Where to begin for my review of the 5KHR Kiss Wine Run...1st off I have to say that I wouldn't have given it even one star if that was an option on Yelp. Additionally, I would have posted this review on the Facebook page of the event, but all negative comments, including the one I posted on the day of the race, were deleted unfortunately. I've run multiple 5K's, and have never seen a more disorganized event. At first the communication from 5KHR seemed good, yet as the race got closer it became somewhat apparent that the organization of the race was leaving something to be desired. The continued messages about the lunch option being taken away and/or limited was confusing, and should have been taken as a heads up. Additionally, the information regarding the "custom gender specific shirts" was confusing, as originally direction for attire for the race said to dress up in your Valentine's Day themed attire for a "Best Costume" contest. All of this could be ignored, absolutely, if the event had been well organized, fun, etc...however it was not. 1. Parking was a disaster...we parked on the side of the street because traffic was so bad, which we'd been warned about, but when we walked up to the parking we overheard parking attendants saying that they would be turning people away soon. Are you kidding me?!?! 2. I'd paid extra to receive my swag bag and bib in the mail, so it wasn't an issue for me, so I speak for my friends. The organization for the line to pick up bibs, shirts, and swag bags was ridiculous. The line was long, which we expected, and were fine with. However when in line we were handed bibs by a volunteer, which lead me to consider "how do they know we even paid". Additionally, when we got close to the front of the line, we expected a checklist of names with shirt sizes and such so that you knew whether or not we'd picked up our stuff, which there was nothing. The shirts were just sitting on the table and people were digging through them to grab their size. No bags were available. I understand from your Press Release that was supposed to be an apology letter that they had been stolen. To this I ask where were the employees or volunteers manning this station? Theft wouldn't have been an issue with staff manning the check in. 3. The porta potties...holy cow the porta potties. There were only four...for an event with 1600 participants by your count, and countless spectators. According to porta potty calculators available online, there should have been at least 17 potties, 6 hand wash stations, and 1 handicap accessible toilet available for an event with alcohol lasting 4 hours...according to your count. Four porta potties that were overflowing by 930am is disgusting, unsanitary, and frankly, probably a violation of health policies to say the least, and the lack of hand washing stations makes it worse. 4. The course. Now the course was beautiful, however that is no credit to 5KHR by any means...the credit for that goes solely to Mount Palomar Winery. The preparation of the course including the clearing of it, the release of waves, the marking of the path, the water stations, and the volunteers for safety purposes was atrocious. I personally did attempt to run, but due to the mentioned issues was unable to do so easily. I had to dodge debris all over the course, and even tripped on a two foot piece of wire that was sticking out of the ground on the edge of the course! Additionally, many people were confused by the course as the markers were difficult to see and/or confusing. There were no mile markers to let you know where you were in the run, as well as no defined finish line. When I reached the courtyard party area I hadn't even reached two miles, so ran another lap of the course in order to get my full 5K worth of the run. Many didn't do this due to their frustration. Overall I am beyond frustrated by the lack of organization of 5KHR in this event, as well as the reaction to feedback received. While I understand the coordinator's frustration with actions taken by some participants, I, for one, was not one of them, and am offended by the accusations and lack of official apology. As a coordinator of such an event a certain amount of professionalism and customer service is expected, and was not shown in that letter. Attached are screenshot pictures of the Press Release that is supposed to act as an apology apparently. read more

See all

As everyone else said, I wish there was a zero star option. I left this race a little confused about what the heck just happened: did I just run a 5K? did I cross a finish line? am I dying of thirst? LOL I actually was bummed after I left and then moved on. THEN I got their press release. How offensive and rude of them to take zero blame for everything that happened and to actually blame us the customers that paid. I don't think the behavior they mentioned is acceptable, but I did not behave like this and felt like they were generalizing everyone. I don't think it was unreasonable for me to require: 1. A safe course 2. A clear finish line 3. Water 4. A race bib 5. A race bag 6. Pins for my race bib I don't care about lines, but I do care that I did not receive anything that I paid for. I would avoid 5KHR at all costs, even if it was free. I have organized a few non-profit 5K races and never have I had issues like I saw here. I don't wish to see any business fail, however when a business can't admit fault and offer a true apology they should no longer be in business. read more

