OMG, the Carlsbad 5000 is an AMAZING race! I wish I knew about it when I was an active runner. It was in my backyard too (Smh). Anyway, I came out today to support the participants...rooting them on. It was greaaat to see others doing the same. Congrats runners!! I was on the scene for the People's Race and heard from one of the volunteers that the schedule was packed with other races - an all-day affair. That's totally COOL! I saw the rain out in the ocean coming our way which I knew was going to kick it up a notch for the runners on this oceanfront course. The live band added a perrrfect touch. They performed my favorite songs. I enjoyed it a lot :-) So definitely check out the World's Fastest 5K Yelp Community!!! read more

See all

This is the best 5K in the area. It is a beautiful course along the ocean. The route is flat and easy to run, walk, or push a stroller. It is perfect for individuals or families. Afterwards they have a live band playing while you're able to enjoy a couple of free drinks in the beer garden. I already signed up for next year! read more

The Carlsbad 5000 had been a great experience both times I've done it. The course change for this years race (2024) was a great change since it is a very smooth course and avoids crossing over the train tracks. This new course is not as flat as the old course but it is still one of the flattest and smoothest courses in San Diego county. Running by the beach is always a plus as well. I love the All Day 20K they offer. It's a very unique feature to this race and the primary reason I decided to sign up this year! Love the additional All Day 20K medal you receive too. Meb's a great ambassador to this race too and its always great to meet him! Beer garden is cool but if you go later in the day the wait is going to be long. So get in there ASAP after your race concludes. Vendors were great this year too. Really enjoyed Celsius energy drink and Athletic Brewing. read more

This is a really fun 5K they call it the fastest race in the world cuz people go all out! I push hard every year and try to beat my last years time. Costa about 40 bucks and you get a shirt sunglasses and some other cool swag. If you haven't done you should do it!! It's only 3.2 miles and if you're feeling groggy like me I run all 4 races and turn it into a 20K. They call it The All Day 20K. Get off the couch and go run lol read more

See all

Always a fun run/race. Start off downtown then rum past Don's to the ocean. Head towards Encinitas for a bit then u-turn back to the Military Academy then back downtown! Well organized, great 5k course, lots of fun! read more

Ready...Set...Go! This is my second year to attend this event. I love the setting here. It's beautiful and I'm glad half of this race is along the coast highway. What would make this better is to have the entire distance start and finish along the coastline. It's a perfect time of year to run this and I'm glad to get out of Phoenix for a change of scenery. The expo could use a little help. There weren't many vendors. They have an opportunity to add to this and make it a fun community health and fitness fair. I'm already signed up for 2018. They had a pre sign up price of $20 for the 5k. I look forward to another great fast race. They offer not only the 'Fastest 5k' but also have an all day 20k option and a kids race day including a baby division. Fun to watch! read more

Beautiful event that is filled with energy. I attended this year Carlsbad 5K Run event and was amazed with the number of people that came to participate and watch. It was a very organized event. Parking was not easy to find, but it was not impossible. People seemed to enjoy the event. I highly recommend it. read more

See all

PR'ed with a 25:12. 15 seconds better from last year's PR. This year had a couple changes. I was a little hesitant about this year's race. I say this because they combined Male/Female 30-39 age groups. Even though everyone gets a medal, there is a "special" medal for those who are the "First 250" to cross the finish line. The past 2 years, I've been able to get the "First 250" medal. This year... Wasn't too sure since the brackets changed and I hadn't been training. Surprisingly, I placed within my division and was able to get that "special" medal! YAHOOOOOOOOOOO!!!! Certainly a fast race. I really like watching and cheering on the other divisions. My division started around 840ish and it started to get warm with the sun peeking out. WEAR SUNSCREEN!!! Even though it may be cloudy and cool in the morning, by 9a, it is blazing!!! The expo is small but still cool to walk around to get free samples of Sport Beans, Bars, etc. Free beer at the end, but I passed since it gets crowded in the beer garden. I signed up for 2015 for $20. Let's see if I can keep this momentum going!!! Packet picked up was only Sat and Sunday morning. If you come on Sat, you'll get traffic and parking issues because the kids run on Sat. The packet pick up is actually 10a (not 7am like the email said). The kiddos are so cute!!! Wish I could have stayed for the diaper derby! See ya next year CB5000! ============================================================= STATS: Overall: 552 out of 1511 Division: 62 out of 278 Gender: 166 out of 755 Pace 8:07 Chip Time 25:12:00 read more

