This is the second year of the Sharks Fitness Faceoff, which included a kids race, 5k, 10k, and…read morebike ride. There are plenty of options for everyone so bring the whole family. It was my first time running this race and I signed up for the 10k. Packet pick up took place at the SAP Center. I was initially worried about parking in this area as I was driving over but there were plenty of free parking spaces left and the packet pick up was a breeze. The race itself was nothing scenic since you pretty much run in a square shaped route and started and ended at the SAP Center. Over 2,600 registered but only the first 2,500 get their shirt and medal. Participants received a cool tech shirt which was a major improvement over last year's cotton shirt. The medal had no date printed so I'm guessing you could use the same design again in the future. The highlight of the race was of course seeing SJ Sharkie at the start and finish. Don't forget to get a picture with Sharkie after the race! :)

It's a work in progress, but this first year athletic event showed a lot of promise, and I can…read moredefinitely see the event grow into a very popular event within the very near future. The event, the newest annual fundraiser for the Sharks Foundation, the non profit program begun by the San Jose Sharks professional hockey team in 1994 with a mission statement of enhancing the lives of Santa Clara County youth and families in need through education, health, safety and character development, combines two non-competitive bicycling events with a competitive10K run, a 5K run and a series of children's races. Although not mandatory, registered participants are encouraged to collect monetary donations in exchange for a series of cool and unique San Jose Sharks-related prizes. I registered for the 5K several months in advance but developed a serious leg injury which ended up changing my plans for participation in this event. Instead of running I walked (hobbled) the 3.1 mile course instead, and I had just as much fun doing so while meeting some super friendly people along the way. Since I live and work in the San Francisco area I couldn't take advantage of the packet pick-up sessions offered in the three days leading up to the event day so I arrived in San Jose very early on the day of the event, and I took advantage of the early morning packet pick-up session, avoiding the crowds and enjoying the warm sunshine of Guadalupe River Park (aka Arena Green) located adjacent to HP Pavilion (soon SAP Center), home of the San Jose Sharks. Packet pick-up was a breeze aided by some very enthusiastic and helpful volunteers. As many of the sponsors were still setting up I brought along a camera to capture some images of the morning and observed other athletes as they prepared for their events. I'll post a handful of those pics in the photos section. Dan Rusanowsky, the television and radio voice of the San Jose Sharks, provided superb emcee duties. S.J. Sharkie eventually joined in on the fun, and former San Jose Sharks captain Owen Nolan, who participated in the 50 mile bike ride, provided photo ops and free autographs to fans just for the asking. It was also announced that current San Jose Sharks defenseman Brent Burns was among the crowd of bicyclists out for the 50 mile ride. All of the events seemed to take off without a problem as I watched the separate starts of the 50 mile bike ride, the 20 mile bike ride and the 10K run within the hour before our 5K start. Since I knew I was in for a very slow walk I started in the very back of the pack and once our event got started I just let my feet take over. The downtown course was very well marked, and San Jose police officers were stationed at every turn. Event signage was highly visible, but the course lacked mile markers which might have totally p___d me off had I been running since I use those to monitor my race pace. There was one aid station along the route which offered water and warm Gatorade ... blech! About 1/8th of a mile before the finish line we were joined by 10K run finishers and bike ride participants all coming in from different streets. Since the running races are chip timed the finish line was easy breezy. I surprised myself by limping through the course in sub-14 minute miles. After the race the distribution of the very cool finisher medals (http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/san-jose-sharks-fitness-faceoff-san-jose?select=3idhLMHcVoi9aqtNL7YSRg#3idhLMHcVoi9aqtNL7YSRg) was conducted in a very orderly manner as was entry into the post race expo where participants could help themselves to fresh fruit, pastries and bagels, water, coconut water and Pop Chips. Aside from a few minor tweaks here and there this was an awesome inaugural event, and I look forward to returning next year when I can actually run in the race.

