Rocking it at Irvine Regional Park continues Rock It Racing's awesome trail racing challenge: The…read moreRock It Fall/Winter Series! Concentrating my efforts more on upon the trail this year and less upon the asphalt, I lace up--even if it means shortening my distances, even if it means muddying up a pair of Brooks, and even if it means trudging through uneven stretches of trees and bush with sometimes no other runners in sight. However, that's the beauty: getting away from the city streets and getting back to nature. Rock It Racing offers four very cool trail runs: Caspers 5k/12K, Whiting Ranch 5K/12K, Irvine Regional Park 15K/5-Miler, and El Moro Canyon 6K/10-Miler. Running at least 3 of the 4, qualifies you for the special Rocky Series Award, plus a stylish ​Rock It Racing trucker hat! I'm down! (While I've finished the Series and already snagged my very cool Rocky Series Award and trucker cap, I'll be sure to complete all four runs anyway, ending at El Moro Canyon next month.) Mostly flat, without the inclines you'd come upon at Caspers and Wilding, Irvine Park was my third Rock It race (I ran the 5-mile) and it was a blast! Like the other races, there were times when the trail narrows to single lanes, but that's part of the intrigue, part of the beauty. Navigating through groves of heritage Oak and Sycamore trees, you'll find the course a little challenging at times; however, the variety of landscape--Irvine Regional truly is beautiful!--serves, if anything else, as an enhancement to your run. I love it here.

Spent way too long trying different options to get the cyber Monday deal to work. Frustrating…read more Emailed them 3 days ago about and no response. God forbid you buy and have issues. No cs.

I was a DIRTY DIRTY girl today! I also learned what a Dirty Sanchez is (thanks to the large team…read morename in front of our group), then I proceeded to strip down to my birthday suit in the parking lot and get my ass rinsed out - so all in all today was quite an interesting day to say the least. Spring Break at the Lake was crazy! My first and I think I went about it as well as a virgin mud runner could, being the prissy beeotch that I am on occasion - I was a bit scared to totally trash my legs crawling on my knees over the rocks so I did my best to not come out bruised and bleeding - I wore shorts and the scrapes are very minimal but I can see how you can really get severely wrecked on the course and obstacles if you are going balls to the wall out there. I wore a bikini under my shorts and tank and my vibrams which proved to be a pretty solid choice. The mud pits were insane fun but nerve wrecking to me at the same time - having never experienced a mud run I am SO lucky Rich J. was there to hold my hand through almost every single pit - with drop offs in the pits, I was terrified each time we were in one (I guess I didn't want to encounter any injury that would prevent me from my real running and workouts) but at the same time it was an unforgettable fun experience. The polar plunge was crazy freezing - this way out did any ice bath I've ever taken in life - holy shit!!!!! I can't wait to see the pictures as there was no way in hell I was able to get any - I'm pretty sure the Go Pro cams hold up well out here but we didn't have ours with us today and everything else was checked in with bag check (which was well organized) - thank god! We had been there since 9A since the group packets I had paid to be mailed to us never arrived and we had to deal with same day pick up. Timed Teams in the 10A wave seemed to take forever to start - we were 10-30 which didn't start until after 11A. I'm not sure if the goal was to start in waves each minute of the hour but it didn't go off that smoothly and everyone was pushed back a bunch. The finisher medals are pretty sweet! Parking was $10 cash Customer service ended up proving to be completely useless and downright rude in the end when I reached out to them Tuesday before the race to ask why we had never received the shipment I paid to be mailed to our group. Not cool! I wouldn't necessarily recommend this exact mud run due to some of the organizational issues but I'm pretty certain I'd be up for another mud run in the future.

I've taken my child to this park quite a few times already. I like how it is somehow "isolated"…read morefrom the city although it's close to the city. The park charges $5 for all day parking. Plenty of parking, the park itself is huge and lot of activities to do. We recently went for the easter activities. They had Easter egg hunt (which you have to pay for and limit is 10 eggs per child), bounce houses, train rides, and other activities. They a photo with the bunny ($20 per pose which includes 1 printed copy). On a regular day, you can visit the OC zoo, go biking, fishing, picnic or just simply hang out. Overall, I would recommend this park for all family weekend!