Carlsbad 5000 - PR!!! - Races & Competitions Near Me - Carlsbad, California

See all

I have run this race for several years. I think it says something because I live nearly 450 miles away and load my family into the car to make the drive. This year, there were some challenges with the train schedule that caused issues for the later races. This caused some confusion for many people, including a veteran like me, since the order of the races was changed as well. Since I'm traveling so much to this race, I don't just run one 5K, I run them all: the all day 20K lets you run the course 4 times with all the different age groups, which is like running nearly a half marathon, stopping each 3.1 miles to stretch and listen to the Star-Spangled Banner. As long as you can run fast enough to make it to the finish and then back to the starting line on time, this is a lot of fun. These days, the schedule is more approachable to those of us who are not really fast. It is a simple course, with very little elevation change, and you get to run alongside the beautiful Pacific Ocean for part of it. Oh, and the last quarter mile is DOWNHILL! I like it that they have 4 separate races for "normal people," spaced out by age group, which keeps the course fairly uncrowded during each race. It has become more crowded over the years, and, like any race at the start, there is a crush of people. Things get better after you turn left and head along the beach and people find their proper place in the pack. We did notice this year that there seemed to be fewer spectators in past years. Parking can be a challenge, so if your hotel has a shuttle option, I suggest going with that. Or, at least, carpool with others to minimize the congestion. I guess not a lot of hotel shuttles want to drop you off at 6am on a Sunday... Getting beer at the end of the race is really nice, but is less attractive to me at this race because I usually need to start the long drive home after the race in order to get everyone back in time for school on Monday, but the free pizza from Pizza Port is nice for a quick lunch prior to getting on the road. If you want to run a fast course with supportive fans and incredibly speedy competition, this is the place for you. Even the non-elite races have many, many freakishly fast people running in them. If you simply want to walk the course with friends, they have a "People's Walk" option that accounts for that, too. If you want to watch some truly crazy-fast people, stick around for the elite races in the afternoon and you may see another world record beaten. Who can run a 5K on the street in under 13 minutes? Yeah, someone did that here. It is worth noting that, on the Saturday before, they have races for kids who can just barely walk (diaper dash, toddler trot), all the way up to 12 years old (Jr. Carlsbad). Younger kids can experience the thrills of racing here without worrying about being trampled by all the adults :) read more

The VIP experience... Carlsbad is a great place to run, and the Carlsbad 5000 was certainly no different. Registering the for the "All Day 20k" and knowing we'd be at the event for about five hours (the All Day 20k is 4 5K's run consecutively, about an hour at a time), we thought the Carlsbad 5000 would be an even better race if we also purchased the VIP experience. And we were so glad we did! First, the VIP package ($39 per person) allows for private parking, a lot directly next to the finish line. There's actually plenty of parking around the streets of Carlsbad, if you're willing to search and more than likely walk; however, having parking spaces set aside for you made us feel much more at ease. (Carlsbad isn't a big place, but a whole lot of people are on their way to the 5000, just like you.) Next, the Paon Restaurant and Wine Bar, located just between the start and finish lines, is your home base. Not only are there private restrooms--how awesome is that, right?--but there's also a private bag check, a private outdoor patio with comfortable seating and shade, and a buffet: scrambled eggs (although not the best I've ever had), bacon, sausage, fried potatoes, fresh fruit... A little pick-me-up between races never hurt anyone! Last, your VIP wristband may be picked up at the Health & Fitness Expo at the "VIP" booth on race day, but you won't be able to receive your parking pass on race morning; so, since VIP wristbands and parking passes are not mailed, you'd have to come to Saturday's Expo. Our number one reason for VIP was that Parking Pass, so we made the extra trip. It's kind of a hassle, but the rest of the VIP perks made up for it. And we will definitely be doing it again next year. read more

