Electric Run San Diego

Yay for the first ever electric run in SD, but BOO if you seriously had to pay for this.
First of all, thanks Trish for sponsoring Team Unilocal!I always love to rep Unilocal and local races; however, this was a joke!
Packet pickup sucked. I went during lunch right when the tables opened and it was so disorganized. There was no direction as to which line was what or if it was in alpha order.
If you paid for this race, you seriously got jipped. I felt I got jipped for even paying for parking at the fairgrounds. There was so many people. The corrals were NOT very well organized and our group didn’t start until almost an hour after the start time. What kind of corrals let each group go every 5 mins?
The course was only a 5K, but it was a dangerous 5K. I get that it’s at night, etc, etc, but seriously peeps, it was dangerous from a risk perspective. The terrain was weird — from pavement to dirt to uneven plastic tile. You can seriously get hurt with potholes and such.
There were a couple of notable, cool things on the course like a lit tunnel and the lit tree, but otherwise, it was a bust. As we finished, you can still see people barely starting the course. REALLY?! Had to be at least 40 mins after we started.
The pre-​party was cool. Lots of people watching and you got to meet a lot of nice peeps. I didn’t stay for the after party since I had a half marathon in OC the following day.
There wasn’t even a photographer at the end of the run. We were so disappointed since we our team crossed together and jumped at the finish line. BOOO!!!

It was a fun experience! There were tons of gorgeous lights that surrounded us! There were also lots of people who joined the run. I was just disappointed because i thought the event was timed. And also there’s people who didn’t registered but was doing it. I thought it was exclusive only for registered runners. Next time, i’ll just show up and put my led costume.

This event was loud, fun and novel. I think if I had the opportunity to do this type of event run again, I will. The Unilocal photo booth was one of the highlights of the evening, that and the floating lit coloured balls (on the lake).
Could have been lit the whole way round, the bridal path was uneven so had to tread carefully at some points.

I ran with three other friends in TMNT theme and it was pretty fun. It was interesting to see how the coordinators didn’t check for the bibs on participants. The decorations (light orbs over the pond or Alice & Wonderland trees) through the course was overall good given the venue set up. I have to say though, the section with the track was kinda dull. Music didn’t reach that area but oh well. They had volunteers handing out water and also some on the side were giving out glow sticks unless you didn’t mind picking up the several that have fallen on the floor throughout the course. The little rave/​concert with the DJ was fun but cut short. especially if your corral was released late. Tons of glowsticks on the ground at the end of the night.
They had some giveaways and promotional groups such as ZICO water giving out large samples of their flavored coconut water or 5 Hour Energy drink, when you finish your course. They had food vendors to get your snack on after your 5k ‘run.’ It’s expensive fried food. Think fair food.
Traffic as usual to the Del Mar Fairgrounds was pretty awful. It is standard if you attend events here often so I guess that’s nothing new.

For my 1^st Electric Run it was okay. The overall vibe of the event was electric, everybody appeared to be in good spirits and eager to partake in the event. People dressed up in all types off costumes from neon fitted outfits to Mario Brothers, Mario and Luigi. To bad the course wasn’t as Electric as the crowd. The course was pretty plain, I thought. There wasn’t much to look at while you navigated the 5k course. Here and there you would get some neon arches or some other neon lighting. The after run area was fun and people that stayed enjoyed themselves. The price of the food and drinks expensive but that’s expected being at the Fairgrounds.
Check-​In was a little hectic. I got the wrong sized shirt an X-​Large women’s. My sister says Thank You. Plus I had to pay $ 5 to pickup my packet.
I expect a lot more next time Electric Run staff. Next for me, Mud Run.
I had a great time mainly because I had friends fly & drive into town and we ran it together and the great crowd.

For as much as this race was I expected a little bit more. Don’t get me wrong, the lighting elements throughout the race were pretty cool but it just felt like it wasn’t enough. There would be parts of the race that would be in complete darkness except for the glow from the runners.
After having done some of the other events like this, like the Color Run, this race was a good concept that was not executed as well as it could’ve been.

