My second running of the Donut Dash, this time Donut Dash X. Compared to my first time…read moreparticipating (6 donut holes), I am SO glad that I chose the 3 donut option before it sold out! You get glazed donuts from Marie's. Another option is to eat nothing at all and just run. For those with GF needs, the race site has it all answered in the FAQs section. A 4-miler timed race that starts in Land Park and goes 2 miles to Marie's Donuts and 2 miles back. Packet pickup at Fleet Feet Sac was convenient and allowed friends to pickup race packets for them (T-shirt and bib number, stickers/temporary tattoos) too. E-mail updates from the race organizer were frequent and informative, especially regarding the weather (the rain stopped that morning!). There was also an Orangetheory Fitness challenge which was to run the competitive division race of 4 miles, 4 donuts in less than 44 minutes for a special medal. Props to Orangetheory Fitness Natomas coach Avery W. for placing in the top 3 males for this challenge! Family-friendly (strollers, kids, dogs but no scooters allowed) and for runners/walkers alike. You can eat your donuts at the halfway point or take them with you back to the finish. Finishers get a squishy donut medal on a Mikuni lanyard. Race photos taken by volunteers are free on the event's Facebook page but not indexed. All race proceeds go toward Sacramento area children's hospitals. Lots of post-race booths. Look out for the return of the summer's Mikuni Scoop Scoot run to Vic's Ice Cream, also organized by Donut Dash folks!

I did my first Donut Dash two years ago when I first heard about it via advertisement…read more It is fun fun!! What would not be fun about it.......Donuts from one of the best donut shops in Sacramento, Maries.....Donut Medal when you finish.....Donuts for your dogs....Chocolate Milk......T-shirt.....Fun event to do by yourself or with all your family and friends.....Best of all the money goes to a great cause....Sutter Children's Program! All my family and friends want me to remind them when registration comes up.....

I have a soft spot for any local races that take me to Land Park, it's a great course. Fast and…read moreflat loop, with minimal vehicle trafficking, nice trees (allergy sufferers, come prepared), and lots of parking on race day - just be mindful that the park is shared with regular visitors and patrons of the Zoo, Fairy Tale Town, Funderland, and the golf course. I first ran the Race for the Arts a few years back after seeing an ad for it at my local Bel-Air grocery store (one of the sponsors). I especially liked that the race benefitted California nonprofit performing, cultural, and visual arts organizations and school music, drama, and art programs. I have an even bigger (deeper?) spot in my heart for arts-related events. Growing up in the CA public school system, I totally remember having Fine Arts & Music Education, opportunities for visual and performing arts and general exposure to drawing, painting, animation, dance, theater, multicultural shows, art galleries, museums, even the Symphony. I definitely wouldn't be who I am today without the arts in my early life. I may be a scientist by day, but still have to have that creative outlet - cake decorating, painting, custom canvas shoes, attending local theater/musical performances, Argentine tango, you name it. But back to the race itself: registration came with a cotton shirt (bold design!) and the 5K run/walk was $25, although you could also separately make a pledge donation directly. Many races use this Land Park course, and this is their 30th+ time holding this race so they sure know what they're doing with respect to number of port-a-potties, cops to direct car traffic, volunteers, etc. Again, a fast and flat race course with clearly marked mile signs and early enough in the morning not to get too warm (August in Sacramento, remember). The post-race art festival was fun; I entered a few raffles like one for the Davis Musical Theatre Company, and Light Opera of Sacramento. Kid and family-friendly race for sure.

This year was the 13th annual race for the arts, it's high time it got a review. The race for the…read morearts is a fun 5K run/walk that "raises funds and awareness for California nonprofit performing, cultural, and visual arts organizations and for school music, drama, and art programs." Whether you want to support the arts or physical activity, this is the perfect race. Well organized, over 1000 participants this year, making it a cozy fun race. Many people like to dress up (a lot of ballerinas) and it appeared a lot of people chose to walk it. Runner or walker, the course is a perfect backdrop for both. Set in the beautiful scenery of tree lined Land Park, the shady course winds its way back to the finish line where music and people cheer you on. So get up early, burn off some calories, and support your local art programs. The only reason that it didn't get 5 stars is because the shirt this year is literally the world's ugliest design. For a race that benefits art programs, couldn't they have a more artsy shirt?