See all

This was my second time running this race and although I experienced a few hiccups along my training, I had an absolute blast on the course. This 5k race is deemed the world's fastest 5k because so many people have broken world records on this course. I didn't break any world records, but I did beat my personal record from 3 years ago! *Does a happy dance* Anyway, I stupidly didn't realize that I didn't register for the race until the day before. Luckily, this particular race allows you to register day of. So morning of, I got my butt to the expo and registered. The registration process was extremely easy. I just went to a computer, swiped my license, swiped my credit card, and got my bib. I still can't believe how easy it was. If you register day of, you can also pick up your swag after the race, which is a sweet deal since you can use the bag you get to carry all of your freebies. Parking can be a little tricky, but because there are multiple start times due to different age groups/elite, you only really have to show up about an hour before your race to find parking. Both times, I found parking without much of a fuss. Just had to walk a little bit, which was basically my warm up for the race. It can get a little warm if you're in a later heat, but it's nothing unmanageable. I started around 9:30 am and it was fine. The breeze from the beach cools you down quite a bit and the course is scenic enough that you'll probably forget about the heat. I know I did. The course is relatively flat with a few minor hills. Since this was my second time running it, I knew where the hills were and I just pumped my arms and a minute later, I was over them and pushing my way to the finish line. At the finish line, they will hand you a medal and depending on when you finished, you may get a different ribbon. I was one of the first 250 finishers in my division so I got a ribbon that said first 250! The medal this year was gorgeous. Actually, all their medals were really pretty this year and I really wanted to run all the races. They do have a 20k all day race, which is unique in that it's four 5ks throughout the day. If you want a challenge, this is it. Since I had such a blast this time around, I may try and get a friend to do the 20k all day race with me next year. read more

Carlsbad 5000 has been on my fun run bucket list for a little while now, and what better year than it's 30th Anniversary to check it's box! Although labeled "Worlds Fastest 5k" I knew before getting here, that it isn't labeled this because of it's course but more so because of how many Elite athletes have set records here. It certainly wasn't my fastest 5k, actually no where near my fastest which is a little disappointing but understandable. My age division didn't start until after 1030A and I don't do well racing in any sort of temp above 55 degrees and cloudy ;) so sunny and 75 makes for an awesome country song but not a PR for me. I did manage to earn the "first 250" medal which I definitely had my heart set on but was running so slow I figured that was a lost dream. Nope! it's mine :) Parking was super easy, right behind the start line - which was also very well organized. Packet pick up was super simple, no long lines. Plenty of portable restrooms nearby. The expo was also nearby, with a bunch more restrooms and goodie bag/t-shirt pick up. The beer garden was probably my favorite part of this event. It's actually the first beer garden I've ever attended at any race, and I have a few races under my belt ;) I'm not a huge fan of beer but once I found out it was Pizza Port I was super stoked. They were offering 2 free beers to each participant. I stopped in, grabbed a beer and met my boyfriend and son against the side to chat. My boyfriend and I joked about our income because if you look at the income stats on the registrants for this race it definitely makes sense to why it's America's premier 5k. We had a good time watching the Elite Women's race and hoping to see a World record. Had a great time and definitely wouldn't rule out running it again in the future. Also, swore if I ever have another child I'm starting her in the diaper dash race. read more

If you can run a 5k, the Carlsbad 5000 is a must to try at least once in your life. Billed as the "World's Fastest 5k", the race is open to competitors of all fitness abilities, and there are separate races for men and women, which are then divided by age into 40 and above, 30-39, and 29 and under. There is also a separate event for walkers. The first 250 finishers in each race receive a special medal. After the various races in the morning, the Elites get their turn around noon. This is your chance to see some of the fastest people in the world up close and personal. I've personally seen several world records set in the four years I've been participating. Plus, the way the course is designed, you can stand in one place and see your friends run by three different times. It's very spectator friendly, and you'll hear people cheering for you the entire time. After you race, you can enjoy the beautiful Carlsbad weather while savoring an ice cold beer in the complimentary beer garden. That's right, for the price of admission you not only get a goodie bag and t-shirt, you get two free beers! What a great way to spend a Sunday. read more

See all

Another run in the books! #4 of #12. Let me start by saying that the run itself was great, however the registration and bib pick up was a bit chaotic and can use some improvements. For online registration, I guess there was some issues folks had. I was one of them because I was in the "wheelchair" group and supposed to get a Men's XX-Large shirt. Yea....but luckily enough, I was able to change my registration to the correct stuff. Emails leading up to the event was spot on: where to park, times the runs start etc. Picking up the bib was a nightmare. No distinct lines, the signs to where you needed to pick up your bib was eye level so folks wayyyy in the back trying to figure out what "line" (it was basically a cluster f...) couldn't see. On top of that to find your bib number, there was a table on the side where you first had to look up your name, get your bib number than wait in the designated line. There was no staff out there informing people of the process. To make matters worse, they had the Junior 5000 bib pick up lines form by alphabetical order, but when it changed to the 5k pick up...it was numerical. So folks standing in the M line now had to find out where they had to stand by their bib number instead. It was just mass confusion. Next time, just stay consistent with either A-Z pick up or #'s. The starting line was okay. They corralled everyone by different times and ages. However my run was not supposed to start until 8:30-9am which is really late in the running game and it was getting warm already. most folks ran in whatever run was coming up since there was not much bib/corral checking. The run was along Carlsbad Village and the 101 so you got the nice calm of the ocean breeze. There was some gradual but not too steep hills. At the end, the medal was nice since also is a bottle opener and they had plenty of refuel and recovery goodies at the end. read more