Only 4 out of 5 stars because it's expensive…read more Our first time at the Irvine Park Railroad for their Easter Eggstravaganza! We typically come for the pumpkin patch, but we thought we would try out their Easter event this year too. It was a lot of fun for my 3 year-old; she enjoyed the bounce house, the face paint, the games, and the Easter egg hunt. It was a successful trip, and we will now come every year too for the Easter Eggstravaganza, and the pumpkin patch. (:

One of the best courses I have ran yet. Very well organized. And plenty of volunteers ready and…read morewilling to help out. The pre race bib pickup was well organized despite the rainy weather. The shirt and medal are very nice! Shirt quality is on point and the medal is huge! It incorporated the Tustin hanger as well and has some other great features. Also very heavy!!!:))) This is my third time running the race. Twice running the 5k. And once running the half marathon. I'm never worried about parking as their is plenty of it. The course is well marked as well as the support stations are everywhere! Breathtaking run, never gets boring and Tustin police really help out keeping runners safe. I look forward to next years race! Thanks again to all the volunteers, police, EMT's, chamber of commerce members, sponsors, and of course the runners !

I did not have high expectations since the was inaugural race and in my experiences, race…read moreorganizers learn over time. This was not the case here, super organized, easy parking, race day pick up, well marked course, plenty of support stations, nice finisher's shirt and medal. A fairly flat course that's out and back where you could expect a PR.

In 2004, a small library was jeopardized: the County was cutting costs, and in order to balance its…read morebudget, the Villa Park Library was in its sights, targeted. There was protest. And a surge ensued. The Villa Park community was up in arms. So they organized, aggressively. The result: Friends of the Villa Park Library. The goal: to save the library through fundraising. It was then that Ron Accornero, the organization's secretary, established the library's very first 5K run. Since then, the race (which now includes a 10K) has raised an average of at least $7,500 annually, and participation continues to rise. On this first day of summer and upon the race's 10th year, I ran. I mean, I'm an English teacher. It would be counterproductive for me to not support libraries, perhaps hypocritical, wouldn't it? Well, it's obvious that this little library isn't going anywhere. She's tough, sturdy! Over 470 runners were going to make damn sure of that: 332 ran the 5K; and 139, the 10K. The race itself is completely residential, relatively flat and all street. The 10K is a loop--I'm never a fan of loops--but with all of Villa Park seemingly behind you, you just run. It's easy. The many volunteers--including the local police department--were there to assist and support: re-routing traffic, coning the course, supplying water, applauding efforts. Finisher medals and t-shirts, as well as a goodie bag, are provided, and there's a small expo to enjoy afterwards. Good job, Villa Park! My 10K stats: 73 of 139, 1:02:44. =] But what kind of Yelp review would this be--one written with respect to saving libraries--if it didn't also include a book review? Here's mine: Pulitzer Prize-winning Washington Post reporter David Finkel's astonishing chronicle of modern combat, "The Good Soldiers" (2009). Since I've picked it up--the first of my summer reads--I've been unable to put it down. Between January 2007 and June 2008, Finkel spent eight months in violent Rustamiya with a battalion of 800 United States Army soldiers, known for short as the 2-16 (Second Battalion, 16th Infantry Regiment of the Fourth Infantry Brigade Combat Team, First Infantry Division). The 2-16 was part of the campaign other­wise known as "the surge," which sent an additional 21,000 troops into Iraq to quell sectarian violence, in hopes some reconciliation might take place. It is as compelling and terrifying as it is heartbreaking. Considered "One of the 10 Best Books of the Year" by The New York Times, this is one story that--like soldiers of the 2-16--will have you questioning what it takes to be a "good" soldier.

