Rock N' Roll Los Angeles 2015
Sep. 11th, 2016 01:46 pmOverview: One of Los Angeles's mega-races returned for another Halloween event. Sadly, while Rock N' Roll is doing another half-marathon in 2016, as of right now, the 5K appears to be gone. I'm disappointed by that, but I'm glad I had a chance to participate in the 5K in 2014 and 2015.
When: October 25, 2015.
Where: Downtown LA. The race began and ended in the LA Live/Staples Center area. .
Course access: Easy as pie. The Pico station on the Blue/Expo lines was a two-minute walk. There were also a lot of buses in the area, since it was Downtown LA and all.
Why: The ASPCA.
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Number of Participants: 1561 finishers in the 5K; 7797 in the half-marathon.
Pre-race: This race had one of the things I hate most; a mandatory packet pickup the day before. The PPU was at the expo at the Los Angeles Convention Center, and it ran both Friday and Saturday. There wasn't a line and it was fast and seamless. The expo had some interesting booths, and the ASPCA had a huge, and very welcome, presence.
Course: Through Downtown LA, along Figueroa toward USC and the Coliseum, and back.
Post-Race: Runners picked up their medals and then walked through a "sterile area" where they could get food and drink. Water, Powerade and chocolate milk were all available, as were energy bars, chips and fruit. The area was set up in such a way that only runners had access to the food, which was very welcome. After leaving the finishing area, runners could cross over to the LA Live area where there were several booths with freebies, a shop, and a stage for the concert. There was also a beer garden for those who wanted to indulge at 9am. Each runner received a ticket for a free beer with their bib. I passed on this.
2015's cute freebie was a little custom-printed 45 record with your name on it.
Chip timing: A disposable shoe tag. There were mile markers and a finish line clock.
Shirt: 5K participants got a green Brooks tech shirt with Frankenstein's monster, bats, a vampire and some other ghoulish figures. The half-marathon version was black.
Swag: A cute 'lil jack-o'lantern with "LA " cutouts for his eyes. The half-marathon medal was the same design, but was larger and had a green ribbon. There were all sorts of complaints online about this medal; I don't understand why because I thought it was adorable.
Would I Run this Race Again: Yes!
When: October 25, 2015.
Where: Downtown LA. The race began and ended in the LA Live/Staples Center area. .
Course access: Easy as pie. The Pico station on the Blue/Expo lines was a two-minute walk. There were also a lot of buses in the area, since it was Downtown LA and all.
Why: The ASPCA.
_____________
Number of Participants: 1561 finishers in the 5K; 7797 in the half-marathon.
Pre-race: This race had one of the things I hate most; a mandatory packet pickup the day before. The PPU was at the expo at the Los Angeles Convention Center, and it ran both Friday and Saturday. There wasn't a line and it was fast and seamless. The expo had some interesting booths, and the ASPCA had a huge, and very welcome, presence.
Course: Through Downtown LA, along Figueroa toward USC and the Coliseum, and back.
Post-Race: Runners picked up their medals and then walked through a "sterile area" where they could get food and drink. Water, Powerade and chocolate milk were all available, as were energy bars, chips and fruit. The area was set up in such a way that only runners had access to the food, which was very welcome. After leaving the finishing area, runners could cross over to the LA Live area where there were several booths with freebies, a shop, and a stage for the concert. There was also a beer garden for those who wanted to indulge at 9am. Each runner received a ticket for a free beer with their bib. I passed on this.
2015's cute freebie was a little custom-printed 45 record with your name on it.
Chip timing: A disposable shoe tag. There were mile markers and a finish line clock.
Shirt: 5K participants got a green Brooks tech shirt with Frankenstein's monster, bats, a vampire and some other ghoulish figures. The half-marathon version was black.
Swag: A cute 'lil jack-o'lantern with "LA " cutouts for his eyes. The half-marathon medal was the same design, but was larger and had a green ribbon. There were all sorts of complaints online about this medal; I don't understand why because I thought it was adorable.
Would I Run this Race Again: Yes!
