Run This Way

Overview:  A weekend event in Chinatown, near Union Station in Downtown LA, the Firecracker events include bike rides of varying distances on Saturday and 5K, 10K and kids' races on Sunday. Firecracker commemorates the Lunar New Year, and has been a community event for more than 30 years.

When: February 23, 2014 (road races; the bike rides were on the 22nd).

Where: Chinatown, starting about a block and a half from the Gold Line station. The course wound up into the hills around Dodgers Stadium.

Course access: This was a great race for mass transit users, since the Gold Line train stopped about a block away from the course start and finish. It was also a short walk from Union Station with its myriad transit services.

Why: The race funds numerous community events and programs in the Chinatown area.
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Number of Participants: 2725 finishers in the 5K; 2389 in the 10K.

Pre-race: Packet pickup was available on either Saturday or Sunday; on Saturday it came with a little box of noodles.

PPU was one of my major gripes with this race. The tables were in the start corral, which meant that they were hard to see and difficult to access. The people waiting for their packets and t-shirts had to contend with people waiting to start the race, and vice versa. When the race started, this became even more of an issue: runners would walk or jog toward the start line, only to hit walls of people waiting for their packets or simply watching the race.

Course: This is perhaps one of the most difficult 5K courses one will encounter: it's almost all hills, and steep ones, at that. Nailing this race does provide a huge sense of accomplishment! There were Taiko drummers toward the start.



Post-Race: Runners were directed into a controlled area post- race for food and beverages. I really liked the way they did this: volunteers handed out the food (so there was no opportunity for people to snitch extras) as you walked down a chute, and they checked to make sure you had a bib before allowing you into the area. This apparently was in response to complaints from last year that non-runners basically pirated all the post-race food, leaving nothing for those who had actually done the race.

Chip timing: Yes, with chips on the bib, by Racewire. Racewire emails your results almost as soon as you cross the finish line - they really rock.

Shirt: A lovely white tech shirt with a design for the Lunar New Year of the Horse. However, the sizing on these shirts was way off, and what was listed as a "women's shirt" was quite literally the size of a 10 year old's garment.

Swag: A really nice backpack with an interior pocket and handles, some snacks and small samples (including Tiger Balm!), and an awesome medal with the Year of the Horse on one side and the Firecracker Run logo on the other.

Expo: Small, but had some nice booths from Maharashi Rice, Metro, and a few others.

Would I Run this Race Again: Yes!

http://www.lamarathon.com/event/la-5k/

Overview:If you've ever wanted to partake in the excitement of the Los Angeles Marathon--without actually doing those 26 miles--the LA Big 5K might be for you. This race, considered a warm-up for the Marathon, is run by the same organizers and uses the same start line. It is a shining example of how to piggyback a 5K on a larger event and make everyone happy. The organizers clearly did their best to make sure that the Big 5K was a singular, special race, rather than something that was just tacked on to the Marathon. For instance, the 5K had its own special logo and design scheme.

When: March 17, 2012

Where: Dodger Stadium

Why: The L.A. Marathon's official charities in 2012 were ThinkCure! which fosters innovative cancer research, and Students Run L.A., an empowerment and running program for at-risk middle and high school students in Los Angeles. The Marathon also had many official charities, ranging from Girls on the Run to the American Cancer Society to Kitten Rescue. Runners were allowed to join these charities' official teams to fundraise for them.

Course access: The Metro 2 and 4 buses stopped at Sunset and Innes, and from there it was about a 10 minute walk to the stadium. They did not have good signs directing people to the packet pickup or expo, and a number of us ended up wandering around the stadium for considerable periods of time, trying to figure out where to go.
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Number of Participants: 2650

Pre-race: Packet pickup was at Dodger Stadium--not the most convenient place to access--so I opted to collect my bib and chip on the morning of the race. Lines were long, but seemed to be moving. Food and drinks were available both before and after the race, so runners could grab some water or a banana before they started.

Course: A loop around Elysian Park and back to Dodgers Stadium. There were a few challenging hills, a really beautiful lane lined with palm trees and a lot of wide open roads. Since it was raining there wasn't much to see, but on a sunny day, I'd guess that this would be a lovely course with nice views.

The 5K used the same start line as the LA Marathon (just a day earlier!).

Runners: A very diverse group with lots of serious runners, families, young children, and novices. Some folks were there with fundraising teams and wore matching shirts. A lot of runners were using the 5K as a warmup for the Los Angeles Marathon the next day, so they were all business. Since the race was held on St. Patrick's Day, there were many people in green, including some who went whole hog with costumes, shamrock socks, leprechaun hats and bright wigs.

Everyone was fairly polite and easygoing, with a few exceptions. For instance, at the start line, I was standing near a woman with a dog. Since I'm allergic to dogs, I moved. She moved next to me again. I moved again. So did she. I finally ended up walking all the way to the other side of the path to get away from her (I got further toward the front, so perhaps I should have thanked her).

Chip timing: Yes, via chronotrack chip attached to the bib. They did have split times, but due to the rain, the clocks at miles 2 and 3 were covered up when I passed them. The one at the finish line was running.

Shirt: Grey short-sleeved T-shirt. Very thin fabric, but nicely designed.

Swag: Finishers received a square medal on a blue ribbon. The medal was specifically designed for the 5K and had the LA Marathon logo on the bottom, indicated the latter's involvement with the former. There weren't any goody bags, but I picked up an LA Marathon bracelet from Big 5 Sports at the Expo.

Expo: The Marathon expo was fairly extensive, with vendors, photo op stations, food trucks and freebie distributors. Due to the rain, it was fairly empty. I loved the table which offered free gourmet cupcakes. 5K runners could go into the packet pickup area for the Marathon and take pictures with the Marathon photo ops, pick up a Marathon program, buy gear and escape the rain.

Would I Do this Race Again? Yes. I just hope it's not raining next time.