd prob have sought nearer parking for the race and just biked the rest of the way. - They're slow to update their website photo link [https://www.runsurfcity.com/photos], despite photos already being out. - Lotta spam email, both before and well after the event. Lotta advertising too. For ~$200, I didn't expect the cons:pros ratio so high. Tip: pack amino gels/chews and your own hydration.

Review #1500 My +1…read moreand I made the early morning trek from south OC to Alamitos Beach in order to cheer for the Special Olympics World Games triathletes. We met with Jennifer T. for our Yelp goody bags while meeting up with fellow Yelpers. We made our way down to the beach as they started the first portion of the triathlon: swim. We were amazed and inspired by these athletes as they swam, biked, and ran to the finish. We were at the finish line as Noah Dellas (Team USA) became the first person to ever win a gold medal in Triathlon at the Special Olympics World Games. It was fantastic and the energy was amazing. All eyes were on the top medal finishers and it was great to see Team USA take home gold! Thanks to Yelp LA, Katie B., and Jennifer T. for setting up cheer squads for the Special Olympics. Congratulations to all the athletes and I wish them luck in the rest of their events this week. There are Special Olympics World Games events happening around LA all week, so check them out as it has been a while since LA has hosted an Olympics.

My second Half…read more Supporting the Special Olympics, especially with respect to the upcoming 2015 World Summer Games in Los Angeles, made me feel great. But just getting out-of-doors and into the crisp, early morning air, just being surrounded by other early risers anxious to rack up some mileage is motivation enough. You see, what I've found is that morning people, they're different: they're more courteous, more polite, encouraging. Morning people smile, and they have no reservations about offering an abundance of "good morning's" to those around them. This scenic run--in the heart of downtown Long Beach, along the Shoreline Marina and across from the majestic Queen Mary--it was a good morning as well, completely as expected: exhilarating, fun-filled, refreshing! But really, this race had no choice. I mean, we ran ocean side, up and down sandy Alamitos Beach, with many other runners, bikers, and walkers also enjoying the smiling sun and the fresh ocean air. Added, this race was very well organized: streets were blocked off and monitored by the Long Beach Police Department, parking (a $10 fee) was directly adjacent to the expo and early check-in, water stations were manned and frequent during the race, and medical stations were positioned, prepared, and even mobile! (It was very cool to race along Shoreline Drive without a car in sight.) The effort put into this event was evident, and easily this will be a run I look forward to again next year! My final time -- 02:52:35 My place -- 102 out of 131 runners, 9 of 11 in my class. =]

My review is for the marathon:…read more What a great, small race. There were probably 200 people combined in the marathon and half marathon. The course started on the Santa Ana River Trail just outside of Riverdale Park in Anaheim and went along the trail almost until the 22 fwy. The runners turned around and came back along the same path where the half marathoners finished inside Riverdale Park and the marathoners continued along the trail until just past Yorba Linda Regional Park and then turned around to head toward the finish at Riverdale Park. There were plenty of signs directing runners where to park (at a lot adjacent to Kaiser hospital) which is great when you're not familiar with the area and it's still in the dark of early morning. There was an ample amount of porta potties at the start as well as public park restrooms (those had a longer line). They had a Don Francisco truck handing out free, hot coffee (it was chilly on race morning) and I saw some other snacks out there too at some of the sponsor tables. A girl from a local yoga studio led a 10 minute warm up stretch before we were lined up on the trail and the Star Spangled Banner was sung. The race started just a couple minutes after 7am. There were water stations at almost every mile and mile markers throughout the course. Max Muscle Enduromax was offered as the electrolyte drink at different intervals and they were handing out Clif Shots at several stations as well. There was another station handing out pretzel and orange slices as well. All of the volunteers were extremely friendly and many of them cheered when they saw an approaching runner or walker. There were lots of cyclists on the path and recreational users but there was plenty of room for everyone. The Santa Ana River Trail is really scenic with lots of foliage, Canadian Geese, birds, Egrets and mallard ducks in the water. There really wasn't any shade so a summer run along the trail would be very hot. At around mile 20 there was a great musician greeting runners. The run was really beautiful and serene but if you're someone who needs lots of spectators and likes to run in a big pack, this isn't the race for you. At around mile 22, I was all alone. I didn't see another runner behind or in front of me for atleast a mile so I enjoyed the zen of the run. I was greeted at the finish line with a couple dozen spectators cheering and was draped with a space blanket and had a medal hung around my neck by some of the friendliest volunteers with the nicest smiles. The announcer read each finisher's name and hometown as they approached the finish which always pumps me up. There was an ample amount of post race food: water, bananas, Clif Bars, homemade cookies (yum!), Martinelli's apple juice and passionfruit apple juice, and bagels. They had a local massage business giving free massages (I really wanted one but I felt guilty asking someone to rub my sweat drenched, smelly back and legs). Max Muscle was handing out samples and Yorba Linda water district gave away plastic water bottles. They were updating the results about every 15 minutes. I was 1st place female 35-40 so I earned an extra medal (sweet!) and I earned a new PR! It was a glorious day! The marathon finisher's medal was HUGE and it's soooo nice. It might be my favorite medal I've earned so far. The tech shirt was a very nice white, long sleeve with Canadian geese on the front. I'd gladly come back and run this race again next year. The race was very well organized and volunteers were wonderful! Finish time: 4:23:51

2nd year for this event. Well organized, very helpful staff and a lot of fun. This years event at…read moreapproximately 500 runners well up from last year and seems to be growing very quickly. My time was 43:12 I didn't win, but I wasn't last. So get up off the sofa and let's go, pass on the left! :-)

A free 2 hour workout run by the Spartan race group to give you a taste of what you can expect from…read morea spartan race. There were tons of burpees, squats, push up, lunges, & laps around the track. The workout was basic enough for fitness beginners to get through but also challenging enough for people at an experience fitness level. There were about 500 people on the football field at redondo high with 8 trainers/coach going around letting everyone know the next exercise coming up. After the workout they had a drawing & two people won a free Spartan race, there was an after party at the near by road runner shoe store with free beer & a $10 off coupon for anything in the store. For the large workout events like this is suggest showing up an hour before the start time since the check in process take a while. This event started at 9, we showed up at 8:30 & it took 50 minutes to finally get checked in, but then they ran out of shirts. But other than the long check in issue the workout event was a great time.