It was a awesome and cheerful half marathon, despite the fact that it was postponed because of the…read morefires. Pasadena half it's a yearly run which helps me prepare for LAM. This year it was more ghetto as there was a running club from the valley screaming and drinking alcohol out in the open with out concern for other sober runners, but regardless, a must do run.

This race was acquired by the McCourt Foundation several years ago and became the Rose Bowl Half…read moreMarathon. Everything about the race is the same but a few logistic and planning decisions take away from the overall experience. The bib pick-up process is by far the biggest negative. They don't allow you to pick-up for others and only provide a few locations in Pasadena and Santa Monica. There's no expo so why make everyone pick up their own bib. Or why not provide more locations to make it more convenient for those who don't live in Pasadena/LA? The other complaint is that the only recognition for legacy runners (whose who've run every race since 2016) is a banner at the race. Loyalty runners (2 consecutive races) get a pin. Most other races have more substantive recognition for their loyal runners.

The Darth Vader medal was really all i came for this year…read more i participated in the 2012 run in SF and had crossed it off my runner's bucket list... until i rec'vd email newsletters about the 2013 run and mock up designs for the medal... Darth Vader... really?? ok, sure.. why not! **if you've participated in an Awesome 80s Run event before, then you know their medals are made with quality and pure awesomness!** This time i opted to participate in the run closer to home... Pasadena, CA. the location was perfect... Rose Bowl loop, a trail i was familiar with. the pasadena run didn't seem as big as last year's SF run... Getting to the venue was smooth... no traffic (we arrived around 7:30am) and parking was a breeze. Although, parking is $10... wish they can include this in the registration fee so participants don't feel obligated to incur anymore cost. the course was ideal... loop around the rose bowl. plenty of space for runners and walkers to share the road. thankfully it was early enough in the day that it wasn't too hot. there was a slight breeze during some areas of the course that helped out greatly. there were a couple bands along the route to boost the 80s spirits... good times! costumes were entertaining. i was a Rogue Squadron pilot and my bf was a Stormtrooper. we saw many star wars themed costumes... very awesome... as well as other 80s related costumes. great seeing everyone's creativity and spirit come together!

Like the other reviews said this isn't any type of competitive race where you should expect to have…read morea PR for your 5 or 10k time. It's a themed fun run so expect a ton of people walking, pushing strollers, & walking dogs on the course. The event is fun if you're doing it with a group of friends & taking pictures with other people & their costumes but as fair as a race there could be some improvements. Since the course goes around the rosebowl/golf course it would be better to start the 5k first so you don't get stuck trying to go around more people that are walking during the 10k, & starting the race on time. The 10k was suppose to be at 8:15 am, & the 5k at 8:30. We went to line up for the 5k and the 10k was still waiting to go. Both races were started 15 minutes behind schedule. The race packet pick up was pretty easy the day of the race they gave well over an hour before the races started for everyone to get their bibs that couldn't make it out to Pasadena the Friday before the race. They have chipped timing now, at the end of the race you return the time chip from your shoe for your finishers medal. Besides the late start of the race & trying to go around all the walkers during the race the only other problem was trying to get out of the parking lot. The race course go around the parking lot so if you're trying to leave while the race is still going to wait for about 20 minutes. If the medal for next year is cool enough & my friends want to run it again I'd probably do the race again. One of the cool things about this event is they don't have periods where they continue to raise the price of the race. It's the same price until it sells out & they have a lot of different promo codes that you can use to save $3-$10 on registration.

Back here again! Kiddo still having so much fun. Staff, Ash, Beau, Ryan still amazing!read more

First impression staff was very kind and professional and also very fun. As first time customers we…read morewere really impressed and look forward to coming back. This is a cool place the atmosphere is so cool and very clean and comfortable. There's a vending machine to help yourself to something to drink and snack in between races. The atmosphere really makes you feel like you are at a vip racetrack club. The staff is really knowledgeable and really helps you out in understanding how to work the VR and overall made our experience wonderful. I highly recommend coming on a weekday as they get busy on weekends. Can't wait to come back it was seriously effortless fun! Special thank you to put crew member Manuel for making our experience awesome!