It's a very well organized race that takes you through Folsom to downtown Sacramento right in front…read moreof the State Capitol. It's all road running and a lot of crowds cheering throughout the streets. It's also a Boston Qualifier and attracts a lot of fast runners to the "fastest course on the West". There are rolling hills starting after mile 1. The last "big" one up a bridge is at mile 20 and then it's a flat 5 miles through downtown. It's a net-downhill course but I'm not sure if I really felt that since the rolling hills really made me work for it. I also liked how they closed both sides of the streets so the road was wide to run. I love the expos. They have CIM clothes, gels, and other running gear. I got a shirt and Asics was offering free screen printing with an Asics purchase and had a few prints to choose from. I chose the one that said "CIM finisher". It was nice for them to offer this but the person who did mine put it on slanted so double check their work. The expo was on Friday and Saturday. I went on Saturday and a lot of the smaller sizes were sold out for the clothes. If you're in one of the more popular sizes and plan on getting some clothes, I recommend going there the day the expo opens on Friday. It's a point-to-point run so the finish line is 26.2 miles away from the start. Runners are not allowed to go to the start line directly and must take a shuttle. There area a few shuttles to choose from based on your location. I took the shuttle from Downtown Sacramento. The shuttles are school buses so nothing fancy but they are heated. I got there at 4:12 am and got on my bus at 4:28 am. At the start line, there is a convenience store that is open and mile long porta-potties. Since the shuttles depart early and everyone is just waiting around until the start at 7 am, I would recommend layering with clothes to peel off and leave to donate. You're just wandering and waiting from 5 am - 7 am out in the cold. I was really impressed with the aid stations. They were plentiful and well stocked. There are 17 aid stations, all with water, electrolytes, medical and porta-potties. 3 of those aid stations had gels and chews. The caffeine gels had too much caffeine for me of 100 mg so I brought my own caffeinated gels. They also have non-caffeinated gels so make sure to ask and double check if you prefer one over the other because it's not that clear when they give it to you sometimes. I started training in August. For 2024, the race began at 42 degrees and was upper 50's when I finished. The air quality wasn't that great in parts of Sacramento but was fine in Folsom.

This race cuts the county in half and prevents travel from one side of the river to the other,…read morewithout either driving all the way downtown and crossing on the freeway or using highway 49 and going around Folsom Lake. It needs to be rerouted. The bike trail, La Riviera Dr., American River Dr. anything but the route it has now.

Annual running event in downtown Sacramento that benefits non-profit Children's Miracle Network…read moreHospitals nationwide. Course starts at Capitol Mall and all of the courses (1-mile, 5k, 10-mile) include traversing on the iconic Tower Bridge. I did the 5K run and it was also nice running along Sacramento River. Some sections of the course were a little narrow, which could cause some bottleneck-ing especially if you're gunning for the finish line (I'm one of the slower runners so I had some spacing). Overall an enjoyable run. Received a shirt (runs a bit small FYI; slightly slim fitting) and a participation medal. The last complimentary thing is a sandwich but only for 10-mile runners. There is food and drinks available for purchase via a few food trucks. Springtime event (April) and registration with early bird pricing starts as early as in December. Credit union membership not required (credit unions are simply sponsoring the event).