My review is for the marathon:…read more What a great, small race. There were probably 200 people combined in the marathon and half marathon. The course started on the Santa Ana River Trail just outside of Riverdale Park in Anaheim and went along the trail almost until the 22 fwy. The runners turned around and came back along the same path where the half marathoners finished inside Riverdale Park and the marathoners continued along the trail until just past Yorba Linda Regional Park and then turned around to head toward the finish at Riverdale Park. There were plenty of signs directing runners where to park (at a lot adjacent to Kaiser hospital) which is great when you're not familiar with the area and it's still in the dark of early morning. There was an ample amount of porta potties at the start as well as public park restrooms (those had a longer line). They had a Don Francisco truck handing out free, hot coffee (it was chilly on race morning) and I saw some other snacks out there too at some of the sponsor tables. A girl from a local yoga studio led a 10 minute warm up stretch before we were lined up on the trail and the Star Spangled Banner was sung. The race started just a couple minutes after 7am. There were water stations at almost every mile and mile markers throughout the course. Max Muscle Enduromax was offered as the electrolyte drink at different intervals and they were handing out Clif Shots at several stations as well. There was another station handing out pretzel and orange slices as well. All of the volunteers were extremely friendly and many of them cheered when they saw an approaching runner or walker. There were lots of cyclists on the path and recreational users but there was plenty of room for everyone. The Santa Ana River Trail is really scenic with lots of foliage, Canadian Geese, birds, Egrets and mallard ducks in the water. There really wasn't any shade so a summer run along the trail would be very hot. At around mile 20 there was a great musician greeting runners. The run was really beautiful and serene but if you're someone who needs lots of spectators and likes to run in a big pack, this isn't the race for you. At around mile 22, I was all alone. I didn't see another runner behind or in front of me for atleast a mile so I enjoyed the zen of the run. I was greeted at the finish line with a couple dozen spectators cheering and was draped with a space blanket and had a medal hung around my neck by some of the friendliest volunteers with the nicest smiles. The announcer read each finisher's name and hometown as they approached the finish which always pumps me up. There was an ample amount of post race food: water, bananas, Clif Bars, homemade cookies (yum!), Martinelli's apple juice and passionfruit apple juice, and bagels. They had a local massage business giving free massages (I really wanted one but I felt guilty asking someone to rub my sweat drenched, smelly back and legs). Max Muscle was handing out samples and Yorba Linda water district gave away plastic water bottles. They were updating the results about every 15 minutes. I was 1st place female 35-40 so I earned an extra medal (sweet!) and I earned a new PR! It was a glorious day! The marathon finisher's medal was HUGE and it's soooo nice. It might be my favorite medal I've earned so far. The tech shirt was a very nice white, long sleeve with Canadian geese on the front. I'd gladly come back and run this race again next year. The race was very well organized and volunteers were wonderful! Finish time: 4:23:51

2nd year for this event. Well organized, very helpful staff and a lot of fun. This years event at…read moreapproximately 500 runners well up from last year and seems to be growing very quickly. My time was 43:12 I didn't win, but I wasn't last. So get up off the sofa and let's go, pass on the left! :-)

So much fun. Great costumes, great music and smiles on everyone's faces. Parking is easy and…read morethere's food vendors as well.

This was my first time going to this event. Not sure if I'd go again, but I'll give you the pros…read moreand cons. Pros: 1. Lots of beer and a good variety of it! I believe there were about 90 vendors, each pouring about 2-3 of their beers on average. Great opportunity to try breweries that you've never been to. 2. The park is big and there's lots of shade and trees, which came in handy on a 90 degree day like today. 3. Lots of porta potties available throughout the park. 4. A decent selection of food vendors. 5. Beer lines are not too long and the lines go fast. 6. Lots of discount ticket codes available online for this event. Just do a search and you can save $5-10 per ticket. 7. Free water & soda. 8. Water mist blowing in certain sections of the park to keep people cool. 9. There's a shuttle service, but they don't start taking people back to the off-site parking lot until 3:30pm, so if you want to leave early, you're stuck. Cons: 1. There is only one way in and out of the park, and the lines can be long. It's worth it to buy the VIP pass for $10 more and get in an hour early to avoid the long lines. 2. Cops are waiting at the entrance/exit. Definitely have a designated driver or have someone drop you off (friend, Uber, etc). 3. Ticket prices are kind-of high, even if you can find a discount code online. I think $35 general admission is fair. 4. The food vendors were spread out in different areas. I think it'd be better to put them all in one section. Also, food is an extra cost (not part of the ticket). 5. No maps available. 6. No cell phone service available in the park. You have to catch a ride from someone to get back to the entrance if you want to call Uber. If you're a beer aficionado, then you'll love it! I'd give this event 3.5 stars overall. For 2 VIP tickets plus Uber, the total event came out to $150. Not worth it if you're just an occasional beer drinker.