Truly a fun event. I liked the fact that the 5K runs include fun themes and they cater to group events. Plenty of good energy and vibrant gear. You can count on us for the next run! Fitness is a lifestyle for our family and 5Khr is the only great event in our area. Advice: recruit more volunteers and have easier packet pickups from local vendors to help with day of registration. That's my 2 cents. Other than that, we had a blast! read more

I honestly do not even know where to start with how awful this 5k Holiday Run was. This was my first 5k and I was excited about it for weeks. Unfortunately, the result has me thinking that either 5ks aren't for me or this was just an extremely unorganized event. #1) The course was not even 5k in length: Throughout the run, runners were asking the individuals that hosted the event that had flags where we were supposed to next (as the event was not clearly marked. The workers shrugged their shoulders. Really? So you put on an event, but you aren't sure where individuals are supposed to go-interesting! #2) Ordered a shirt in a size small, so disorganized they were passing out sizes to anyone, not even checking off names or giving out the proper materials promised. Needless to say I received a size that I did not order--why did I order my size again? #3) Finish Line--I thought a 5Ks had a finish line, I guess I was wrong? No one knew when the 5k ended, where to go, etc. Just imagine, a group of 5 year olds playing soccer--I am sure that is exactly what it looked like from a birds eye view. #4) Wine tasting, take home wine glass--Say what? That's interesting, I waited in line for 35 minutes only to get to the bartender and they said that they "ran out of wine glasses." Really? So, you didn't plan for this amount of people OR you AGAIN you didn't check off names and gave people more glasses than they paid for. Not a 5k, no wine, no glass, wrong size shirt. If you are a fan of wasting money, sign up next year! :) read more

Yelp, we really need a 0 star option. That's what 5KHR would earn from me. My girlfriends and I have been looking forward to this race. We actually turned this race into the main event for a girls weekend. I just want to start by saying the check in process was awful. There was no way to find your name on the bib. There were no safety pins to attach the bib that was haphazardly given to you. By the time I arrive (9:45 am), there was no check-in procedure. How was I supposed to get my materials? Maybe from the guy wearing scrubs haphazardly passing out race bibs? Those guys couldn't answer my questions. The race track was very difficult for people to walk, I can't imagine how people were able to run. As an abled body individual, I found the course difficult to walk at a slow pace and I slid a few times. The physical terrain added to the difficulty as well as the lack of guidance with the course route. After 1.7 miles, I was back at the starting point. This was not a 5k. Where was the wine at the finish line? Actually, where was the finish line? This is where the madness really begins. The venue was way too small to host an event of this size. The lines were very long and few people knew what the line was for. I literally stood in a line that led nowhere! There was poor communication and very few people there to assist with this event. In conclusion, your organization (or lack thereof) should not have been able to call this thing an event. The lack of planning was evident and I am requesting my money back. Contractually this organization did not deliver the items promised at registration. I did not receive any wine during the so-called 5k Wine run. The event clearly states that you get two tastings of wine at the finish line. This organization added insult to injury when they issued a press release blaming the venue and the participants. Many of the issues could have been prevented had the organizers done a better job. This company never even apologized for screwing up this event. SHAME ON YOU 5KHR! read more

This was actually a rip off and seemed like a ploy to just make some money by getting people all in one place and paying $55 (what I paid). Parking was a disaster, start time a half an hour late, no clearly marked route, people not knowing where to go, turning back, cutting through a field, redoing the route because of no finish line. The company has done nothing, not even admit that they blew it. Come on......do something to help your reputation. read more

The 5K Kiss Run on Feb 6th, 2016 was a complete disaster. They had so many complaints that they deleted their FB page. As of today they are back up. I will be contacting Active (online payment company) along with Dick's sporting goods (sponsor) to let them know of my displeasure with the coodination of this event. I drove out of my way from Corona the weekend before to Newport Beach to pick up my items. I did receive my bib & shirt, I was told they ran out of the other items and they would be shipping them for free. I never receive all the items that was included in the package. The event staff didn't show up on Saturday until 8am (I know that because I was the 3rf car in the parking lot at 7am), no signs, no one had direction of what was happening. The race started late, the course was not clear to many of the runners and walkers. They had a couple of cases of water laying on the ground, which by the time I came around was gone. There was no visible finish line, it was a monkey see, monkey do event. There was no !st, 2nd or 3rd place awards given out, nor was there a Best Costume award. They ran out of commerative glasses for the event. The event was not properly staffed at Mount Palomar. They definately did not do what they claimed they would be doing to make this a successful event. With over 2500 people registered and attending, more than just I was dissappointed. My friends and had a great time, because that's what we choose to do. Guaranteed I will never do a 5k run through them again, especially after I read their press release that was posted today on their website. Here's the link https://www.facebook.com/events/494319470737329/permalink/556790031156939/ read more