Shamrock'n is a very popular St. Patrick's Day race. It usually sells out so be sure to register…read moreearly. I did the half marathon. COURSE The start line is just outside the ballpark at Sutter Health Park. The finish line is inside and at the bases. The course goes through West Sacramento, Old Sacramento, Land Park, Downtown and back to West Sacramento. In 2025, the course was mismeasured by 0.2 miles so the distance was 13.21 instead of 13.1 miles. This was at the first mile. I was trying to PR so this messed my mindset since I thought my pacing was slower than it really was. There are some hills early on and eases towards the end in Downtown. The finish line is at the ballpark and at the the bases. It's a great finish and none like any other. The hardest part afterwards is climbing those stairs up the stands after running! TRANSPORTATION/PARKING Free and plentiful parking Sutter Health Park. However, getting there race morning is rough. There is a lot of traffic. Highly recommend getting there early and before road closures. It's impossible to get over from Downtown over to West Sacramento once the roads are closed. There's a lot of traffic on 50 so I didn't bother and ended up parking 1 mile away in Downtown and jogged over. Not the warm up I had in mind. AID STATIONS There's aid stations approximately every 2 miles. Water and electrolytes are offered at each station. The aid stations could use some improvements. At the first aid station, there was an open bucket of electrolytes right at the side of the table out in the open in close proximity to the runners. The portions are also quite skimpy. I literally got 1 teaspoon of electrolytes from one of the aid stations. The other aid stations were better but the amount of liquid was still not enough to hydrate me so I had to take both electrolytes and water at each aid station. . WAVES There are 3 waves in 15 minute intervals. The bibs have different colors based on your wave. They are strict on it and check your bib before entering the corrals. RESTROOMS The best thing about this race is flushable indoor restrooms! Restrooms are accessible inside Sutter Health Park. There's also port-a-potties lined out by the start line. There's port-a-potties at each aid station. FOOD Post-race food is at the food concession stand. I got a wrap (choice of veggie or turkey), bar, chips, and nuts. There's beer too. Bib and ticket are required to get food and drinks. They do have one food concession stand that sells food also. The race itself is very festive. Everyone is decked out in St. Patrick's day attire. Cheer stations. Overall, a good fun race

It's a decent event. If you are coming east to west highway 50 it's annoying on the exit. Plan…read moreaccordingly. Parking is decent. Law enforcement is clearly present. Maybe more than normal days. To an extent. Only around the bridge. As a "fan" you are NOT allowed to enter through the exit, which is the fastest way to get to see your runner finish. This year, there was some pr*ck there acting like he was super excited to tell you you have to walk "around" to get in... only to be met with a line of people taking forever to get ",in,". It's quite annoying. The event gets worse by the year. Including what the runners get. Gotta show this n that to get your food, ect. It's more of a chore than fun time. Don't expect much do it for your own goal that's it.

Won a free race entry for 2016 from Yelp Sacramento's Facebook contest. Since I had done this race…read morebefore, I knew what to expect. Normally $50, I believe there was another Livingsocial deal/discount for registration. Packet pickup this year was at sponsor Pottery World, El Dorado Hills on Thursday and Rocklin on Friday before the race. Beautiful store, very Christmasy. Race t-shirts this year were white (last year green). Race day pickup was at the Capitol starting 2 hours before. 5K was held before the Merry Mile run. I learned from last year that the Santa Suit doesn't usually survive the entire run -- pants fall down, hats fly off, belts are lost, beards get annoying. This year I kept the jacket, used my own belt and Santa hat, and running bottoms/shoes. If I weren't running the race for time (5K timed or untimed option) then I could've had more fun with the outfit, like having light-up Christmas lights necklace, Ugly Sweater, etc. Certainly was chilly this morning, but dry compared to last year. Good Day Sacramento, KCRA3, Sacramento Bee were all there as well as the official race photographers, Facchino, to capture the event. Seeing so many Santas in one place is always a blast, especially post-race as Santas wander the streets of midtown. Timed 5K runners started near the front of the pack. Festive starting area with a "White Christmas" crooner and fake snow (bubbly foam). Similar course, started from the Capitol down Capitol Mall, turning left before the Tower Bridge past Crocker Museum over the freeway. From the marina, follow the trail/railroad tracks along the river to Old Sacramento, then take the tunnel to DoCo (Macy's/Golden 1 Center). I did not notice any mile markers along the course. The standup paddleboarders were back again near Tower Bridge. At the finish, there were carolers, and runners got waters, regular or chocolate milk, Honey Stinger waffles (cinnamon and gingersnap flavors, vs. Famous Amos chocolate chip cookies in 2015), and Honey Stingers gummies (orange blossom, grapefruit), and mini candy canes too. Race timing was done by A Change of Pace Foundation (Davis), and laptops were available for results-obsessed runners to check their finish times/pace on the spot.

How fun is this! Everyone in the Xmas spirit and Santas as far as you can see. Be unique, let…read moreyour inner Santa out, get your walk/run on and be jolly!

