This was the 1st RunDisney 5k I have done in 15 years (usually it is the 10kHalf Challenge) and it…read moreodd not disappoint. So much fun the 3.2 miles just flew by! Loved that we started inside Disneyland on Main Street and ended over in DCA by Ariel's Under the Sea Adventure. Nice and easy and a the weather was a bit humid (even at 5am) but was tolerable. Not too crowded and met so many wonderful people! The staff is amazing as usual. Love at RunDisney and their events here in CA!!!

"The Happiest Race on Earth"…read more Years ago, I had friends that would drive all the way to Disneyland to do the Tinker Bell runs every single year. They would tell me how they would get dressed up and run through the park. I would look at their photos and it looked fun. But back then, running wasn't as big of a deal to me. Disney held their first marathon at Walt Disney World in 1994. Disneyland started theirs the following year. Over the years, runDisney became a half marathon and added 5K and 10K runs. Each half marathon weekend has a different theme to it. These races allow you to run through the theme parks with live entertainment and Disney characters sightings along the way. The runs include a finisher's medal, all sorts of swag and timed results. As I was doing some reading up on these races, I started to realize how big of deal and popular they are. Majority of the runDisney races take place at Disney World in Florida. Disneyland had canceled their runs in 2018 when they were building Star Wars Galaxy's Edge and also because of the pandemic. In 2024, they decided to bring back their half marathon weekend after a seven year hiatus. These days I am big into running and do about ten competitive races a year. I also come from a family of Disney fanatics. I mentioned to my sister that the half marathon weekends were coming back to Disneyland and that we should try and do one of them. Registering was a chore for us as you have to sit on the computer for hours in a queue to see if you were one of the lucky ones to get in. They aren't cheap either! On race weekend, you have to attend the Disney Expo the day before to pick up your bib and shirt. They have an official merchandise area that you can pick up addition stuff for the run. I signed up for the 5K run and was a little disappointed to find out that it is considered a "fun run" and not timed. After dropping a couple hundred dollars on additional merchandise, we crashed early to get ready for the run. Race time is early (5am) because they have to clear everything out before the park opens. Despite being how early and cold it was, I had a fun time. For the 5K, majority of the runners were more about taking photos with characters than actually running. I am pretty competitive and ran almost the whole time despite all the walkers that I had to dodge. I did enjoy seeing all the costumes that people were wearing. We started off in front of the Sleeping Beaty castle in Disneyland and ended up in California Adventure to finish the run. The medals that they give you are pretty cool and you are given snacks and drinks after the run. If I do one of these again, I will probably do one of the longer runs that are timed. But overall, I enjoyed being able to partake in Disneyland's first runDisney event in years.

First off... Thanks Shanon Y for inviting and having me to be your partner and letting me…read moreexperience this Color Run for the first time! Parking was crazy...Jammed pack from exiting the freeway and entering the parking lot. Funny thing is that there's no handicap parking even if you have the handicap sign. Despite the parking, I'd always wanted to experience a 5k run, however, I never thought my first would be almost everyone 'walking' when it's suppose to be 'The Color RUN'. There were blue, yellow, pink, purple and orange station (let's hope I did not forget a color) but as we went through each, some were 'running' out of color to throw because they were running low so had to use the time to 'refill'. So much for being covered with all the colors. Good thing was that there was a water station. The volunteers handed us the water as we pass by. The ONLY good thing about the run was the after party. We were pretty hyped up for that instead. Covered in lots of color. Barrels of colors were being switched so all the people can throw it everywhere. The after party was poppin! NOTE: You will def. get DIRTY. If you are planning to bring your phone, best to keep it in a Ziploc bag. AND bring extra clothes and baby wipes to clean yourself up before you enter your or someone's car. Trust me, you will thank me. Will have to see if I'll experience it again. It WAS a bit disappointing with the non running and running out of color at some stations.