This is my review on my run!…read more Hmm...driving to pick up my bid and packet the day before the event was useless. WHatda waste of gas! Next year, if I do the race, I will just pick up my packet the day of. There was practically no one picking up their packet the day of. Just be there about 15 minutes early, and you will save yourself the drive to pick up the bid. Yea, no water stations or mile marker. I like how the run took place in Great America for the first .75 miles, but I thought the entire run should've take place in GA. We ran the 2.25 miles around the parking lot. That part was definitely not fun! =( At the end of the race, they passed out medal and water bottle. Bagels, and banana, fruit snacks, and oranges were served. Not too bad! $25 (family pack) goes directly to charity and they feed you, give you a medal, freebies (playing cards, and pens/pencil), water bottles (which they sell at great America for $4), a shirt, free parking, and a ticket to go into GA to bond with your friends and family. Can't ask for more=)

This is the first time I've done a run at Great America. Though it was fun to run inside the park,…read moreonce we got outside it was rather quite boring as all we were doing was running in the parking lot. Two thirds of the run was in the parking lot and it was easy to cut the corners in the parking lot, so in the end the distance didn't even end up being close to 3.1 miles. They only had one mile marker at mile one, and it was at least 1/3 mile off, and there were no water stations. Packet pick-up was the day before at one end of the Key Point Credit Union. There was only one sign to direct people to where that location is. My friend picked up his packet in the morning shorty after 9am, and he said they were completely disorganized. They were still stuffing the bags when he got there. By the time I got there they had gotten their act together. Unfortunately the only "goodies" I got in my bag were just flyers, which I ended up throwing in the recycling bin. The only thing worth keeping was the 10% off sports basement coupon. I did like that entrance into Great America was included in our registration as well as free parking before 7:30am. We got a finisher's medal after crossing the finish line. They gave us a bottle of water at the end of the run, but it wasn't even cold. There was slices of oranges, bananas and bagels available for us at the end, but no napkins. This is only the second year Mission City has done this run, so hopefully it will get better as the years go on.

***3.5 stars*** i…read moreparticipated in the inaugural summer scamper in 2011, as well as the following year, but have not been able to work this event into my schedule the past two years. this year, i signed up early, with my run group, as we decided to participate and support lucille packard children's hospital together as a team. i love that this event focuses on kids, and even has a kids run in addition to the main distances. for this particular event, there was a choice of 2 distances: 1. 10k (6.2 miles) 2. 5k (3.1 miles) children between the ages of 3 and 10 had their own kids' fun run, broken down as such: 1. ages 3-4, 200 yard run 2. ages 5-6, 400 yard run 3. ages 7-8, 600 yard run 4. ages 9-10, half mile run the pros: +VERY REASONABLE race fees, $30 for the 5k and $35 for the 10k. since my group was registered as a team, i saved an additional $5 on registration. +FREE and EASY PARKING on stanford's campus, in the lot directly across the street from the registration and finish line festival area (which was just a couple minutes walk from the start line) +FRIENDLY VOLUNTEERS directing runners in the parking area, manning aid stations along the course, flagging runners to ensure that we stayed on course, and keeping the refreshments' tables well stocked at the post-race festival area. +LOTS of PORTA-POTTIES by the start/finish line as well as the festival area. we also had access to the proper restrooms at the stanford track which was where the kids' races took place. what you get: *choice of BIB AND TSHIRT PICKUP at campbell sports basement two days before the race or fleet feet sports menlo park the day before the race. for those who couldn't attend either, they could pick up their bib and shirt at the registration tent the morning of the race. *teal, DRI FIT FINISHER'S SHIRT with a white summer scamper logo *VIRTUAL GOODY BAG, emailed to all registered participants the week of the race, with discounts to local retailers *several AID STATIONS with volunteers handing out cups of water *customised SUMMER SCAMPER MEDAL for each child who crossed the finish line at the kids' race. these were super cute and i know that all of the kids loved these special medals that were made exclusively for them! *TONS of POST-RACE FOOD & DRINKS, including assorted bagels, bananas, oranges, KIND bars, and water. *SPONSORS including lyfe kitchen, farm hill, kind water, kombucha, offering samples of their food, including chocolate chip cookies, mango salsa, kale salad, date bars, flavoured water, and kombucha shots. *lots of FINISH LINE FESTIVAL ACTIVITIES, including games, more food, and opportunities to win prizes from local sponsors the cons: -race started 5 minutes late. both the 5k and 10k were supposed to start at 8am sharp, but they did not begin announcements until this time which delayed the start til 8:05am. -courses were not marked properly. when comparing the official 5k course from the website to the course charted out by my garmin watch, the routes did not match and i could see that one section was missed, shortening the course by roughly 0.27 miles, which is about 9% of the distance for a 5k. my friends who ran the 10k with a garmin system reported that they ran about 5.75 miles, almost 1/2 mile short of the official 6.2 miles for a 10k. -i only saw the mile 1 marker along the course, but nothing beyond that....it made me wonder whether this was intentional or perhaps i just didn't see the mile 2 and mile 3 markers. -there were lots of short, sharp turns along both courses, making it necessary to slow down frequently -although i was given the small size tshirt that i signed up for, the shirts were all unisex, and mine was far too big for me. it was even too big for my husband who normally wears a small or medium sized tshirt. it would have been nice to offer both a women's cut shirt and men's cut shirt for proper fitting. -no finisher medals for 5k & 10k participants, only the kids' races since the course was marked short, i ended up with a terrific 5k finish time, one that i knew was not possible given my current running abilities. i still ended up finishing 2nd in my age group, and 12th female, which surprised me considering the fact that nearly 2000 participated in the 5k, with more than half of these being women. i did not walk away with an additional medal or prize since there were only awards for the top 3 overall men and women per distance, and winner for each age group. but i still enjoyed the awards ceremony since the announcer did a good job and many teams and kiddies took photos on stage after. overall, a well-organized event, but i hope they make the necessary corrections to both the 5k and 10k courses for next year so that the distances are as accurate as possible.