Carlsbad 5000 - Races & Competitions Near Me - Carlsbad, California

See all

This review is actually for the Junior Carlsbad held on Saturday April 2nd. Beautiful Carlsbad on an overcast morning made for a perfect 200/500 yard dashes to 1/2 mile and 1 mile run for hundreds of children ranging from 2 year olds to 12 year olds. Entertained by the emcee, Willie Buchanon (also a former NFL player for the Packers & Chargers) the event was indeed memorable. With live DJ's pumping up all the eager beavers as they await at the start line for the bull horn, it was an exciting and exhilirating experience. They also had a live band performing. Numerous game booths. And booths that provided and encouraged children to get active. They also had a funnel cake truck, but we opt to not GO there! Damn! It wasn't easy to walk pass it but ish all good. We had plans on heading out to Old Town SD for some real grub later! HA! I love attending races throughout the year, in different communities. I love unity among people. I thrive in exposing my children to become active in something they enjoy whole heartedly. And I am a strong believer in supporting community base events aside from my own. Congratulations to all of the participants! What an accomplishment. A job well done indeed. read more

Carlsbad 5000 - Races & Competitions Near Me - Carlsbad, California

See all

This is my first year running the Carlsbad 5000, and I just love this event. The race itself was very organized. The only downfall for me was during my packet pick-up. I guess I made the mistake of going on Saturday rather than Friday. The expo was located in Carlsbad's little town off of Carlsbad Village Road and Roosevelt St (Next to 83 Degrees restaurant). Traffic and parking was horrendous, and the crowds were overwhelming due to a ton of small streets being blocked off. Once I found parking, picking up my packet was relatively easy. There was a separate booth for bibs and another booth for tech shirt pick-ups. Being that this was my first time entering this race, I opted for a size small, but was hoping to exchange it for an XS the day I picked it up; however, I was told that I wasn't able to do any exchanges until after the race. As far as race day, my hubby and I drove all the way from Paradise Hills, so we both decided to be there by 6:30am even though our race was scheduled to start at 8:30am. Highly recommend arriving early to nab a great parking spot. Not being familiar with the area, we basically followed traffic and ended up finding parking in an open church lot that was located near a park and bathroom (can't remember the street name, but we turned left off of Carlsbad Village Drive). I was elated that we just happened to park near a public restroom because I dreaded having to use porta-potties. Parking was a big deal to my husband because, like I said earlier, we weren't familiar with the area, Saturday's expo pick-up was a hot mess, and parking information on the website only stated open street parking throughout the area. RACE: I read this was the "World's Fastest 5k" and was expecting to set my first PR ever. I'm a newbie, so I was aiming to complete the course in 30 min. The course circles around the town and through Carlsbad Blvd that offers runners a gorgeous view of the Pacific Ocean. Because this race was dubbed the "World's Fastest 5K", I thought it was going to be pretty flat, but I was wrong. There were a few hills that I didn't expect. My race bracket (ages 30-39) started around 8:45am, and by then the sun was out and I was getting hot. There were a ton of spectators and volunteer cheerleaders, which made the race even more motivating for me. There was a big difference in this race compared to the other two races I've ran thus far. Rather than everyone running together in their assigned corrals, you would run only in your age bracket separately from others. This eliminated congestion and overcrowding. Each bracket race was 35-40 minutes apart from each other. This organization allowed us to watch other brackets race, which was pretty cool. Another great positive for the CB 5000 was that I practically saw no walkers...woohoo!!! It just made running this course at your fastest pace much easier. Note To Self: Do not wear long sleeves even though it's cold in the morning* COOL NOTE: Personalized medal engraving offered after the race for $20. STATS:================================================================== Chip Time: 30:52 Pace: 9:56 Age Bracket: 30-39 Division: 155 out of 266 read more

Carlsbad 5000 - Races & Competitions Near Me - Carlsbad, California

I love the street faires they are so welcoming and friendly, I try to atttend all of the Ones in san diego county. read more