Review for The Color Run SoCal 2013 held on Saturday May 11, 2013…read more BREAKDOWN: Wait long to get into parking, long walk into event, start line is always letting people go in waves, walk, walk, walk, get splashed with powder, walk, walk, smell manure, walk, get splashed with yellow powder, take pictures with your camera phones, walk, water station!! walk, get splashed with orange powder, walk, walk, walk, get splashed with pink powder, walk, you can see the finish line! Walk, wog, jog, wog some more, finish line!!! yaaay. Now what? OH! There's a DJ playing some fun tunes, they throw out colored powder packets, then everyone throws them into the air. Get freebies, go to the merchandise store, take pictures, more pictures, high five your friends, get a free air blow to get some of the dust off, and begin the trek back to you car. By the way, please take notice of a clear landmark. By the time you begin to go back to your car, cars are gone and there are lines of cars leaving and things don't look the same. The most important thing you must know about this event held at The Great Orange Park: GET THERE EARLY!!!!!!!! I cannot stress that enough! I exited the freeway around 7:15 and it took me about an hour to get into the parking lot, then another 20-30 minutes to get into the event to get to the start line. Granted, The Color Run (which I will know abbreviate as TCR) has groups go in waves, so it's ok if you're late, but if you're meeting up with friends (like I was) it's not too cool to make them wait so long for you. Plus it's frustrating to be sitting in your car trying to get in. In the meantime, make a party of it in your car. Play some upbeat music, take selfies, and just hurry up and wait. Now, as for the event itself, don't expect it to be some hardcore, awesome race. This isn't the L.A. Marathon or a 10K. It's a flippin 5K and the whole point is to have some fun with friends and get doused with colored powder. There's music going on, give-aways (I'm still upset I didn't get my free Victoria's Secret color run drawstring sack :( but I'm sure someone has to be selling one on Ebay!), TCR store, etc. Portapotty's weren't too disgusting, or maybe I just got lucky. As for the location itself, it's next to a manure plant. Yes. Manure. So during certain portions of the 5K, you got a lovely whiff of processed cow dung. Kinda gross. Also the park itself looks like an abandoned air field. The view was not scenic at all. I felt at times like I was on a march versus a fun event. It's out in the open and there isn't much to look at except each other or others running by. Thankfully I was with a large fun group and we kept it interesting. A 5K isn't too bad, but if you know you're not a fit person or the most walking you do is from your couch to the bathroom, then be prepared. You might get tired. But it's doable. I saw a woman with lymphatic condition (he legs were extremely huge) and she did it! I saw people in wheelchairs too. Lots of people went the extra mile and dressed up, wore tutus, rocked a few wigs, some wore coordinated outfits and accessories. I saw people of all ages, both genders, groups, couples, families with kids and some with babies (why?? I don't know.) I had fun. I definitely recommend going with friends. You don't have to run it, as with most 5 Ks. Running is optional. The majority walked TCR. When we saw people running, I asked "Where are they running to??" I registered early and made a team, so we all got in on the fun for $30 ! Not too shabby. I was able to pick up my entire team's packets two days before the race. Each packet came with a color run t-shirt, a bib, safety pins, a wristband, color run tattoo, directions, a colored powder packet. I would definitely do TCR again! I had a great time and so did all my friends. Next time I'll leave at 5:30 though HAHA. TIPS FOR ANY COLOR RUN: - bring your shades even if it looks cloudy - bring sunblock even if it looks cloudy - bring a slim fanny pack or drawstring sack for your stuff or leave your things at their check-in locker area - bring a large towel to sit on because the color WILL get on your cars interior (unless you really could care less!) - bring some sandals to slip on for the drive home - bring some all purpose wipes or baby wipes to clean up - bring a snack for the drive home or the long wait to get out of the parking lot

