Cost – $32.50 ($42.50 with a Race Grader discount and an additional $10 off because I got 3 of my friends to sign up)

Distance – 5k or 10 mile (Yours truly ran the 10 mile)

Theme – CHOCOLATE!

Swag – Long sleeve technical tee, a box of godiva chocolates (4), and a shiny new medal

Location – Long Beach Convention Center and surrounding areas (waterfront)

My Experience

Picking up my bib was pretty tame. There is no expo. You just pick up the bib, your shirt, and leave. The volunteers had run out of various technical tees by the time I came, which was around 5 pm on Saturday. Those that did not receive a long sleeved tee would be mailed one so it wasn't a big deal.

The race had two distances, the 5k and the 10 mile. I ran the 10 mile. This race was really beautiful. I’m not sure what it was, but I really enjoyed the scenery. We started off at the Long Beach Convention center and made our way around the Rainbow Lagoon park. The lagoon was really calming and I think it really set my mood for the rest of the race because I wasn’t really focused on time.

I just focused on enjoying the course. We ran along the shoreline and there were just so many boats. We even saw the Queen Mary. I ran this race with a few friends and as we crossed paths during the race, we would high five each other. My friend finished 5th overall and was even able to record me racing to the finish. Yay! I’m thankful for fast friends. Hah. Once I crossed the finish line, I grabbed my new shiny medal, my box of godiva chocolates, and went to watch my other friend finish.

All in all, I had a great time at this race. Would I run it again? Maybe. It is a 2 hour drive to get to so it’s a little inconvenient for me, but I’d definitely recommend it to anyone who is in the area to run it.

Note: There were no bathrooms at the start line. Hopefully, this will change next year.