See all

I just ran my third 5K in four years at this event 3/25/18. As usual a lot of fun and seems like every year I get quicker at this. I got to see a couple of friends of mine I used to work with this weekend also which made it more fun. I did make the expo about 15 minutes before it closed Saturday afternoon but didn't get a chance to look around (looked like most of the vendors were closing up) but there's always next year (just bad planing). Expo is always fun because there's always new things to check out. I look forward to participating again next year, and at other events (maybe Vegas for the 5K or maybe the 10K). Good job to the staff and all those who took time out of their own personal schedules to make this event a blast. read more

My favorite race of all times! Its a beautiful journey running along the coast each year. The "World's Fastest Race" is an accurate title for this race. ***** Super organized before and after race. ***** Easy to pick up your race packet and bib the day before. I arrived in the later part of the afternoon so as to avoid the kid's races on Saturday. PLEASE Don't forget your ID. Almost couldn't pick up my bestie's bib without it. They kindly accepted a texted photo of her ID. ***** Lots of people to cheer you on! ***** I like the medals that each finisher gets. *** Race start time was much later than in years past. Funtimes! If you sign up for next year's race now you'll have a lower price. read more

Pretty fun! I think I am officially gonna retire from half marathons and strictly do 5k's. The reasoning? It's cheaper, much shorter, more enjoyable, and way more freebies! Win for all. Only thing I didn't like was the late start time. Mid 20s heat started at 9:30 so by race time it was already sweltering hot. The course starts behind downtown Carlsbad and loops around the highway. There is a nice beach view for a hot minute. And then you're done and can stock up on bars galore. read more

See all

EDIT: There is NO way this year's race was worth a 5-star review! Do not believe all of the "elite reviews"... _______________________________ This was my first Carlsbad 5000 race. I probably will not run another Carlsbad 5000 race, but I'll definitely hang out on the beach and watch the runners next year. PRO'S -Good t-shirt -Awesome medal -Watching the elite runners run 2 miles in less than my 1-mile speed. So inspiring! CONS: -They ran out of goodie bags. What the!!!?!? There should be enough goodie bags for those of us who sign up before the deadline...especially if they tell us we can pick up our goodie bags after the race. Very disappointed! **ADVICE: If you want a goodie bag, check-in on Saturday.** -No gear-check -Parking was a disaster!! -TOO hot!! The race didn't start until 10:40 am and for some reason, 70 degrees in Carlsbad felt like 90 degrees. -The course. The course wasn't as scenic as I thought it'd be--besides the portion on Carlsbad Blvd which was less than 3 minutes--and there were too many hills. That said, I should have looked at the course map before I signing up so it's not their fault. -The volunteers responsible for checking people in seemed like they didn't want to be there. What happened to recruiting "happy people" for check-in? read more

Carlsbad 5000 - 2015 shirt and medal. - Races & Competitions Near Me - Carlsbad, California

The Start Always a good time since it's a flat, fast course along the coast and very, very organized. It's only 3.2 miles!!! The Race I've run this race every year for the past several years with a group of friends. I was able to convince them to run, and they've become regulars too. The Finish Benjamin Franklin said, "Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy." The beer garden is definitively divine. read more

I had been wanting to run the Carlsbad 5000 for a few years now and finally signed up for the 2012 race. The Carlsbad 5000 runs various heats based on age and gender. You can run in any of the heats except for the elite races. My age group wasn't running until 11:30am so I had planned on running in the women 30-39 race. Since I got to the race before 8am and didn't feel like waiting an hour and a half for the 9:30 race, I ended up running in the women 40 and above race. The course is basically a loop and is a fast race. Even with starting in the back and dealing with some bottle-necking at the beginning, I got a PR. If you are awesome (i.e. fast) enough to be one of the first 250 finishers in your race, you get a medal. There is also great course support with people cheering you on all along the course. Sadly, I skipped the beer garden after the race. I know, it's a shame. The expo had some good vendors and I took home lots of samples to take home. They have an all day 25k for those that are interested. I am tempted to check it out next year but we will see. But next year, I am totally taking advantage of the beer garden. read more