I participated in XTerra Laguna Beach Trail Run 10k this year ( June 5th). The trail run course was…read moreEl Moro Canyon trails. Had about 1000 ft elevation gain from 0, and back down. The trail was hard. I have hiked this train so many times on my own, but the idea of racing this trail with 100 fellow athletes is a life time experience. There was one water station with gel/electro lytes at Mile 1.5. the run goes in kind of round abouts, so you cross the water stations twice. My Garmin watch said I ran close to 6.9miles, so if you are running the trail, dont count on the last mile based on your watch, and just be in the moment. SOmehow the garmin watches arent calculating the trail distance accurately, or they seem to add extra mile to the race. Also, take lot of your friends with you. Being in a 15$ parking area, to get into, there arent that many spectators like you are used to with traditional 5ks/half marathons. so the more people its better to keep the fun going. I paid 65$ for the trail run, but we got a nice tshirt, and a beer after the race(sierra nevada - the good beer), and an opportunity to run with such a group of people. I think its worth it. Number of participants were around 100 in each race, so most everyone seem to get a placement one way or other, which was more fun! they had lot of vendors, waters at the start line, lot of free stuff, and it was very well organized I must say! I want to do this again, may be another different one in SD or something.

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! :-)

This race is super solid. It is the only "8K" or 5 miler I know of in Southern California. It's…read moregreat for people who don't feel a 5K is challenging enough distance but don't want to run extra long miles too. The course is a challenge though presenting a major uphill at mile 3 but also a series of rolling hills along the course. They open the race to an appropriate number of people so that you have enough space to run once you break away from the initial clump of people. The inclusions for this race is top notch. The race shirt, medal, and goodie bag are awesome. Being that it is hosted by the Brea Mall, the vendors that show up here are nearly unbeatable. There is not only your basic race freebies (bananas, liquid IV,water) but also pizza, desserts, and coffee at the post race hangout spot. I've had this race on my list for years and am very glad to be able to finally run it.

For me, medals are important. Ever since I'd received my first one back in 2014, I've continued to…read morechallenge myself, all so that I might drape yet another shiny medal across yet another medal rack. It's just that prior to 2014, I would have never thought I'd begin running, had never thought that I could. My medals, then, are accomplishment reminders, proof that when you set your mind to something, you can do it. However, with all of the runs I'd done, I'd always passed on Brea's 8K. The simple (and a bit selfish) reason was that there weren't finisher medals. I wasn't interested in race shirts and goodie bags, didn't care, really, for trucker hats or for post-race festivities. I just wanted a medal. I mean, running Brea is fine, and running with a great group of people for a worthy and applaudable cause is commendable. But selfish me wanted a medal. So when I saw that medals were included for finishers, I finally signed up. And I am glad I did. It was fun, close to home, and afforded easy parking right there at the Brea Mall. The medal was okay, but at least Brea's 8k had them. For me, it'll do. And I'll run again next year.

This place has been here for ages, it is kept pretty clean and there's only a few homeless people…read morethat come in and out. Lots of grass to run around in. It's nice to picnic here.

My kids absolutely LOVE this park located right down the street from our home in Tustin. Although…read morethey do have handicap and disabled access, I'm bummed that they don't have simple things like Children's bucket swings. Although both of my kids love playing on the playground here...There is a disabled swing chair that doesn't lock properly, and a huge safety hazard of open and loose wires wrapped with electrical tape that could shock and injure any young child in the area. It is mindblowing to me that the City Of Tustin would just allow a shotty above ground wiring situation to exist at one of our favorite parks where we see small children playing so regularly. Something needs to be done about it.