I’m a huge fan of glowsticks, music, and running, but altogether!!! «You complete me!»
I gotta say, it wasn’t what I expected. I did the Del Mar Mud Run and that was hands down one of the fun-​est runs I’ve ever done; mainly because of the obstacle course. This one, I expected complete darkness; the only light to get seen would be the one that’s glowing or disco strobe club lights. I just expected too much I guess, but I did have a great time! That’s all that matters.
I plan on doing another one, so hopefully the people that host future Electric Runs will read my review and make the entire course pitch black!
d:)

EDC in SD wooo yea
The perks of knowing your way around SD = knowing that the exit for Via de la Valle is going to be super backed up before reaching Carmel Valley Rd, and taking the back way. When we parked in the lot we saw how backed up the traffic was on the freeway just for that exit. (And this is two hours before the run)
Anyhow we had a hour30 to kill before the start of the «run» so we walked around.
In the Paddock area (if you’re familiar with the racetrack, this is where they parade around the horses before the start of each race) they had booths set up, the bar. yea BAR was open and they had little booths selling beer (heineken, newcastle, etc) as well. This was where the «after party» was set up.
It was around 6:30 when we headed to the start line, and they were handing out Zico!!! I love Zico. I’m glad I had a backpack to put the stuff they were giving away in.
They had people throwing free stuff from the truck and from the sides, Lisa was able to snag a pair of light up shutter shades. We saw one ricochet off some girls head.
Despite it starting to drizzle, we were the third wave to go. They let about ~1000 people go every 5 minutes, which was good since there were A LOT of people.
You’re lucky if you start with one of the earlier waves because by the time we finished there were still people at the start waiting to go.
Course wise, some parts were fun, some were like WTF? No music/​No lights nothing fancy. The big room with the glowing balls on the ceiling was really loud and had so much more potential. Next year I vote for a triply Alice in Wonderland motif.
It’s more for the experience not for the run, you aren’t timed and you can take as long as you want in certain areas.
Overall, I’d do it again… technical tees would be nice. :)

First time this run was in San Diego. With all these 5K’s popping up this seemed like an different way to run 5K. Running with glow sticks, lots of bright lights and dance music at night on a secure course? I’m in.
Ran with Team Unilocal that was organized by Maria C. through our fantastic North County Unilocal CM Trish. Thank you!
Got geared up with plenty of glow sticks and lights. The run started out in this long barricaded start «chute» that was actually a great way to start the run. Everybody seemed to be in a great mood, and it was very orderly for having what they said was 10,000 people at the event. It was REALLY cool to see the little kids and ‘tweens all excited about running 3+ miles At that age, you couldn’t have dragged me with all the glow sticks in the world to run that long. The only issue I had was that it took way to long to get to the front… about 30 minutes, and we were there 20 minutes prior to start time.
The course is different from the mud or ROC race, as it runs on the perimeter of the fairgrounds before you get inside.. A few DJ’s were on the course, a couple of lighted up areas with funky glowing trees, balloons and other night time props. Kind of cool, but what wasn’t cool was when you were running in the dirt area with uneven surfaces in the darkness.
Maybe I needed one of those cool looking Tron type glasses?
Maybe I am more into the running part than the party atmosphere?
Maybe it’s more for those that like to take their time?
Maybe it’s just a social run for people can take their friends and party after?
Maybe I’m just getting too old for dance music?
Nah…it was neat to experience ONCE, but I won’t be lighting up the sky with this run again. I heard a lot of good things about the run, but I wasn’t a huge fan after it was all said and done.

We «ran» the color run in LA in the afternoon before heading south to do this electric «run». Let’s break it down in pros and cons.
Pros:
+ The tshirts, glow glasses, glow bracelets with registration
+ The afterparty with Neff
+ Free Zico Water [We brought up 4 boxes worth because it was the end of the night and everybody hates the passion fruit flavor]
+ Unilocal BEING THERE! with their photobooth and stuff: D
+ Free Geico Gear
+ Free 5 hour energy
+ the light lanterns portion
+ The beer/​drank gardens
+ neon water cup stations
Cons:
— Pay for parking after paying up the A for the run
— Not as lit up as I thought
— Music on replay over and over
— Sold out but only a handful «ran»
— Scary to run too in pitch darkness; hence, thought there would be more lights.
— $ 5 Pick up fee? WHAT IS THAT?
— VERY uneventful discoball finish line
— I’ve never been to a 5k where people took bathroom breaks.
I came for the biggest lightshow of my life and blaring music and it was. ALRIGHT. Maybe shoulda handed us all a shot of free booze at check-​in; would that have been better?

The «run» is a novel «5k» night event.
Pros:
— Fantastic photo opportunities
— Based on the fact that there were many strollers/​children at the event, it could be considered a family event
— Fun!
Cons:
— Long waits in line to «run.» There are several waves of start times but even with having arrived on time, I was only able to run through once and that was after a great deal of waiting in the crowd.
— It appears that part of the course was shut down to ensure that the event ended at a certain time
— Long and frequent periods of no effects/​music during the length of the course
Tips:
— Buy glow/​LED materials prior to the event. Goods are expectedly overpriced.
— If you are concerned about your athletic ability, don’t; much like the color runs, the event is mainly focused on the novelty of it, not the race. There are no race times recorded, no awards, etc. It’s just for fun.
— Shoot to arrive 2 hours earlier than the event unless you enjoy waiting in traffic for an hour simply to reach the parking lot.
— Learn/​practice taking photos without flash or take a small flashlight with you to use in lieu of camera flash.