The 19th running of the Women's Fitness Festival event was held on June 2, 2024, with a 5K, 10K,…read morekid's run, and adaptive runners included. This was my 7th time running this (2011-2013, 2015, 2017, and 2018), mostly the 5K distance except for one year where I completed the 10K race. First post-pandemic participation for me. Over the years the sponsors have changed, the 10K route was added, the half marathon distance was canceled, the women-only theme stayed, the brand/style of technical shirt changed, and a medal for participants became available starting in 2015. The location remains around the Capitol, and beneficiary is WEAVE (Women Escaping A Violent Environment). The email for participants regarding packet pickup, traffic/parking notes, and race-day closures did not have "Women's Fitness Festival" in the subject line. I also noticed that while the parking notes said the Capitol Garage had no race-day parking this year, the "Directions" section still navigated to the Capitol Garage. Packet pickup was held at Fleet Feet Sacramento and was available Thursday, Friday, and Saturday there, or race morning at 9th and Capitol. This was well-organized and straightforward with bibs by distance and last name, tech shirt, and pins. No other swag bag. The color of the shirt this year was a berry purple, but the cut was a crew neck (versus V-neck), and something about the seams at the shoulders fell funny on me, where they bunch up. A different brand...back in 2011 the shirts were Nike Dri-fit! Volunteers could get $15 credit/voucher toward Fleet Feet. For 2024, due to other events, the usual Capitol Garage on 10th and L was not available for parking. Street parking meters (except Old Sac) are free on Sundays, but no parking on L or N Streets around Capitol Park. It was suggested that you arrive 1 hour early, take the light rail, or park at a parking garage located at 1500 10th Street (between O & P across from the California Museum, with a $3 flat rate. With only a single lane to enter the garage, this was a bottleneck -- also a lot of construction on the 9th street/West side of the Capitol. Plenty of portable bathrooms near the start/finish, but I didn't see any near the aid station. I saw one arrowed sign pointing from the Capitol to the Start Line, but you really had to be listening to the emcee to be on the correct side of the Start Line. Adaptive runners went first, and the 5K and 10K started together instead of staggered starts, with no corrals by pace. The kid's race was last as a shorter out and back. 7:30 AM start, but it was warm June weather. On the course itself, I didn't realize that there were two "lanes," with the right lane meant for the 10K runners. Volunteers could tell 5K runners with blue bibs and 10K runners with their orange bibs. The one aid station I noticed had only water and no electrolytes. 5Kers did one loop of the course, and 10Kers did two loops. When it got close to the end, volunteers had to yell for 5K runners to hang left to the finish line, and 10K runners to hang right to start their second loop. A megaphone might have been better. The 10K leader did have the lead bike to assist her in getting through the middle-rear pack of 5Kers. Medals at the finish line, Giggle & Riot photobooth, and the Kaiser Thrive Pavilion had passports where if you visited at least 8 booths, you could get a clear fanny/waist pack. At their booths themselves there were other themed freebies like stress balls, measuring spoons, snack containers, sunglasses, sunscreen, handouts for lifestyle management, and even an at-home colon cancer stool test kit you can mail in. It was neat to learn about breast health, blood pressure, heart/stroke, pediatrics, child seat safety, etc. Fleet Feet also had its own arched area, and for breakfast, you could get a bowl of granola with oat milk, strawberries, and bananas. Water and Zico chocolate coconut water were also available. Mimosa garden admittance with wristband and tearing off the bottom of your bib. At the rest of the race expo, there were other vendors such as Buffalo Running Chips, Sacfit running/walking club, Urban Cow 5K/Half, local yoga studio, Kangen water, trufru, Built Bar, Menowell samples, CHP, and more, if you're a spin-the-wheel for a prize kind of person. Timing is provided by Capitol Road Race Management, and free race photos and media are available along with a digital finisher certificate on Athlinks.com.

I haven't participated in the Women's Fitness Festival (sponsored by Kaiser Permanente in several…read moreyears. It was so fun to be there again with my sister. All in all extremely well done and enjoyable. Here are just a few suggestions for the future: One bathroom stop mid-route would be helpful We missed the start of the race as it was not clearly announced To have course monitors create a separate lane for the serious runners. Many times we saw a runner attempting to weave through the crowds. I could see the look of frustration on their faces. What we appreciated: The breakfast offered oat milk (yay for us non-dairy folks) KP Thrive did an amazing job of providing useful health info & tips. There were some nice giveaways too.