I've ran my share of 5k's, 10k's and Half Marathons over the past 2.5 years and know what to expect…read morefrom races now. Some races have been great, others decent and a few not-so-great. This morning I ran my 5th official 5k race event over my running career and it happened to be my least favorite 5k race to date. A few months ago I was on a race registering kick and came across The Halloween Half Marathon & 5k/10k Race in Dana Point. The summary of the race encouraged you to dress up for the race in your Halloween best (which I did -- rocking my Hot Pink Tutu and spooky Bat Headband) and it promised the event would provide a Tech T-Shirt, a finishers medal, and "tricks and treats" and some spooky fun along the course, which I assumed would be volunteers throughout the course in costumes to scare and cheer you on and possibly passing out candy. Since I am a self proclaimed Halloween enthusiast and it is my favorite holiday of the year, I thought this race was right up my ally and I optimistically signed up for the 10k at the time. The prices for the race were a bit steep for me at $99 for the Half Marathon, $60 for the 10k and $40 for the 5k. I figured I'd suck it up and sign up anyway, which I did. I went to the packet pickup Saturday and was highly disappointed overall with the pickup process. It was located at Road Runner Sports in Laguna Hills, which at least 3 of my other races have had packet pickups there as well. There was only two volunteers working the table on Saturday when I went and they didn't seem really prepared for the people coming to pick up their packet -- they even ran out of safety pins for the bibs! What else got me was everyone was getting a standard cotton t-shirt for the race, including the Half Marathoners. I asked why we weren't getting a tech shirt like it stated when I signed up and they responded with "I don't know" and just handed me my bag. Bummer! Race day was this morning, 10/28/12. The race started at 8am sharp, so I got to the event about 7:15am in hopes to get in race day spirit. Over the past few weeks, I've been blessed (haha) with a nice knee injury. Due to this, I downgraded myself to just running the 5k course today so I don't cause a bigger injury of the knee and also, honestly, I can't seem to run more than a mile without pain these days due to it. What struck me this morning was how SMALL this race was. Overall, there was only a combined total of about 280 people running all three races! So freakin' tiny! I honestly prefer the medium-to-big sized races so there are more of us 11-13 minute a mile runners in the crowd and I'm not the last (or one of the last) to finish. After hearing the buzz of people talking around me, it seemed like most of the runners/joggers/walkers were planning on participating in the 5k, which made me happy that I was doing the bigger race event of the day. Now onto the course. It was just....meh. The first 1.5 miles was a moderate-to-steap uphill battle, which I was not ready for AT ALL. The uphill battle majorly slowed me down and I ended up walking at least a half a mile of it and the rest was a very slow jog. I have never been so grateful to see the 5k split, where us 5k-ers turned around and got to enjoy an easier downhill run, where I picked up my pace and helped save my time. I finished with my worst 5k time to date (39:44) and with a major kink in my walk since my knee was hurting like no other when I finished. The course did have some nice scenery (ocean views, a golf course, nature, etc), but since I was in such pain most of it, I didn't even bother with enjoying my surroundings. Also, since there was so few participants, I ran most of the race without anyone really around me and I was wondering if I was going in the right direction. I like the support of fellow runners around me during a race and hearing and feeling the buzz of excitement. I didn't get that from this race. As far as the "tricks and treats" and spooky fun throughout the course....well, there was none. There was a water station and one porta potty at about mile 1.2 with some volunteers working there. But, that was it. I was really disappointed with the course due to that. I wanted spooky fun!! They also had ran out of 5k medals by the time I finished and I never received one. What the heck! Major disappointment there! The post race part was the best part for me! They were passing out the standard water and bananas, but there was also bagels with cream cheese and cupcakes as well! Sweet. There was also a mini graveyard set up and some friendly volunteers walking around. Overall, I would never run this race again and I wouldn't recommend it to anyone. This is how disappointed I was with this race! Happy running!

Loved this event. Tough, hilly course but marked very clearly with lots of volunteers on it. This…read morewas my first ever half-marathon and I thought it was awesome.

This is a fantastic use of the amount of land available after the closure of the El Toro Base. When…read morewatching the Helicopters train when I was a child here and seeing the transformation to this fabulously well done facility is just fantastic. Those great memories in the past and I am looking forward to many more great ones at this location. The activity list is long and appeals to all interest and ages. Check it out at: www.ocgp.org

I gave the extra star because no charge for parking so it saved me $20 over the Norco fields for…read morethis weekend's soccer tournament. And it was a little cooler. But no beer garden although I head one might be opening in the ice rink soon. But the kids didn't like playing on turf. It was hot and it smelled. Parking was awful. It took 10 - 15 minutes to find a spot and then give yourself another 15 to walk the mile to your field. The 1 road coming in was filled with cars parking in the bike lane because there was no parking in the lots. Getting out of here after the game took a while. The biggest issue is they didn't clean and restock the bathrooms or empty garbages until later in the morning so those arriving for the first game were out of luck.