I've ran the Carlsbad 5000 about 9 times over the 13 years I've lived in Carlsbad. It's fun and certainly convenient: I can walk to the start and be relatively warmed up by the time the starting gun goes off. It's a fairly flat and very fast course, attracting the world's best in the elite session. Last weekend I paid $50 for the privilege of running 3.1 miles in my own neighborhood. Some impressions from over the years: GETTING THERE: For those who drive, unless you're there very early, the instructed parking area of the train station lot will be full, as will be the nearby neighborhoods. Take either the Las Flores or Tamarack exit west, and park somewhere in the neighborhoods by the freeway. Get ready to walk about half a mile. Avoid Carlsbad Village Dr exit at all costs. OTHER LOGISTICS: Your run bib has a tag on it that says "bag check." There isn't one. Surprise! Leave your stuff at home or in the car, but bring an ID for the beer garden. If you miss your official start time, you can run with another age group, no problem. Don't try running with the elites at noon, however. You can pick up your run bib on the day-of. THE RUN: The 5k is split among several groups: 4 based by age and M/F, a walking group, and the elites. First 250 people to cross the finish line get a special medal indicating they finished in the top 20% of their heat. The Male 40+ group is the toughest. I've arrived at the finish under 22 minutes after the gun went off and observed very grown men squabbling over the final couple medals. The runs cross the train tracks twice. Usually the runs are coordinated with the train schedule to avoid race disruption and/or mass casualties. I've seen the train stop people who were 30+ minutes into their 5k, however. The final quarter mile has a slight downhill approaching the finish line for your final kick. Good times! HOORAY, A BEER GARDEN: You get 2 good Pizza Port beers with your race registration. This alone is an incentive to not only run your race really fast but also start in one of the earlier heats. After about 10A the beer begins running out and the lines are impossible. This year the beer garden was bigger than ever but the pouring wasn't any faster. Pizza Port, work that one out, please. Also, Pizza Port, when you give a few thousand people coupons for a free slice of pizza that day, consider being equipped to supply those slices within two hours of request. AND WHY $50 TO RUN IN MY OWN NEIGHBORHOOD? Here's to the greed of the Competitor Group, the buckets-of-cash-making arm of Calera Capital. Ever since Calera scooped up the Rock and Roll Marathon series, the Carlsbad 5000, and many other local races starting in 2007, I've seen prices of these events double or triple. Calera made a bunch of bad investments such as real estate holdings in the late-2000's, and the extreme profitability of the road races made up the difference. One thing's for certain: if you ever see Carlsbad 5000 or any other Competitor Group event soliciting for "volunteers" for their events, that's a good opportunity to run. Giving that private, very profitable company free labor is like volunteering to work for your local Mobil station. read more

The course is flat which is nice, and this run seemed pretty organized. I ran the all day 25k, which was five 5ks with breaks in between. I DID NOT like: How our time was not included in each of the runs we ran. Obvi I will do worse at 11:30 when I have already ran 12 miles. Not necessarily fair to only have that time count since thats when people my age are going The train. Why does your course go over a train track? Really? How can you make people stop and wait for a train when they are racing!? Doing the same course five times. I had not really researched the course and thought boyfriend, who recommended it, would know that we were running the same course over and over. I guess he knew this, but still does not see why this is a problem. Quite boring. Not only that, but the course was a loop so I essentially ran in the same place 10 times. Neat. read more

Ran this race in 2014! Had lots of fun watching the elite runners compete. What I loved about Carlsbad 5000, was the course, and races are broken up into age groups. This 5k is unique, and attracts elite runners from all over the world. I would love to return in the future to do this race, along with the Marathon in January. read more

This was my first marathon and my legs hurt. I must have done it right. Very well organized event, excellent location along the beach, fun people, informative expo and some of my other favorite things were: - the free Carlsbad 5000 shirt was not a lame t-shirt, it was a cool blue one! - the freebies were awesome! fruit, snacks, drinks and more! - I learned a lot from the expo, even talked to a Doctor about running safely as a beginner - watching some of the best runners in the world was inspiring. Watching other first timers and 80 year olds running, also inspiring. It was well worth the drive from Palm Desert. Aspirin now, please. I am sore. Try it or another 5k and enjoy! read more

My third year participating. Finally was able to drag my brother too. Kind of hard not to like it, 3.1 miles, running next to the beach with thousands of other people. Anybody at any fitness level can run/walk it and they even have age brackets so you can run with your age group. LIKE- Beer garden. Who's doesn't want to have a couple after running that hard? Freebies: Energy bars, fruit, energy drink, chipotle burrito, $10 PF Chang's gift card, Padres Opening Day and 5K shirt and coupons galore. DISLIKE Nada, great event, and I finally convinced my brother to do it every year. For $25 it was a fun time. See you in 2011. read more