Renegade's Summer Trail Run Series is certainly something to look forward to. Three 5-mile…read moreraces--one each in June, July, and August--all taking place locally, in Tustin's Cedar Grove Park, make for a great opportunity to get in a little exercise during the late afternoon hours. The course is challenging at times, but it's fun. In fact, having to run it three it three times--clockwise, then counter, then clockwise again--is no trouble at all. Cedar Park is beautiful, and Renegade has done their best to make the experience enjoyable anyway. Besides receiving a medal for completing each of the three 5-mile runs, there is another medal that you may qualify for and that you should plan for before registering: the Renegade Dirty Series Finisher Medal (see photo). By also registering for Bonelli Park's Renegade 3-Mile Trail Run Challenge in May (also the race that awards the best medal of the three), the Dirty Series medal could also be yours. And by registering for all four races at once, you save a lot more money. In fact, the four races cost me a mere $90. That's easy. Individually, the races would have been about $30 a piece. Watch for online coupon codes for even further discounts! A couple things that disappointed me about this series, though, were the t-shirts and the BBQ. (With each race, a t-shirt or a ticket for the BBQ is provided. It's your choice.) I first chose the t-shirt--and it's a really cool shirt, actually!--but it doesn't change with each race. It's the same one each time; it doesn't even change color. The second time, then, I opted for another shirt. During the last run, I instead chose the BBQ. (As much as I didn't need another identical shirt, I wish that I'd just taken the third. The BBQ--chicken and burgers--sadly, and in my opinion anyway, was poor. I'm still a fan of this series, and I will surely run it again, but with respect to the BBQ, I'll pass. I'd rather have yet another shirt. If only Renegade made each race's shirt a different color, this series would be golden!

This is one of the local races, hosted by Renegade Race. During summer, they do 3 races, on…read moreThursday nights,in June, July and August. Its about 85$ to register for all the 3, or about 30$ to register for one. The race entry comes with either a bbq, or a tshirt. The race usually takes place at Peters Canyon in Tustin. Usually there is a medal at the end of the 3rd race, if you do all the 3 of them. This year, just as a random surprise, the 3rd race had a finisher medal, kind of low key one. IF you run for bling, then this race is not your cup fo tea, unless you run all the 3. If you are like me, driving miles to do races out of town in SD and LA, this race is such a nice break. Its close to home. IF you live or work in Tustin or close by , you should really consider doing this race. Plenty of parking by the school and street parking. There is no formal bag checkin so you need to plan around that. The race route this year had about 2 water stations and you cross them about 3 times. So its not that bad. Peters Canyon being in the middle of the city would feel like its an easy run. but Its so not. the elevation had about 450fts, but it had more spikes, so it added up to be very challenging. IF you look for a challenge this cold be a very rewarding run! There aren't any age group prizes so unless you are a super fast runner, you just run for the tshirt/bbq/and the nice photos you get after the race! this is one of the few races that let you fax your entry form(saves about 6$s). always look for coupon code at raceshed.com to save another 3$.

This racetrack is a big blessing to our family. I go here every single weekend with my son and my…read morewife. During our first visit we were welcomed by other racers and the owner very well. Since then, we go here to practice or to race. We enjoy this racetrack very much. If you are new to the RC hobby, please come over and visit. You will definitely love it. Definitely a 5 star!!!

Great place to go on-road racing, great people and great racing in a friendly environment.read more