I requested a refund or at least a partial refund for participating in the 2/6/16 5K Kiss Wine Run from the director Shastina. On 1/28/16, I spent 120.94 on 2 registrations for the 5K Kiss Wine Run. I expected that 5KHR would be reasonable in refunding my monies and resolving my request as well as others'. This event had been a complete disappointment is several ways, especially with safety concerns. First, 5KHR did not anticipate registration and parking needs. In previous runs with other companies, we have had several LOCAL opportunities to pick up our packets/merchandise early to not wait in lines. Random bibs with random names were passed out to everyone without even checking that they were really registered and paid. Second, 5KHR were not able to provide us with clean portable toilets as they were full, therefore, me and many others had to "hold it" for hours until we left elsewhere. Third, 5KHR didn't have any medical assistance professionals throughout the course for accidents and first aid. In previous runs with other companies, there is several first aid stations for professionals ready to help. NOBODY was available. Fourth, 5KHR did not have an adequate number of volunteers for clear routing and handout of waters. They were in no way prepared to hydrate over 1K+ people. Many people, including myself, were dehydrated and confused as where to run. In previous with other companies, there are trained volunteers throughout the beginning parking entrance thru the end finishing line. If 5KHR realized last minute that they needed more volunteers, they should have "called for volunteers" publicly to ensure there was enough assistance, if I had received an email asking for volunteer help, I would have gladly invited friends and family. Fifth, 5KHR did not send out runners in heats for efficiency and spacing. In previous runs with other companies, waves of people are directed to go in heats, and runners and walkers are separated; runners go first and walkers go later or participants are assigned start times. Sixth, the trail wasn't marked properly with clear signs and arrows. In previous runs with other companies, there are arrows AND directive people AND flags on hazards. I saw a lot of people fall and get hurt. Seventh, 5KHR `had a band but not a host/announcer staff to tell us updates and crucial information. In previous runs, with other companies, there are djs/hosts who announce the start, the midway points, and clap you into the finish line. Djs/hosts should tell us what is happening next and where to line up. 5KHR claims that the band they contracted was expensive, why was so much money spent on a band instead of helpful djs/hosts? Eighth, 5KHR advertised that they would have a wine tasting as a reward for finishing the run. However, there wasn't any staff taking care of this. In previous runs with other companies, there has been a team of volunteers at the end handing out the Gatorades, energy drinks, goodie bags, cold waters, or whatever the item was, at the end, making sure all the runners are getting their end "goodies." However, there wasn't even a marked finish line. Ninth, I saw that people were just grabbing the wine glasses but the logos were very poorly done and the quality was defective. In previous runs with other companies, the take-home goodies are the BEST items because then we are encouraged to use them and show them off. Tenth, 5KHR advertised that the tshirts were special and made for this event. Yet they did not have any Valentines or love or wine theme to them at all. I am embarrassed to wear this shirt and will gladly send it back unopened. Unfortunately, it is too late to NOT have wasted my time, money and efforts into this event, but it not too late for 5KHR to apologize and issues refunds (or provide another solution, like active.com credit) to the thousand disappointed folks who paid a considerable amount of money. What exactly did our money cover? I have spoken up with my truest feelings of dissatisfaction and hope that other participants do the same. Others have spoken up on Facebook and Yelp, but 5KHR has deleted all the comments. 5KHR has been quick to blame the participants instead. 5KHR states that participants were bad behaved and thieves. 5KHR states that Mount Palomar was at fault, even though they just provided the location. 5KHR states that they "spent countless hours mapping out the course" but that the winds and tumble weeds knocked the flags down, and perhaps "farmers ran over picked up the markings." 5KHR states that "you didn't get your wine but it's just wine" as if it did not matter even though it was a Wine Run. The videos from the well-paid Capture Action Productions are misleading because it only shows the fragments of smiles. It makes it appear that things were under control. Yet, people in the shoot were probably drinking their own personally bought bottles. 5KHR has gone unresponsive and will no longer accept our recounts of grievances. read more

