27th Annual Corona del Mar Scenic 5K

I was in between races. I just finished my first half marathon on memorial day (may 30^th), and I had the XTerra Trail Run race coming up on June 5^th. A friend of mine asked if I would like to do a 5k, as she had an extra ticket, I totally opted to do it, as a way to get in my training run before my sunday race. I wasnt expecting too much of this race, as the race route seems to be around bunch of streets in corona del mar, with a short run next to this beautiful ocean and beach! Little did I know this race would challenge me beyond my beliefs.
Apparently this is a local tradition, and the city has been organizing this event for almost 35 years now. I stood next to a gentleman, who has run all the 35 years! Such a privilege, and rich history to the race. May be their really old custom/​history, they start the race for men at 7:55, and women at 8:30. Dont understand the logic, but that s how it is. But I did see some women run along with men at 7:55, because either they wanted to run with their spouse, or they didnt want to wait for another 30minutes). The race day this year was a nice foggy day, with little mist. Perfect temperature to run if you ask me. the race starts by the beach, and the first mile is not that hard, but you start to pick up little hills, on and off, and it killed me. Being streets it didnt look that steep, but boy oh boy it was hard! end of the mile 3, you get to run in a narrow bridge, so you might either speed up, or plan on staying behind whoever runs before you. You might gather your strength and run this bridge, as the finish line is just right after it.
Unlike other races, this race has a row of really nice restaurants providing you super delicious breakfast food, which is a plus, but I really wanted a banana after my run, and some electrolytes.
Its a local race, and very community centric, so if you live close by you should do this race, but I wouldnt recommend people to drop their life and fly down to do this race. becuase its not that crazy fun!

Although the landscapes one views while participating in this 5K jog are breathtaking, I rate it a two because I do not believe in organized running. And why a 5k? Firstly, we are in America and therefore measure long distances by miles, not kilometers. Secondly, what is significant about 3.2 miles? It seems arbitrary.

This was the most Organized, Fun Event!
People were so Friendly. Locals participated in cheering us on, The food was Excelent! It was prepared for us by local Restraunts. Parking was provided, it was very close and easy. Loved it! Will be there next year!

This wasn’t the 27^th annual CdM 5K… I think we are into the 30’s somewhere by now… but I’m too lazy to add a new event, so just think «2012» instead of «2008″.
I am not a runner, per se (*“per se» — a latin term meaning «He’s old, fat and slow»), but I run quite a bit anyway.
It’s a lifestyle choice.
And by «lifestyle» I mean that I need to run off all the stuff I eat and drink, or my lifestyle will be «death».
In that spirit, I occasionally run in events like this… for the fun of it, for the healthy «lifestyle» it promotes and for the swag (technical fabric t-​shirt this year… nice!).
The CdM 5K is one of the nicest runs in the good old US of A!
I rank the CdM 5K right up there with the Starlight Run in Portland (during the Rose Festival… the only chance most of us will ever have to run a foot race cheered on by 500,000 people).
Not because there are so many people running and cheering for the CdM 5K, but because the course, the views, the local environment, the runners, the spectators, the post-​race buffet breakfast and the overall «vibe» of this little jog are are almost too good to be believed.
I registered online and dropped by the Oasis Senior Center (for which I am membership eligible, although I refuse to do so at the moment… still feeling young, thanks) to pick up our race packets and swag bags… easy squeezy!
My adorable daughter, Whitney, moved to Coastal OC in the past week (really, who wouldn’t want to live close to parents as «interesting» as the Beautiful Carin and I?) and she ran the 5K with me!
We were solidly mid-​pack of the 2 – 3,000 participants (although I did better my time from last year by a solid 2 minutes… I’m not only getting older… I’m getting better… ish).
We had a great time and Whitney really enjoyed her first event as an official resident of OC… I look forward to many more of these events with her!
If you ever wanted to try to jog one of these kinds of events, (or do the 2K walk or just drop by and look at lovely neighborhood and beautiful vistas), this is the one for you!
You won’t find a more welcoming group of people, a more helpful and pleasant race staff or a better venue for 5K than this one.
And while I didn’t avail myself of the post-​race buffet at the finish line this year (although it did look awesome), my post race bloody mary and chicken fried steak retox at Cappy’s was truly sublime!
And that’s why I run.