What a lovely race! Descanso Gardens may be the most beautiful setting for a 5K/10K ever. The route…read moreweaves its way through the Rose Garden, the Japanese Garden, then through the Camellia and Oak Forests, then finishing through the California Native Garden and the Oak Woodland. For all you die-hard runners out there, this is a chip-timed race with bibs and an accurately measured 5 or 10 kilometer course. This might be a great race to score your first win because it's relatively small; the number of elite runners was miniscule. For all you folks that just want to support a good cause (the gorgeous Descanso Gardens!) and have a nice stroll, you could not ask for a more lovely setting. Atmosphere: Running in one of the most lovely gardens anywhere. Can't beat it! Due to the dense canopy provided by the native oak trees, Descanso Gardens usually feels about 10 degrees cooler than the weather says it will be. It was very cool when we started and I needed a jacket. Course: Loop course: twice equals 5K, four times equals 10K. Seems really easy at first then the steep hill behind the Boddy House gets ya. I ran nowhere near my personal best but it surely was beautiful. Amenities: One water stop, bagels/bananas/oranges and a water bottle at the finish. Swag: A nice Earth Day Run T-shirt, a cute medal, and a coupon for one free admission to Descanso Gardens (expires Dec. 2016). Staff: absolutely lovely! A nice squad of volunteers checked us in and cheered us along the way. Price: $45 but it's for a very good cause. Parking: FREE!

Probably the perfect 5k race for beginners and some what competitive runners. The venue is so big…read moreeverything is located in the same area. The parking lot (which is free for the race) is right by the start line for the race & right across from the race track so it's an easy 5 minute walk once you leave the post race festival area to get back to your car. They have about five different starting wave with the pace time clearly marked so the first few competing waves don't have to worry about going around walkers or anyone with strollers. Each wave starts about every 5 minutes so the run isn't too crowded either. I'm addition to finish medals, shirts, and free goodies from the vendors at the post race festival they also have top 3 division awards for multiple age groups. They have packets pick up at the mall next to the track the day before the race, and early race day bib pick up and hour and a half before the race. The day of the 5k you also get free admission to the track for the horse race later in the day with your race bib as well as a ticket for a future horse race later in the year. The post race event has a beer garden sponsored by Golden Road brewery in 2023, each runner got 2 free beers. The post race festival was family friendly as well with a few carnival rides, I'm not sure if those rides are always at the park or just there for opening day.

yes ! This is one of my favorite 5ks in the Arcadia Area. Easy parking, Free tickets to one of the…read moreraces, and they also have a festival of rides you can choose to do, but my favorite portion of this 5k is the BEER GARDEN ! last years was awesome cannot wait for this years!

Just did this 5K this morning with my pup!! He and I both enjoyed it. There were actually quite a…read morebit of exhibitors and a couple food trucks present. The exhibitors were all friendly, nice, and fairly generous with their samples and giveaways! I was able to pick up quite a bit of dog food samples for my pup and some reusable bags, as well as a doggie poop bag holder! Some exhibitors gave away dog food samples, some has dog massages, there was a pet psychic, a vet, and some pet adoptions. There was also a coffee exhibitor there, so I was able to get in my morning cup of joe before running with my pup.There was a dance floor and stage as well. Parking was easy and best of all, free!! I must say though, that the organization of the race was a bit off. I couldn't figure out too easy where the 1K, 5K routes were. I had signed up for the 1K since it was my pups first run, I did not want to overdo it. However, at the start sign of the 1K, NO one was there to tell us where to go. I did look up the route online, but I was still confused... and we ended up on the 5K route and so did a further run... but my pup did it! LOL. Upon finishing, we were given a cute medal. Only one medal though. It would be cool if they made a smaller one for your dog. There were apples, bananas, and some yogurt bars (tooooo sweet though) and water bottles given out. Some people brought their dogs, but not too many, and it was good that they had a rule of keeping ALL dogs on leashes. Plenty of water stations all around for the dogs, many had iced water, which my dog loves. There was also ice in the buckets where the water bottles were, so I grabbed ice for my dog as that seems to be his favorite treat! There was also a photo booth where I took some pics with my dog. A cop walked by and it was hard trying to talk a selfie with my pup, so I asked and he was nice and took several pics for us. The paramedic at the first aid was also cute and nice. I just wished I hadn't lost my voice from all the screaming I did at Universal Halloween Horror Nights just that night before that race! I couldn't talk to as many people as I wanted to. Would I do this race again? Yes I would!! It is for a great cause! I love them furbabies!! Tip, make sure you look up your race number online BEFORE picking up your bibs! They are organized by number, not by name, so it would be very hard to figure out your number. There was a stand however, with bib numbers so you could look it up there too. Also, no need to pick up your stuff early, it is free the day of the race and it is not too packed either. I don't think as many people did this race as with other 5k's I have done.