This race was ridiculous and the "press release" in response was outrageous. The event coordinator's name is Shastina Sandman and her number is 949-887-2609. She has been doing her best to be anonymous and not take responsibility. Whoever has started legal action- please let me know. read more

I wish Yelp has zero star option because they deserve ZERO stars for unprofessional and unorganized event ever in my life with my own eyes!! I would say it turned from Kiss Wine 5K to Nightmare Wine 5k. All of it was a joke. read more

I selected one star because zero stars is not an option. If you want to know how this company operates, check out this Facebook page. https://www.facebook.com/groups/1049473991790495/ . Their last event in Temecula included no water, a mis-marked course, no communication at the event, 90-minute lines, 4 potties for 1600 people, randomly assigned bibs, etc. Many participants didn't get what they paid for (meals, swag, VIP treatment). The most disorganized and unsafe race ever. To add insult to injury, the owners contacted all the participants after the event blaming the participants for the failures at the event. Completely unprofessional and unethical. DO NOT SIGN UP FOR RACES FROM 5KHR! read more

Horrible! This was a zero star event. From the street trying to park to the final insult, the "press release" from the promoter. Avoid this company 5kHR. They promise much, lots of hype and minimal delivery. I did not pay VIP, knew I would have to wait in line for my bib, shirt and swag bag. After waiting 30 minutes or so, a volunteer started walking the line handing out random bibs, no waivers were signed, no official check in completed. Oh well, let's do this run. We started the run 30 minutes late. The course...what course? People were backtracking, running across open fields, chaos. No clear mileage markers, minimal volunteers on the course. I saw 2 water locations, unmanned...4 cases of water left on the side of the course. Fortunately, I always carry water. The course was hilly and in areas full of ruts, causing runners to veer around those walking. I didn't mind the dirt/hills, but was unclear at one point where we were going. The finish line is in sight...I think, was there a finish line???? I saw boxes of finisher wine glasses, I guess that was the finish line. Lines for food, wine were insane. My friends and I enjoyed the location, the 80z Allstars were great, as always. As I have said, any event will have a handful of disgruntled customers, the fact that this event has hundreds of unhappy people speaks to the quality of the event. The promotors have done nothing to alleviate this. Avoid them!!! Poor customer service, disorganized and no ownership of their mistakes. read more

5k Holiday Run - My "swag"...and their FB is gone again. Avoid 5kHR!!!! - Festivals Near Me - Temecula, California