This review is for the 31^st Annual Corona del Mar Scenic 5K (06/​02/​2012).
I ran this 5K for the first time this year and had a blast. My take on the event:
Registration: I registered in-​person the day before the event, and was in and out in under 5 minutes. Payment was easy, as they took cash, checks or credit cards (although for credit card you had to write it all out on a paper form, old school style — not something I wanted to do so I ended up paying cash). The volunteers were very helpful and kept the lines moving. Same goes for race-​day registration, as my procrastinating buddy waited until the morning of to register. We got to the starting line 45 minutes early, but finished up registration and swag collection with over 30 minutes to spare.
Swag: The shirt is of the «technical» variety (moisture wicking fabric as opposed to the standard cotton race shirt). They also had plenty of all sizes available, even on the day of the race. They also had sizes for small kids — my six year old daughter participated in the 2 mile walk, and the youth small shirt fit her perfectly. Normally she is swimming in the t-​shirts handed out at running events.
Parking: If you can make it down to the state beach, parking is free and you end up right next to the starting line. I couldn’t figure out how to get down there as most of the roads were already closed (as of 6am according to the signs). I ended up parking in the neighborhood surrounding the course, and only had to walk about 5 minutes to the starting line. Be careful about parking on PCH, as the spots there are only good for an hour. I didn’t see any tickets being issued, but I didn’t want to risk it.
Course: The course is very nice, winding through the beachfront neighborhoods of CdM. As another reviewer pointed out, it is really only «scenic» for the first ¼ mile or so as you run along the bluff above the state beach. After that, it turns away from the ocean and winds through streets lined with high-​end homes. Several residents sat on their front lawns or decks, played music and cheered runners on. Very nice and really adds to the sense that this is a community run. The course is advertised as «hilly”(their quotes, not mine) and I’d say that is a fair description. Most of the streets have a slight up and down to them, but nothing major. There is one moderately steep incline between miles 2 and 3, but it is short and the course levels out right afterwards. There are two water spots along the course, and plenty of bottled water at the finish.
Organization: On race day, there were plenty of volunteers to assist runners and answer questions. They even had volunteers stationed at the mile markers calling out split times — something that you don’t see very often at smaller events like this. The one fault was the often chaotic area surrounding the start /​finish line. Restaurant row and the very small expo were crammed back to back between the start and finish lines. You also had the race course doubling back through the start line — which was cool as you had more people to cheer you on as you passed back through — however it led to the later events (2 mile walk and kids dolphin dash) being delayed by a few minutes each as they couldn’t start lining up until the previous event runners had all passed back through.
Food: The real reason you run, right? Once you finish up your 5k, you can jump straight in line to enter «restaurant row». There, your bib number is marked and you are given a paper plate and utensils. The rules — only one plate per person, and you only get one pass through the food area. I was one of the last people to get food, as I also participated in the 2 mile walk which was the last event to finish for the day. As such, many of the vendors had run out (I was hoping to get a breakfast burrito from Avila’s, but they were only passing out tortilla chips when I went through). Luckily, Gina’s had TONS of pizza left, and they were generous with giving out extra slices. The highlight was the crème brûlée from the Quiet Woman. Who knew that mini desserts as 10am could be so awesome?
Events: This event has both a men’s and a women’s race. You can run in either, regardless of your gender (assuming you are not competing for first place). The men’s race was about 60% male and 40% female (based on my highly unscientific guesstimate). If you want to make sure restaurant row is fully stocked with food, I’d recommend participating in the men’s race, as it starts first.
There you have it, my not so short review of the CdM Scenic 5k. I’ll definitely be back next year.

Did this with my son (who participated in the Dolphin Dash for small kids). Watched a father running backwards with a video camera trip over a toddler and both of them ended bloody and with the kid crying. Good job, Dad!
Loved the scenery, with a finish line right by the ocean. And a great, famous, food court. Feels like everyone in Corona del Mar is out for this one — Fun times!

The CDM hills are ALIVE! For my first «official» 5K on June 4, 2011 — AWESOME! I’m a beginner runner and started training mid April and was able to run my first 5K in 32 minutes thanks to Couch to 5K, family and friends! It was a really great first 5K! The scenery is beautiful — including the homes and gardens.
This race was very organized. Picked up our race packets a couple days before. Bottled Water, Porta-​potties are plentiful, signage is useful, and the post-​race FOOD!!! AWESOME! The line is a little long to get in, but well worth the wait for your FREE food for runners/​walkers.
In the AM, arrive early enough to park in the free beach parking. Restrooms there are clean WITH toilet paper. Walk up to the top to the start line — porta-​potties near here too (definitely bring some hand sanitizer OR, find one of the vendors after the race and grab a free one.
Wide variety of runners from young to old, beginners to blazing fast!
Stretch and warm up because this race has some GOOD hills. The race photographers had great shots that you can find online, so make sure your race bib is on the front. and SMILE! =) Really a great race! Thanks CDM!

In the past few months I have been introduced to the sub-​culture of running. I’ve been entering 5ks around town for a while now, most are pretty well organized. The Corona Del Mar 5k is no exception, not only is it well-​organized it’s also a festive, friendly, community-​centered event.
There’s a whole cast of characters who show up at every running event. There are a few high-​strung performance-​obsessed competitive types, the elderly runners who I hope to emulate one day (perhaps outlive everyone in my age division so I can win a medal), the speedy high school track kids who smoke out everyone, the shufflers who run their hearts out and still finish last (like me). It’s quite a diversity of people.
For the most part people who get up at the crack of dawn to run are a happy crowd who smile at you and say ‘good morning’. I’m still working on smiling before 9am, I’m not there yet.
This particular course was challenging to me because I don’t get to run on hills very often. The winding course makes its way through the expensive homes that line the coast in Corona Del Mar. Local residents sit on their front lawns to cheer you on and a few even made signs. Once you reach the foot bridge you know that the end is near and you can pick up your speed on a downhill stretch to cross the finish line.
After the run there is a food festival to indulge in. Instead of the traditional banana or orange wedge, local restaurants provide small servings of pizza, breakfast burritos, crme brulee, omelets, and smoothies. No wonder everyone was running so fast, they wanted to eat!
In addition to the 5k, there is a kids fun run where all the little ones receive a bib with the number 1. If you’re a newbie to this whole exercise thing, you can enter the 2-​mile walk and simply stroll on over to the food at the end.
Oh, about a mile into the run you’ll pass a farmer’s market that sells churros. Try to resist the temptation.

