For Charity races, everyone normally runs to raise money and awareness for a certain cause. Not many of these types of races will include the racing swag that a normal race or marathon would include (i.e. medal, shirt, etc...) however this race raises money for charity and you get awesome race swag for running the race. Not only does this race offer a solid 5k/10k race but you are running through the amusement park; Knotts Berry Farm! Its not everyday that you get to run a race through an amusement park (without the Rundisney prices) and where a portion of your registration fee goes towards helping the Kids of Speech and Language Development Center. Not only that but you also get awesome swag such as; a nice Snoopy medal, a race shirt, discount towards a Knotts ticket, and a slice of Knott's famous Boysenberry pie! Awesome perks of a charity run.
The race day begins with driving to the amusement park start line, for race day packet pickup and start line warmups. Traffic is a bit heavy, especially since it is an amusement park so you should leave early to allow for plenty of time to arrive on time. Parking is free for race participants and is readily available for all! That is a major plus in my book. Packet pickup is easy and in alphabetical order, where race volunteers are waiting to happily assist you at any moment. After packet pickup you head to the start line with great music to pump you up, and you get in your desired pace wave. The start line does get crowded towards the start of the race so try to be in as early as possible. So far a great prerace start!
Mile 0-1 This mile consists of running through the parking lot, to the marketplace, to the back of the park in Camp Snoopy. Mile 1 is very scenic, past the parking lot, and be prepared to see roosters along the race course and theme park workers cheering for you along the way. There is something serine about running through a theme park in cool weather before it's opening hours. Have fun with this mile.
Mile 1.1-2 This mile continues to take you through Knotts Berry farm, through ghost town, the boardwalk, Excelerator, Wilderness and even hidden parts of the park. This part is very fun to run around because of the continued course through the beautiful theme park. Keep it Going!
Mile 2.1-3.1 This last 5k mile will take you out of Knotts Berry Farm and lead you to Knotts Soak City! Racers will be able to run through a waterless soak city and check out the park's perspective from their! After Soak City it is time to head for the finish line, you can make it as swift as possible, or enjoy the race and just relax at a smooth pace. Either way it is very possible to PR in this Race. As soon as you exit Soak City Speed up to finish the race in great time!
At the finish line enjoy your Boysenberry pie and your new Coaster medal! Hope you had a great race, run the next years to come and Fear No Distance Athletes!