The expo was PITIFUL, no music on Saturday. Long lines to pick up bib and tee shirts. Lots of paid staff standing around or on the their phones, not helping us paid runners with questions or help minimize the lines. Kids race wasn't timed and didn't even tell us. Final event instructions were poorly written and misleading. Race day wasn't much better! No music till sometime after 9:00 am. Inquired about pre-registering for next year was told "not happening, we might not have this event after this year". Our overall 20+year experience definitely help make our decision to return next year as a NO! read more

THE MOST SEEN AND WORN T-SHIRT GOES TO THE CARLSBAD 5000 For a 5K, it's a pretty big, well-known and a relatively cheap event. A lot of people, a lot of support, easy, flat and fast run. Instead of corals/waves based on how fast you run, you are split into age ranges at different times. If you want, you can jump to another time slot, but you won't qualify for any age specific awards if you do well. I opted for the All-Day 20K Challenge which meant you did all the 5Ks back-to-back. The course may have not been terrible, but you run the same thing four times. After awhile it can get quite repetitive and boring. Plus, if you're not exactly a fast runner, your runs may overlap. The bottle-necking was one thing about this run, but there was a point where you had to stop completely. The pathway by the beginning of the course and the tail end crossed each other. I was on my last run, and we were forced to stop running, and wait until the fast runners finished their race so we don't get in their way. I don't know if this happened to anyone else, but not all my times were recorded! I contacted the folks behind the run, and they basically asked me if I knew my times. I have an idea from each race, but that's not the same. The time they did record was my worst one too. Bah. For the people who participated in the All-Day 20K Challenge, there was supposedly an exclusive lounge with chairs, private port-a-potties and gear check-in. For some reason, I could not find this "exclusive lounge" until after all my races! I was pretty upset because I had to carry all my belongings during all my races, and was unable to check-in anything. It was annoying to wear a bag as I ran, and have it constantly hit your back. There weren't enough signage, everyone was pretty useless about where things were, and how can you enjoy the lounge when all the runs were basically one after another? Once I found this "lounge" no one was there! No runners, and no snacks. The lounge may have been close to the start line, but away from all the action. Everyone was probably at the beer garden, or just somewhere else. They should have placed the lounge in a better location, and made it more well known. At the end, I received the blue surfboard bottle opener/medal, the special "first 250 finishers" yellow bottle opener/medal, and the All-Day 20K medal... so I was happy with that at least. Overall, this was not one of my favorite runs thus far, but you can tell everyone else did enjoy it. This run has been going on for years, and tons of people are always wearing the shirts... so they must be doing something right. read more

Carlsbad 5000 - 2014 - Races & Competitions Near Me - Carlsbad, California

See all

I was able to run the Carlsbad 5000 inaugural 1 mile on Saturday and 5K on Sunday. There were a few positives to this run and a few major and minor flaws. The positives: - Great course (did not have any problem with the train - except the 1 mile started a few minutes later than planned due to scheduling) - Great medals and t-shirts (high quality, true to size fitted women's shirts) - Great post-race time reporting online with pictures on the same page The major flaws: - Parking! Their parking instructions basically state - parking in the train lot, when that is full look for street parking. Saturday was not bad, since there was far fewer participants. We showed up over an hour early for our wave and had to park over a mile away on Sunday. Weaving in and out of the streets can be very dangerous with blind curves due to all the cars parked on the street and runners/walkers crossing without looking. - Gear Check. There isn't one, even though they print a gear check tag on your bib. They didn't event communicate on the final instructions (or anywhere I could see online) that gear check would not be available for the 5K. We walked around the expo for 20 minutes looking for the invisible gear check. Once we flagged down a volunteer to ask and were informed, I had to run one mile back to the car to drop the bag then one mile back to the race start and we missed our wave. We then had to wait an additional 30 minutes for the next wave. - Pre-race communication was very confusing with too many emails. Since I participated in both the 1 mile and 5K, I received about 6 emails the week before the races. This made it difficult to know what was truly important and what was not. There was also confusion about different bib numbers for the different races. Only the 1 mile number was provided if you confirmed your participation online. Once you got to the race, you had to look up the 5K number on a printed sheet. Again, no communication about this step in 6 different emails or online. The minor flaws: - You have to pick up the 1 mile bib and 5K bib separately, which means waiting in line before and after your 1 mile race. Plus, the 5K pickup didn't open until an hour after the 1 mile started, which meant standing stagnate for over 50 minutes while the lines got longer and longer. It would have been ideal if the 5K pickup started at the same time as the 1 mile, so lines would not get out of hand. - Overcrowded beer garden. It really should have been larger, it looks like they have the space. They offered 2 free beers and Pizza Port had 2 varieties (an IPA and Mexican Lager). It was difficult to know where the lines traveled and it would have been ideal if they had designated queue lines (even if it was just tape on the ground). The line for the IPA was exceptionally long so we decided to stand in the other. Once we got to the front, there were people cutting into our line after getting their IPA. If you want both, don't be rude and stand in both lines. The basic run down was it was an alright race for the price, but vast improvements could be made with minimal effort. I would consider participating in a future year, maybe.... Until I get caught in that parking fiasco again. read more