Who knew a food court could be linked to a 5K! Wow — definitely the best spread of eats after a race I have witnessed so far. Even after the ½ Marathon I did in Austin I was impressed there was chicken soup. But this kicks Austin in the butt! From Amy K’s recommendation to get the crème brûlée, breakfast burritos, omelets made to order, raspberry salads, juice drinks, fresh fruit, pizza, scones, salmon spread on a crostini and bagels… this was awesome.
Oh I guess there was some running up hills and stuff beforehand. Kidding. Joking.
My 4-​stars come from the fact that they ran out of cups for water at the 1^st water station, so they were handing out full bottles which were difficult to open when you’re kind of sweaty… and then just not having water after the race for the girls. Dang!
It was a challenging 5K as there were some steady inclines as well as some steep hills to wind your way through those 3.1 miles. This race benchmarks my official training for my 2^nd ½ marathon that I’ll be doing at Disneyland — got a solid 12 weeks of running ahead of me!

This was my first year doing the Corona Del Mar Scenic 5K and I can’t wait to run it again next year! I liked the hilly course and challenged myself by running up the hills instead of walking. I liked how the finish line was on a downhill because I could really speed up as I inished. It was nice running through cute and gorgeous homes and getting to see the ocean as a run.
Restaurant Row after the race was a real treat. I enjoyed the breakfast burrito from El Avila, Gina’s pizza and the fruit from Albertson’s. Oh and the Crème Brulee from The Quiet Woman was the one of the best desserts I have ever had.
The shirt we got for running was pretty cool too. Overall a great 5K experience!

So this was my first ever organized 5k Race.
Over all I had a great time. I got a Personal Best of 25:10s.
The Start/​End/​Event area was fairly well organized — lots of Port-​o-​Potties, lots of vendors/​food/​event sponsors.
The course for this 5k is HILLY. Seriously. I got a personal best for the first mile (7mins 15 or so) but damn, those 2^nd and 3^rd miles are NOT flat.
The race is split for Men and Women, although either can run with the other. Kids also run, which can be a mixed blessing.
Also, They say it’s scenic. I was joking with a couple runners around the 1.5 mile mark that it’s scenic if you’re looking at home remodels and a couple places built in the 60s.
Over all though, I had fun (even though I had to stop in a few places — remember kids, Hills are NOT FLAT!)
I’m not going to give it 5 stars for one reason, and Amy K espoused it in her review — There was plenty of water and vitamin gatorade knock off stuff after the men’s race, but by the time I went, picked up my gear, wandered back to the finish line to wait for Amy, Lisa, and Monica, it was all GONE. G –O-​N-​E. No bueno especially fo the girls that ran just as hard and just as fast as the guys.
The food tasting was great — LOTS of food, and a long that was rather long (People doing 2nds?). If I do this next year, I now have better motivation to finish faster — Get there to avoid the line!

Today was the 27^th annual Corona del Mar Scenic 5K, and I set out with fellow Unilocalers Lisa V, Monica P, and Robert C to run the race and enjoy some yummy food after we were done. This was my 5^th year in a row participating in this event, and I always enjoy it, even though it’s a very challenging course. So I should say that I sometimes ask myself why I torture myself this way WHILE I’m running it, but AFTER I’m done, I feel happy and invigorated that I conquered the challenge.
One unique aspect of the Corona del Mar Scenic 5K is that there is a separate men’s and women’s race. The men always start first, so we ladies get to relax a little and cheer on the gentlemen. Then in return, they get to watch us when their race is over. BF did a good job of going from place to place during today’s race and got to see me twice while I was running and then again right before I crossed the finish line.
The race is indeed scenic and winds throughout the neighborhood. You see beautiful homes, cute parks, and an amazing ocean view.
My only complaint this year, and hence the 4 stars instead of 5, was that there was no more water available after the women’s race. That’s just bad planning.
The line for the food area moved fairly quickly, and we sampled a lot of delicious treats, including breakfast burritos from Avila’s El Ranchito, tacos from Islands, pizza from Gina’s, salmon pâté and scones with lemon curd from Five Crowns, Chinese chicken Salad from Bamboo Terrace, and crème brule from Quiet Woman. I think the Unilocal gang was happy to actually eat the crème brule instead of hearing me talk about it the last few weeks.
As we enjoyed our post-​race meal, we enjoyed the scenery and watched the awards presentation. Those who placed in the top 3 of their age groups received a really nice plaque. BF got 2^nd place in his age group. Woo hoo!
I’ll be there again next year! (I just hope the water situation is fixed, Mr. or Ms. Chamber of Commerce).