This really wasn’t a run. They were selling alcohol before the run. Who drinks before running? Expensive drinks too, $ 17 for a vodka (not top shelf — well) and redbull. Long lines to start «running». Terrbile course. Some on concrete, slippery plastic, uneven turf, dirt. Some parts were dark, no music. Just sucked. I guess I had high expectations of this 5K the way they advertised it.
It’s already a hassle to get to the fairgrounds with traffic and they didn’t make it easier by not letting people out of the parking lot until all the people were past the exit. The course was blocking the only exit out of there. Not doing this again. Save your money. Run for free at Balboa Park.
I’m no stick in the mud, you can mix running with fun, but this was neither to me. The Color Run was way better in regards to a fun run. Getting splashed with color as you run by and get all dirty with your friends, easy parking in and out and everything just ran smoothly at the Color Run.
The Electric Run needs to revamp their event next year, either way I won’t be there. I think half the people were on E. It was more like a moving rave with some music. Just wasn’t my thing. Two thumbs down and no glow sticks up.

The best night run ever! 1 hour for 5k lol, even under light drizzle!
Drinks and food sold after the event, maybe next time I should bring a flashlight because of some areas that didn’t have lights or music. However, I LOVED the event, it was super EPIC. From beginning to the end!
LOL arrived 30 minutes late and there was still a long line in the starting line filled with anticipated runners.
DJ was slapping some BINGO Players in the end! lol, was so cool!
I can’t wait for SF Electric RUN!

A lot of traffic coming in.
Need to have wave times.
All n all I had an AMAZING TIME! So much fun!

First off Thank you Trish for putting together our Unilocal team. 2^nd thank you Maria for coordinating the logistics.
For those familiar with Triathlon’s, Marathon’s, and other distance races this is a different animal. For those familiar with charity walks it’s probably closer to that in organization, but more along the spirit lines of a tough mudder or obstacle course. I myself had never heard of this run until a few weeks prior. It’s specifically called a run and not a race, a race would imply timing and competition, which this did not have. They touted it as an «experience» and that it was. I liken the spirit to obstacle courses due to the energy, not the release of the latent masochistic nature of punishment hidden deep within all of us. More on that in further obstacle course reviews.
This all age event had something for everyone. House, electric, d & b music mostly with some top 40 radio dubstep mixed in. not true Trance like I heard some other 1^st timers were expecting. Food vendors, bars for adults (though they closed early and had a poor selection, except for the rooftop bar). Vendors and participants I think were surprised by the turn out considering this was their inaugural event here in San Diego. I know some ran out of goodies and other ran out of food. Elite security was as always a mess or inexperience, over zealousness and lack of professionalism. Good job on the volunteers passing out water, though I only counted 2 spots, both in the later half. Imagine the worlds largest beer pong table. I would have loved to see some certified professional photog’s there. Seemed liked there was no organization for capturing the event for the individual consumer.
The supposed 10K people here I feel may have been exaggerated, but I didn’t care too much as I avoided the traffic coming in and going out and due to the staggered waves never say everyone on the course. I’m guessing 7500. Top 3 most annoying this was the 40 minute wait in the chute. When my team finished they were still letting waves through. That’s 90 some minutes. I get the want to gather everyone, but I hydrated beforehand and basically overpaced myself the 1^st half because I had to pee. The dead spots for lighting and music were bummers as well as the uneven dirt and plastic matting. Lastly the organization simply could be better. That big red tent took up a few hundred spaces pushing people to the overflows.
I did like the Alice in Wonderland lit tree, the tunnels and some of the blow ups along the way and all the Tron outfits. I have that soundtrack and never once heard a Daft Punk song. Most rest rooms were near the start area.
The afterparty was kind of cool, and the all ages aspect of it kept things mellow. The slight drizzle at the beginning and end although could not be avoided probably hurt the overall feel. If you like and are used to walking 5K charity events this isn’t for you. If you like Tri’s and marathon’s this isn’t for you. If you like tough mudders not for the pain/​punishment, but for the bond of completion this might be something to check out. If you like walking your dog around Christmas and look at all the pretty lights on the houses this is definitely up your ally. For everyone else looking for something to do that actually is cool check this out. It’s not timed so it’s not competitive, it not hard because it’s a 5K and whether you finish or not won’t affect how much fun you’ll have.
I had a great time with my team and would totally do this again.