Carlsbad 5000 - Races & Competitions Near Me - Carlsbad, California

I have run a race back in 2012 (surfcity), but Carlsbad 5k is my first official Race where I ran for time. Never having run a 5k with chip timing and serious stuff like that, I didnt know what to expect. I showed up with my bf and our friends to the race without realizing what an amazing experience I was in for! Its one of the popular 5ks out there, and the race medal is one of the top 10 best race medals! Best: 1. Every one gets an awesome finisher medal. 2. 2 beers at the end of the race at the beer garden(one of the local brewery beer, not the corona or can stuff) 3. top notch tech tshirt. 4. if you register ahead of time, its only 20 to 25$ to register for the 5k. 5. there is no half marathon and other types of races, so you wont feel bad after you finish your 5k, and you see these half marathoners and full marathoners storming off, making you feel so little and stupid for your 3 mile run lol. this is important for me! 6. the race is pretty serious, with olympic elites making world records here. 7. the course is so beautiful right by the ocean. The race finishes before even you realize. 8. everyone runs. all ages, all body shapes, fitness level. there is a train track so watch out! 9. they allow race day pickups which is amazing especially if you are out of town person that treks here just for race. it seems choatic but its an organized choas to pick up packets on teh race day! and somehow they manage it well. 10. just to make you little special, they have first 250 finisher medals which is nice. to give you a sense of achievement even if you dont make top 3. things I didnt like: unfortunately there is nothing bad to say about this race. Tip: 1. once you finish your run, head out and register for the next year right away as they offer the cheapest registration price here. (i paid 50$ on the regiration day, but for next year i paid 20$ which pays itself with all the freebie/goodies). read more

This was my first 5k but not my last. I had a great time and finished in 26 minutes. I think it's called the fastest 5k because of the scenery. As a participant you get a bunch of schwag and two pints. Both of my pints were Full Sprint IPA and were delicious. The other option was the Cool Down Lager, both brews were from Pizza Port. It's a lot of people and a lot of fun. read more

So sick of this thing! I hate that they close my streets down around my house. Take this inland.

Look forward to this event every year. Run your race in the morning, have breakfast the catch the women's and men's elite races near noontime. A full morning of excitement. Good chance you'll witness a world's record. read more

Really unorganized packet pick up. To get your Bib, T shirt and VIP band you had to visit 3 different tents. And the VIP tent was so poorly marked, we walked by it twice.....hope the actual race is a bit more organized. read more

this is a top notch 5k. it's an all day event. they have multiple races so you're not stuck in a giant oozing mass of 10,000 people at the beginning. this is important if you actually care about your time. the course is very flat and fast. the route is pretty much full of spectators from start to finish, which adds to the excitement and fun. there's also the excitement of being able to watch the serious business international elite runners. this is a cool race. it's the best 5k in the area by a wide margin. even if you're not a serious runner, this one is worth signing up for. read more

This is one of the best 5Ks I've run. The course is varied with slight hills and great views. Crowd support is unrivaled. Each race is well-organized and the final elite athlete races - men and women - promise an amazing start and dramatic finish. Only complaint is the beer garden is too small and too few people serving beer. Not enough of a complaint for an athletic competition to take away a star, but it is a fun gathering place where obviously a lot of people go to hang out and watch the start of the other races. read more

This review is for the Junior Carlsbad run the day before. My 9 year ran his first mile. it was very well organized. They separated the age groups and waited for each age group to finish before they started the next one. I ran with my 9 year old and no one said anything, so it was a blast for both of us, I was able to take pictures of him throughout the race. When you first get there, people are trying to charge 8 for parking. If you drive 2 blocks, parking is free. read more

Big weekend coming up on the 16th! Weather shows clear skies and great coastal views. If you haven't made any accommodation plans yet, I'd recommend staying in the Village close to the race. No need to worry about parking and traffic on race day. Good luck! read more