Check out reviews for past 5KHR / Winery Runs...Buyer Beware.. Debbie is dead on. To make matters worse, my wife received an email today from 5KHR that blamed everyone else, The short of it, they compared themselves to Disneyland in terms of attendance and wait lines, claimed they had "...too much organization in place for you..." and that after their expenses, "there's not much left, not one bit." One has to wonder where did the money go from the 1600 plus in attendance. They also blamed El Nino, rain and wind! Really? It had not rained in a week and that was spotty! Finally, they offered no apology for their shortcommings. Attendees were furious! UPDATE: Just checked Active.com site for 5KHR runs. Someone has deleted not only the below review, but all other reviews dated before today! If you hurry you might see what was posted today: (copy and paste to your browser) http://www.active.com/temecula-ca/running/distance-running-races/5k-ghosts-and-goblins-wine-run-2016-20189446?int= Read on for Wife's review. Due to my getting sick, my wife and friends participated this morning without me. So I type as she dictates. This 5K Kiss Wine Run is the worst event ever. Should have read past reviews on Yelp for Temecula Wine Runs. Seems the wineries take turns doing these but they all turn out the same, HORRIBLE! They got there early, paid $10 to park then total chaos. Park anywhere you could find room, cars everywhere, lines of cars trying to back up because the road ended at port-a-potties and no place to park, exits to get out of the lot and turn around were blocked. Bib pick-up: some in her group were not on the list even though they signed up in Sep 2015! So, after showing payment recipts, they got handed bib numbers without name printed on them and really had no purpose as this event was not timed or monitored in any way. The T-Shirt pick-up had no problems for them. The "Run" (you couldn't run because the course was too crowded) route was not marked so they finally just decided to follow others ahead of them, participants were everywhere. 1K, 5K who knows where the course was or how long it really was. Water: The only water stop was at about mile one, according to her GPS watch. 4 wrapped cases of small water bottles left on the ground, no table, no attendant, just bottle cases on the dirt. No other water the whole way. On the way back, they followed others turning around at some point, there was no water anywhere, just the plastic wrap strewen about from the water cases they passed on the way out. No trash cans anywhere. Couldn't find the "FINISH LINE" so they went back to the start point. GPS watches of several in the group recorded less than 3 miles. Then more chaos, box lunch pick-up lines galore, 2hr wait in line. Mind you, these were ordered and paid for at registration some months ago. Finally made it to the front (the line was also for wine glasses given after as part of the run) they ran out of glasses. The one guy handing them out had to go "get more out of the back", 15 mins later we got glasses. 2 HRS AND 15 MINS. for cheap little stemless ones, the line behind us was huge! Then the included wine pour. Again ONE guy, pouring a splash of wine of your chosen type. People were really angy due to wait times and lack of staffing (if you call ONE guy "staffing"). If you needed a banana or tangerine, $1 each. Restrooms: 4 Port-a-Potties and 1 women's restroom for (according to event organizer numbers) 2500 people, what a mess. Men were in the bushes as the wait lines were huge! Poor families with kids! In the end they left early, did not get to take advantage of what might have been good wine tasting. They say they will never do another Temecula wine run, especially since now reading Yelp reviews going back the past 2 years. A bright spot was the Band. They were GREAT! Played 80's tunes for the time her group was there. Too bad Mount Palomar Winery is associated with this so called RUN. With the history these runs have, the Wineries should stick to what they do best...make and sell wine. STAY OUT OF THE RUN EVENT BUSINESS. OH AND FIRE YOUR P.R. PEOPLE WHO GOT YOU INTO THIS! The other bright spot! I was sick and did not attend!! I suppose it is possible the next event could go well? Buyer Beware... read more

This was a horribly organized event. The line from the start was very long if you didn't pay the extra VIP fee. The race started a half hour late after everyone started chanting "start the race"!!! The course was not marked property and people were getting lost. No one knew the course from start to finish. Cases of water were just laying around on the side of the course. They didn't have volunteers handing out water like you see at first class organized 5k's. Where was the finish line you ask? No one knows. People just started ending when they felt they reached their limit. If you purchased lunch $12.00 you had to wait in very long lines being pushed and shoved by the angry patrons. If you paid the extra $$$$ for the wine tastings oh that was another line you had to wait in, actually 2 lines you had to wait in. One of the wine glass and the 2nd to get your wine. Both over an hour long. This organization knows they screwed up but will not take accountability. They are quick to blame the patrons and the winery (who donated their place for the event). Did the winery have enough space for 1800, in my opinion, no they didn't. They were told by this organization that they were bringing in many volunteers to handle this amount of people, but the volunteers didn't show up. 5kHR you are an unprofessional group. You charge way to much for your races. AVOID THEM AT ALL COSTS. I have done other wine runs with other organizations and they were organized and fun! read more

I have never given a 1 star review... I don't mean to repeat what everyone else is saying, but again parking was horrible, disgusting overflowed toilets and not enough of them, unmarked courses and them having to redirect us through an unsafe field. No water stations or staff giving us water, no finish line and anyone providing us with water at the invisible finish line. No wine glasses and nobody telling us where to get them. Only 2 people pouring for over 1,600 people. The only positive thing was that they had a great band!!! All they had to do was have a swag bag with our wine glass, water, etc... At the finish line and staff directing us where to go to get our wine. Having better organization with communication would have been helpful. Our friend got hurt on the field and first aid didn't even know what to do with her. I would never do a race by these organizers again. They sent a very disrespectful and accusatory press release blaming us and the winery. How horrible. I'm very disappointed on how they handled this whole thing and not taking responsibility. read more