Participated with a team of seven friends in the second annual Packard Summer Scamper this past…read moreweek! It was my first race, and I commend the volunteers, staff, and organizers for having a very smooth and well-organized race, making it quite enjoyable! Signing up, registration, packet pick-up, and pre-race communications were all seamless, and the course was well-marked and had plenty of volunteers showing us the turns. I only have two minor quibbles - first, there was a last minute change in course from what had been posted. Granted, it was a very minor change and was due to construction closing off some paths, but this made the course non-USATF certified, and probably a tiny bit shorter than 10K. Second, the spacing of the two water stations on the 10K wasn't great - the first one was pretty close to the beginning, and there was a significant distance between that one and the second (and final) water station. A more even spacing would be beneficial. Overall, though, the race was a ton of fun - the post-race expo was also tremendously organized, with plenty of food, vendors, etc. The 5K and 10K were staggered (and run on different courses, for the most part) so there wasn't great congestion, and they also have fun runs for kids. The run is very welcomgin for runners or walkers of all levels - there were walkers, runners, and even people with strollers there! Something for everyone, and the event supports a good cause!

My husband and I attended this annual event at the Santa Clara Fairgrounds this weekend and what a…read moregreat time we had. TONS of different types of vintage and specialty cars. Lots of nostalgia and retro good times. Food was decent, got to watch a roller derby, took lots of great pictures of some beautiful cars. We had a great time and look forward to this event rolling through next year! We will be back!!!!!!

Hot Rods + Roller Derby = pretty dreamy right? I think so :) SVRG is playing against their local…read morerivals, Santa Cruz Derby Girls on Saturday of the HSJN. Buy a ticket to the entire weekend and derby at svrollergirls.com.

Post Race Update:…read more 3.5 stars This is is a first time event they still need to work out a few of the kinks. PROS: ~ Late 11am race start so you can sleep in. ~ All you can drink beer for you and your buddies that cheered you on at the finish line. ~ Free Chipotle burrito to eat post race or pick up a fresh one a few days later. CONS: ~ Race started 5 minutes late ~ Course was a bit confusing. When runners were coming back in they had to cross paths with the slower running still going out on the course. It got a little hairy with dodging people. ~ In the very beginning of the course you have to cross an intersection. Police actually stopped runners and let cars through. Not cool! I'd do it again next year as long as they made a few adjustments. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Just signed up for this race. It doesn't start at the usual 8am but instead allows you to sleep in have some breakfast, read the paper, and then make your way to the start line by 11:00am. What's even better..... by the time you finish the race, it's lunch time and you get a free Chipotle Burrito and beer from Gordon Biersch. There's a 5k and 10k distance course that take you along Guadalupe River Park Trail. This event is kid-friendly and family fun. Check it out..... I'll update after I cross the finish line.