My friends and I did the Race for the Rescues 10K at the Rose Bowl last year. It was their first…read more10K and my second one, so it was pretty challenging for all of us. But we were successful! Since it's located at the Rose Bowl, the race had plenty of parking. We picked up our bibs and shirts that morning and walked around a bit to see the different vendors. I like this race because all the proceeds go to animal welfare organisations. And since this is a race about animals, most of the vendors were pet-related. I wanted to get some complimentary dog treats for my friend's furpets, but it seemed like they were only giving it to dogs that were present (but then again, I didn't ask). There were a good amount of portapotties available for runners to use before and after the race. And after the race, if you are interested in adoption, you could stop by the PHS & SPCA booth where they had some of their available dogs. The start line wasn't very organised, however. Since we are slow runners, we just placed ourselves in the third corral. Seamus Dever came out to make a speech, supported by his fellow castmember Jon Huertas. They were cool to see. And then there were some cheerleaders, some other people making announcements... the point is, they didn't start on time and we ended up just standing at the start line for what seemed like forever (okay, it was more like 15 minutes past the stated start time). For the 10K, you make 2 loops around the Rose Bowl, but it was easy to see where to go after the first loop so we didn't accidentally cross the finish line. The Rose Bowl Loop Track is relatively flat so this was a nice race to do. The shirt is nice and they provide chip timing; the only downside to this race is that there is no medal. I seriously only race for medals... but in this case, I made an exception since the money is going to a really good cause :)

Good Afternoon form sunny Los Angeles , its about 1348hours over here and I wanted to give a review…read moreon my first LA BIG 5K it was a fun and beautiful route , I unfortunately did not race it but walked it as I had the LA Marathon that next morning . So I would say from the walk it was a very nice route a little hilly here and there but not anything too wild. The only thing that is wild is the parking if you decide to sleep in and try to get to the dodger stadium around 530-6am and after just sacrifice and come early and sleep in your car!

I've ran this course a couple of times and its one of my favorite 5Ks for a couple of reasons: its…read morewell organized, easy parking at the Dodger Stadium, nice run through Elysian Park with some hills up and down, and great views of the city. I ran it this year in 2025 for Westside German Shepherd Rescue to fundraise for this wonderful non profit organization that rescues dogs. There are many other orgs to support but I chose this org to run for since its where I adopted my rescue German Shepherd dog from! This event normally happens before the marathon so it's a great way to have a nice run before the big day and pick up your bib for race day. Because the event is so well organized, it's easy to come a little bit earlier same day as the 5K to pick up your bib and shirt for it. Huge shout out to all the volunteers that make this race a great one!

A two-day event combining bike rides, dog walks, kiddie walks, and regular ol' walks/runs. I…read moreparticipated in the 10k about three years prior during the Year of the Rabbit and again a couple weeks ago for the Horse. Many folks enjoy returning yearly for the full 12 animals of the Chinese zodiac. Lots of vendors in the festival area, including local school programs, community clubs, electrolyte packs, chewy vitamins, Yakult, and street food with grilled and chilled offerings. Parking the day of is no joke, as traffic is limited near the race start. I had to head up to the hilly residential areas for a spot. Lion dance and firecrackers were set for the 5k at 8am, while the 10k started about 45 minutes after. Even though it's been three years since I ran this, I still remember the hills. Sometimes I'd be Kate Bush-ing it while other times taking a much-needed breather. Passing through Elysian Park and grazing the edge of Dodger Stadium, there will eventually be a downward slope along with one or two more uphill battles before heading back to Chinatown. The finisher medal matches the shirt design of a horse with antlers that burns, burns, burns in a ring of fire. In addition, we get an apple, a banana, a bag of chips, a bottle of water, and if you're early enough some of Ohtani's Syncron. Alas! it had all but ran out by the time I reached the finish line. Overall, it's a fun run with good vibes from fellow runners and the local community.

Firecracker 10K & 5K is such an incredible annual event and a true community favorite. What makes…read moreit even more special is that the proceeds go back into the local community, which is something I genuinely appreciate and support. That's actually what originally got me into participating -- knowing it benefits the area makes it so much more meaningful. It's truly a family event. There's something for everyone -- a cycling event, 5K, 10K, kids' run, and even a dog-friendly event. The energy is always positive, well-organized, and welcoming for all fitness levels. It has become a family favorite for us, and we look forward to it every year. Highly recommend getting involved -- whether you're racing, riding, walking, or just cheering others on.

What an amazing gathering of love, community and awesome people…read more Get there early, be prepared to stay very very late. Just do the 10k. Starting earlier and finishing earlier is the best

Tip: sign up immediately because it sells out quickly!…read more This was the 9th race and first one at the Rosebowl. We were really impressed at all the swag and goodies for a free race. There was both race day packet pickup and another option the day before. On race day, there were complimentary food trucks and we had an awesome grilled cheese. The 10k started at 8:30 and the 5k was set to start at 9:30. However it was delayed a half hour due to clearing the roads. For me, 10:00am was a late start and it was already getting pretty toasty out. Overall was a great day. Only thing that I'd suggest is starting both races earlier.