To begin my rating for 5KHR is a zero star!! The whole experience was a nightmare having paid $49.72. My daughters and I carpooled because you said there was going to be a lot of people, when we finally got to the driveway to go up to the winery a gentlemen was telling folks there was no more parking. (Too many participants not enough parking) When we parked in a spot that wasn't made for parking, we got to the tables were they were supposed to be handing out packets to be told that there were no more. (Too many participants and 5KHR didn't do enough packets) We did the run since we drove all the way from Las Vegas, Barstow and San Diego just to do something as a family. The coarse was not marked properly and it was very dangerous, holes and ditches, steep hills with slippy dirt (which i almost fell) and no one knew where the route took you or where the finish line was. There was no water available throughout the coarse. (5KHR did not check out the coarse before Saturday) Once we made it back to the area where the band was playing, we did not receive the wine glass for the wine testing, and we did not get the tickets for the wine testing since we did not get our packet. If you had to go to the bathroom, good luck!! We got so fed up we were walking toward the parking lot, we ran into one of the organizers and was complaining, he was kind enough to say he would go get us our wine glass. He felt so bad of how the whole thing turned out, he brought us an actual wine glass with wine. While he was there standing talking with us, he noticed that people were walking away with cases of the souvenir wine glasses. But after all of that the thing that pissed me off the most was the Press Release, blaming the participants and Mount Palomar winery and you took no responsiblity. Unsatisfied participant, Lori Meneley read more

My comments mimic everyone else's. They don't even deserve one star!!! This was the most poorly organized and managed event and on top of that, 5KHR is trying to blame the winery sending a pathetic over-emotiknal ridiculously long letter attempting to escape responsibility for the debacle of an event, looking for sympathy stating this is how we support our families!! Then they should have put in a lot more effort to give participants what they paid for! In my view 5KHR literally STOLE money from all 1700 participants!! Instead of accepting responsibility they are pointing fingers and blaming! It's a joke!!!! I will never EVER do a 5KHR event again and I recommend no one else do so either!!! read more

Zero stars! You don't blame your customers for your failures! Nothing that was promised was delivered. Stay away from this company take your business elsewhere! read more

I've been to a lot of 5ks and this was the most horribly organized event I've ever been to. Participants received random bibs with the wrong names on them. Some people never received the shirt, swag bag or wine glass they paid for. There was no trail marked and some people ran 5 miles while others only ran 1 mile. The owners arrived to their own event an hour late while their one paid employee was being overwhelmed with the event coordination. Instead of apologizing and refunding people, they sent out a long email rant blaming their customers and the winery that let them use the venue for free. This was a ripoff and definitely not worth the $50 per person. read more

I gave 2 stars. The complaints: unorganized. Trail poorly marked. No finish line. Greedy whiney participants. Liked: great view. Good music. I'm a walker not runner, fun time for me and my friends. We actually enjoyed ourselves and would do another. But THIS event does not deserve more than 2 stars. read more