another awesome event organized by the local japanese community! the 3rd annual run for japan took…read moreplace yesterday, sunday, march 10, on the eve of the 2nd anniversary of the tsunami in tohoku, japan. the marketing was a bit delayed this year, so i didn't hear about the event until just a few weeks ago. fortunately, i was free yesterday and didn't hesitate to sign up. once again, they offered two distances: 8k run/walk and 3k walk. one of the reasons i love participating in this event is that the volunteers and staff members really come to honour those who were lost and make it a point to spread the word and encourage others to write messages of hope, send their prayers, and give donations to the victims of this tragic disaster. since the event was announced so late, there were no timing chips available, and the event was completely FREE! how often do we get to run a FREE race that includes everything from race bibs to course markers to aid stations to fully stocked refreshment tables post-race? not that often! i think my favourite post-race snack was the calbee snap pea crisps! did i mention the post-race massage? thanks to dr. michiteru koike and staff, we were able to enjoy free table massages after the race. i want to thank all of those who came out to organize and assist with the logistics of the race. i am quite amazed at what they were able to pull off in just a few short weeks. and the turnout was also fantastic as many families came to run, walk, and cheer during this event. i look forward to participating in this race again next year!

Truly a well organized and well sponsored race! A true fun run with piles of willing helpers and…read moredrones of people who want to honor folks and have fun! In this case,the detailed review someone left is not possible to beat and certainty expresses my feelings completely.It was a great little run with a vibe of true unity of purpose and pleasure!~ Go run it next year!~ :)

In Fall 2010, I was shopping around for local turkey trots when I stumbled upon the kidStrong…read moreAmazing Race on the Sunnyvale Sports Basement race listings. Since this was the closest race to where I was staying, a 5 minute drive, I decided to sign up. The Pros: -Race shirt with a cool design -2 distances to choose from 5k & 10k -Beautiful, flat, course through Shoreline Park -Easy & FREE parking, plenty of volunteers directing the flow of traffic -Family, kid and stroller friendly -LOTS of happy volunteers before, during, and after the race -Great post-race snacks, the hot soup was greatly appreciated on such a cold morning -GREAT CAUSE!! The Cons: -No mile markers along the course -No chip timing (only gun/clock time) -Not all volunteers knew what was going on -No pre-race bib/packet pickup (must pickup race morning) -Extra waiver to sign at race (there was a bit of a line for this) -Actual course distance was too short (5k was closer to 3mi and 10k was closer to 6mi) While I really enjoyed running this beautiful race for such a great cause, I was disappointed to learn I didn't actually run the full 10k, but in reality, closer to 6 miles, which is roughly 1/4 mile short of what I thought I ran (thinking that my per mile pace was much faster than it really was). Also wish it was better organized, that all volunteers were on the same page at the event, and that bib pickup and waiver signing could have been done before race day. I probably would have run this event again the following year, but I don't believe it was held since I didn't hear or see any publicity about this event.

Great way to start off Thanksgiving by helping children with Cancer...and burn off a few calories…read morefor an extra piece of pie. 2010 Inaugural 5K or 10k flat course around Shoreline Preserve in Mt. View. Host: kidsSTRONG (kidsSTRONG.org) is a nonprofit public benefit charity dedicated to improving the lives of children touched by cancer and their families, by enhancing their emotional, social and medical well being through direct assistance, awareness, and research.

You'll notice they rebranded so my old review makes no sense. This used to be a cool zombie run…read more Now it's an untimed local 5k with some vague costuming theme. Given all the local 5ks I don't know why you would pay money for this.

For a fairly small event that is staffed by volunteers, it's a great race. Do not expect a huge…read morecrowd and a well stocked water station (they hand out water bottles around mile 2), but do expect people to have fun and enjoy the run/walk. There are a lot of creative costumes. Local kids who jump out on the trail to scare you, other effects... Lots of good fun, and the medal rocks!!! It's as good as the ones I've gotten from more heavily sponsored events but much scarier and it glows in the dark. Definitely worth the run!