I had so much fun running in 2016 that I decided to come back! I also got a bigger group of friends to join us, most of whom were also running the Rock 'n' Roll half marathon.

This year the medal was even cooler (the sugar skull in the center had a jaw that swings back and forth) and the shirt was based on the same design as last year but with way more color on it. The Los Angeles Carerra de Los Muertos supports Olvera Street Merchants Association Foundation, a group dedicated to preserving cultural events on historic Olvera Street in Los Angeles. OSMA sponsors a nine day Dia de Los Muertos festival on Olvera Street which includes traditional performers, altars, face painting, a novenario procession, and more. A fun event that supports cultural preservation? YES, count me in!
As I noted in my review of 2016, there were approximately 4000 people pre-registered for the Los Angeles event, according to the last emails from the organizers. It had to be more than that this year—it was an impressive turn out—maybe even double.

Again, the race was VERY easily accessible via public transportation, as Union Station is just across the street from Olvera Street. (Several muni lines go to Union Station.) For a princely $1.75 I took the purple line in from Pershing Square, just a few blocks from my hotel, which took like 10 minutes maybe? It would have taken longer to get a car.

On-site packet pickup was handled a little differently from last year. Instead of being right in the center of the Olvera Street parklet, it was off to the side—and unfortunately there was some construction, and a staircase that made this location less than desirable. I also noticed that the vast majority of runners didn’t come to get their bib and shirt until JUST before the race. (I was there at 6:45 and there was zero line. I even took public transit, so there was pretty much no excuse for arriving late.) Honestly, when the race starts at 8 a.m., don't show up at 7:45 and expect a short line. At 8:00, which is when the race was supposed to start, people were still just arriving to the area. Also, a large number of people had neither printed the confirmation nor pulled up the confirmation email, which slowed things down A LOT. The race assigns bibs on race day—scan the QR code on your confirmation, scan the QR on the bib, done—so all of the lines move faster. (This is the same process the Nike Women's races used to use, and for a pre-race pickup it is much more efficient than pre-assigned bib numbers that require you to get in a specific sub-line where your number is.)

The Carerra caters largely to the "fun run" crowd, though runners who wanted timing could add it for $5 during online registration or at the race. I don't know how many people chose this option. Bag check was in a better, less congested area this year, which was nice. The event organizers strongly discouraged checking a bag but sometimes it is unavoidable—two of my friends flew in from Alaska, and they came to the race straight from the airport! I had my sling bag so we could go from the race directly to brunch.

Olvera Street has a large central plaza with a parklet and a gazebo in the center. As it was last year, the race was set up off to one side (in the street, not the parklet). Again the stage had pre-race entertainment, including a mariachi band and a Zumba fitness warmup for the runners, and some fantastic Dia de Los Muertos statues and art. Face painting was $10 and very popular though obviously it wasn't possible to paint everyone’s face; the artists actually did individualized designs for each person, so it took some time to get through the line, but the results were beautiful. Many people painted their own faces prior to arrival, which meant they could guarantee makeup and match their outfits. This year I saw a similarly great parade of Dia de Los Muertos themed clothing and accessories, including a “Dia de Los Dodgers” shirt (since they are playing in the World Series). There were a lot of cool DIY outfits, or runner accessories like a crown of marigolds on a run visor (you get the color and the fun, but don’t melt it with forehead sweat).

Speaking of serious runners, even though this event was targeted to the entire community, serious runners were well taken care of by the race. (I saw them zoom by with an escort on the way back.) The pre-race announcer encouraged everyone to let the runners to the front of the corral, and for the most part everyone cooperated. I managed to start mid-corral this time, putting me by the finish line backdrop since the start and finish use the same chute. Everyone received a finisher medal, there were medals for the top three places in each division, and really cute painted clay sugar skull trophies for the top three men and women. This year I learned the overall awards are custom done by a local artist, and no two are ever alike.

Walkers and shufflers were also plenty welcome, and I again loved seeing entire families out there engaging in healthy activity. (One of the nice things about not automatically timing everyone is that it keeps the cost down for the runners who don't care about timing, which makes it more affordable for families.) Every body type was represented, from athletic-cut to super curvy, as was every fitness level (from "I do 5ks in my sleep" to "5 whole k is a LONG way to walk"). There were also a lot of kids! I saw several women running and walking with babies strapped to them in carriers, and parents pushing babies in strollers.

The course itself was the same as 2016: an out-and-back that went from Olvera Street through China Town and over a street overpass above the Los Angeles river before turning back on itself. There were several dance groups and a mariachi band providing on-course entertainment, as well as a few water stations. Several people reported the course was a bit shorter than 5k, but this could be due to the GPS situation (as one, when everyone in the same area tries to connect at the same time it becomes an issue, and two, GPS is only accurate to +/- 60’ at any given measurement point). This is a part of town I have never had any reason to see before I first ran this race.

This year the finisher chute had bottled water, clementines, and some other snacks. Sponsor/vendor booths included Clif Bar (with free nut-butter-filled bars), Topo Chico, the LA soccer team (with a soccer activity for kids), the local power company (free sweat towels), Coca-Cola (free drawstring bags and tastings), a radio station, and a few others. You could buy a button or postcard to support Olvera Street Merchants and see the prizes up by the gazebo.

Also up in the parklet, around the gazebo, were several Dia de Los Muertos altars, including a smaller one where runners could contribute photos or ofrendas. This year they added a big banner all the runners could sign in memory of a loved one, which I thought was pretty cool (since not all of us backed pictures). There were race-backdrops for photo ops (with long lines though). Musicians and dancers performed on the gazebo after the race, and some of the Olvera Street shops and restaurants opened for business.

Overall, I thought this race was very well done in terms of management. While the race started 30 minutes late, I mainly blame the packet-pick-up (and I put a lot of that blame on runners arriving at the 11th hour--honestly, it was a ghost-town at 7). The race was fun, the swag was cute. The location was perfect--both appropriate culturally (Olvera Street) and for transit access. I don't travel for 5k races, but if Rock 'n' Roll LA is the same weekend as Carrera de Los Muertos in 2018, I will definitely run it a third time, and recruit even more runners.