I'm not usually one to review something on Yelp, but my experience was so abysmal, I want to ensure that no one else wastes their money on this horrendous company. Short version: DO NOT, UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES, WASTE YOUR MONEY ON THIS COMPANY. PLEASE FIND ANOTHER 5K AND ANOTHER COMPANY ALTOGETHER. Long version: 5KHR was amazing with their communication until the day of the event. 5/5 stars... until the actual event began. I was running 3.2 miles (a 5K) every other day for a month leading up to this event. My friend and I arrived REALLY early the day of, because we noticed that over 1500 people signed up for this event and we wanted to make sure that we had decent parking and got in line early to get all of our stuff. We were in line at 8:00, watched all of the staff members setting up, and everything seemed to be going fine. No one seemed upset that registration hadn't started yet, as they told us it wouldn't begin until 9 am. It began around then, and had a CRAZY huge line behind us. We got our shirts, bibs, and "swag bag" (safety pins and a DICKS sporting good towel.. not much swag if you ask me) and waited around for the event to start. They had all these cool floating camera gadgets, a pimped out truck, and live music. It was a cool atmosphere. They only had 4 porta-pottys for 1600+ people and booked at a venue that MAYBE accommodated 1000 on a good day. Then 10 am (when the run is supposed to start) comes around... no run, yet. 10:15... no run. For whatever reason, they thought it was a good idea to wait until all 1600+ people had registered and we would all start running at once? Made no sense. I think finally about 10:30 they announced the start. My friend and I were maybe 150 people back, and quickly passed a lot of people (total jumble, no one policing the run or encouraging walkers to be on one side and runners on the other). We pass a spot where there are a few water bottle cases on the ground and pick one up. It goes well... for about a mile. Then we get people telling us it's a dead end and we all end up running amok in the grass field, some people tripping on terrain and it was just a disaster. Some of us ended up circling in the front of the grass and found the field. Kept running. Then got to a point and saw people coming from 3 different "trails" or directions. We were in the first 20 people and suddenly we are behind hundreds because no one knows where the track is. Then we get back to where we started... phone & fitbit say we only ran 2.6 miles... no finish line... people keep going... everyone asks where the finish line is... we think maybe we have to go again and there is another trail to finish the 5k... everyone is running all over the place and asking where the trail is and why people are in the street... it was a disaster. Then, at the end, we were promised wine glasses and wine. We saw some of the wine glasses but when I asked a staff member they said they were gone. The bartenders were charging for wine so the free wine must have run out, too. The worst part? I paid $60 for this horrid event... I paid $60 to run a 5K and I couldn't even do that. Everyone was pretty upset and began commenting on the event that it was really poorly done and suggesting they should offer a credit or some sort of refund. The company starts DELETING PEOPLE'S COMMENTS and eventually deletes their entire FB site, and blocks me on instagram when I try to comment on that. Then, a few days later, they release this public statement (paragraphs long, longer than this review) blaming EVERYONE but themselves for how horrendous the event. Blamed the winery, blamed the event goers, blamed mother nature herself for the path mysteriously disappearing. What a crock of shit. Their PR person needs to be fired, because they dug themselves an even deeper grave with that crappy reply. Then, once everyone replied angrily AGAIN, they deleted everything. DO NOT WASTE YOUR MONEY. Seriously, it was a terrible experience. I wish I never paid for it and attended the event. It was awful. read more

I would give less than one star if possible! This company is pathetic. Can't even make an appropriate apology for an unorganized event. I did not witness any of the things that they mentioned in their "apology". Overall people were politely dealing with the chaotic, unorganized mess that you call a 5k. People were waiting patiently in long lines for bibs with other peoples names on them, waivers that were no longer available since the people working got frustrated and walked away , no swag bags, an unmarked course with very little guidance, 4 porta potties that were overflowing for 2000 people, people being led in the wrong direction and then having to cross a field, people being injured but only one paramedic which couldn't even find the injured, staff had no idea what was going on and was getting irritated with each other, very late start, only a couple of people pouring wine to thousands of people, food and parking that was prepaid for and never given, and no finish line so people (like myself) ended up making several laps. I do not mind standing in lines, but this was ridiculous. When a company asks people to pay 50 bucks for a run they better make sure they give them the items they have promised. I love how they compare themselves to Disneyland, etc. They are nothing like those places. Those places are organized and make the day pleasant for those attending. Ya we all make mistakes, but deleting people's messages and taking down their Facebook and then offering a pathetic explanation is not professional. My friends and I attend a lot of events and know a lot of people who enjoy 5ks and we will NEVER attend one of their events again! It takes a lot to frustrate me and they did it! read more

I have been part of over 100 running or biking events in the past 20 years, and this one, BY FAR, was the worst event I have ever been part of. You knew there might be some problems when you paid $10 for parking and knowing over 2000 were coming, so a very small parking lot. It also seemed crazy that they had only 4 port a pots for the same amount of people, which by the way were overflowing before the race even got started. We got there early to pick up our packet, as they suggested. They did not start setting up until after 8:30 and by then the line was so long, that I knew there was no way they could get through all these people between 9:00 and start time of 10:00...they did not even come close and started handing out random bibs to any and everyone. I signed up my husband and I, 3 months ago, and they did not have him on the list (good thing I brought my receipt). The race, of course, started about 1/2 hour late and they had the runners and walkers all start together...always a bad idea for those who actually wanted to run it. There was one water stop at about the .5 mile area, and the volunteers were still trying to get the bottles out of the plastic packets. I skipped it assuming there would be other water stations. Sadly there was not. The route was not well defined, marked or have anyone telling us where to go...pretty soon people were running back towards us, running up over hills and anywhere they could. If it wasn't so frustrating it would have been funny. I ran with my friend until my GPS said 3.2 miles and we were kinda in the middle of a second lap. We just stopped and walked back to the main area. My husband ended up running over 4 miles, others ran 2 or less, and to top it off, there was NO finish line! No one had any idea what was going on. Total chaos. It felt like we were in some sort of Twilight Zone episode. The lines for your "free glass of wine" were ridiculous and we just decided to get the heck out of there and eat somewhere else. I posted on FB, along with hundreds of others, my disgust, and pretty soon noticed that all the negative comments were being taking down. Within a couple hours the FB sight was taken off. Two days later the company's owner "apologized" by blaming everyone from the winery to the participants for their failure. He did not take one ounce of responsibility. Do NOT ever register for any events from this company. It was not a cheap race, it cost us $90. It is a total rip off. Spend your money elsewhere and enjoy it. read more

Do yourself a favor and do not sign up or spend any of your money with an event planned by this company! All of the negative reviews and comments are more than true! We got there early had to pay someone $10 to park which was fine but there was no guidance as to where. He just said park anywhere while anywhere was out in the field. That was just the start of it. They didn't start registering people until an hour before the event then they got so frazzled they just started handing out random bibs to everyone. Then you got to a table and received a wadded up grocery bag with a couple of small items in it. The event started over a half hour late and they didn't tell the walkers to stay to the right and the runners to the left which resulted in a mass out of people trying to start at once. Then their camera person was standing right in the middle of where everyone was trying to start the course. The course was unmarked people were lost and I have noticed the picture I took being used over and over showing people wandering through a field trying to find the course. The line to the bathroom was ridiculous - there were four porta johns for over 2500 people! No one knew where the finish line was and multiple people got hurt on the unmarked course. Their helpers were not informed as to even where the finish line was supposed to be and they ran out of wine glasses and wine at the end. I can't even describe here how bad this event was!! read more

Worse event I have ever participated in from start to finish. They should be ashamed and embarrassed and not blaming the runners or winery for their failure to provide an organized, safe and sanitary run read more

Do not spend your money with this company. There are plenty of other well organized runs that will not rip you off. This run was a complete joke, very unorganized, limited water supply, not enough porto potties, no medical aid on run, course was not clearly marked so it caused major confusion with the 2000 runners. Also, there was no finish line, no costume contest as promised, and these people ran out of bibs and swag bags. Anyone could have ran without paying. There was also no wine at the end as promised. Where was my glass? oh yeah, we had to look for the finish line in order to get one. Please do not give them your money, this couple are scammers. Should have known what a disaster it was going to be when i picked up my swag bag in costa mesa a week prior and it took over an hour. So unprofessional. And green shirts for Valentines day? I think these may have been left overs from Christmas. The entire event was a joke. Here is the owners info: TJ Sandman 5KHR 220 Newport Center Dr Suite #11538 Newport Beach CA, 92660 949/ 554-8242 tj@5KHR.com Social Media/ @5KHolidayRun. read more

Actually, zero stars. The 5K Kiss Wine Run was the worst race experience of my life. Completely disorganized, unmarked course, too many racers for the venue, and NO FINISH LINE. Do not sign up for races staged by this company. What everyone else is saying is completely true. read more

This "race" was one of the biggest jokes I've ever experienced. I kept thinking it must be an early April Fool's Day surprise, as 1600 people trampled through vineyard fields in a completely unmarked course; it was like a Walking Dead episode in Temecula. As all the other reviewers have commented, the disorganization was off the charts. And also like other reviewers, I did not receive the products I paid for. However, in spite of these problems, I actually found humor in all the craziness and have laughed a lot about this ridiculous nightmare. But things changed when I received the email "apology" press release from the race coordinator; that press release gave me the motivation to write this review and hopefully prevent others from giving any more money to this company. The "apology" was an outrageous attack of character toward 1600 participants, and there wasn't an ounce of humility or responsibility anywhere to be seen. It's one thing to completely mess up an event (which was pretty epic in this case). But it's another thing to inaccurately attack and blame others. Please do not reward 5KHR with any more business. read more