Electric Run really advertised it would be a 5k «experience» with art and lights from «technicians with experience creating beautiful art and light at Coachella, Dreamworks Animations, and some of Vegas’ hottest shows» so I was really looking forward to this event’s production but for me, I found it was underwhelming. There were so many gaps in the course where there was no music, no lights, and no setting. I’m exaggerating a bit here but for the first quarter or so of the run, it was nothing but some lit up tubes and Titanium on replay.
I started to get a little bit more excited when I ran through the tunnels and finally when I entered the umbrella area, I thought the race was going to get more multi-​dimensional, but again that was about as creative as the production got. :/​
I was impressed with all the families that brought their kids out. Kids seem to do really well in 5ks. I had a number blow by me haha. That said, I felt the course was a bit tricky to maneuver. There were patches of uneven dirt, slippery areas due to the sprinkling, and the dim lighting in some sections made it really hard to see.
With 10,000 people, the best part of the night was seeing all of the neon lights and fun costumes that people brought. They let people loose in waves of 1000. Not sure how they were counting but yay for making sure little kids and the elderly didn’t get trampled over.
I think some improvements for this event would include the following: better DJ and MC, more glowsticks in the pickup package, and more art, lights, and music sprinkled throughout the course instead of just a handful of sections. To give it more of a real 5K feel they need to keep track of the times. It might be difficult with the numerous waves, but I would’ve liked to see my time at the end of the race. I liked all the free swag I picked up from various booths at the end of the race so that is definitely a keeper. Parking is going to be what it is so I won’t offer suggestions for that but don’t be a lame and try to cut people off at the last possible minute on the exit — get in line like the rest of us!
I ran with my team Shockolate Rain and even though I was let down by the promise of a spectacular (maybe my expectations were simply to high), it was a good night out with my friends. I’m not sure if I would participate in this specific 5k again. I really enjoy running and now I can see why one of my friends, who avidly runs marathons and 5ks. never does 5ks like this one — they are a bit gimmicky. It was nice to see people getting out there and just being active though!

This was an incredibly fun run that was poorly organized. First the good stuff– People went all out dressing up for this run. Our «team» was in high spirits and we loved the photo ops along the way. There was a lot of black light scenery and we went through several neon tunnels. My favorite photo ops were the neon umbrella tree and the lantern tree. The blasting house and pop music along the way made the run feel like a party, and I loved running through the buildings that made me feel like we were in a club. The after party seemed pretty cool too, but unfortunately bars closed very early and it had started to rain. I also liked the T-​shirts that were part of the goodie bag for the run.
The bad– It took us an hour and a half to drive from Mission Valley and park at the fairgrounds. Even picking up our bib numbers at Road Runner was challenging due to overcrowding and parking problems. We waited in line forever before starting the run, and the race route was narrow and crowded, making it impossible to run through the huge groups of people walking in front of us. Also, only one of the five girls in our team was given a medal… and the girl who did get it was not one of the first to sign up… it was really random.
So, it was a really fun event, but kind of a pain. It is probably too much work for a 5k. I do not know if I would do it again.

I was kind of stuck between 3 and 4 stars. Since there’s no denying that I had fun, I’ll give it 4 and here is the analysis that lead up to that decision…
The Electric Run made its San Diego debut this weekend at the Del Mar Fairgrounds. To be completely honest, I had never really heard of this particular race up until about 2 months ago. The unique theme of the race had me intrigued and I figured giving it a try would be fun. I got to run the race for the Unilocal Team (Thanks!) and running with my awesome teammates definitely made it worth it.
I anticipated awful parking due to the 10,000 participants, so I got there early, way early. So traffic and parking was a non-​issue for me. I kept busy until the event.
There were definitely some pros and cons to this event. It was good but could be better with some minor improvements. I’ll break down some these strengths and weaknesses.
1.) The Start (Weakness): Due to the overwhelming number of participants (10,000) combined with the short course length (5K), waiting to run was somewhat frustrating. We got to the start at about 6:50 or so and were towards the back and they let people out in waves. It took us about 30 – 35 minutes before we go to run the course. Not a big issue unless you decided to hydrate before the run, then it becomes an issue for obvious reasons. They had entertainment and giveaways to ease the agonizing wait, but honestly, I just wanted to run already.
2.) The Course (Strength & Weakness): The course is a bit of a mixed bag. While I didn’t expect to feel like I was in «The Grid» (Tron), I was expecting a little more immersion than I got. There were some silent parts (no music) of the course that were just about completely dark where you couldn’t even see the uneven dirt that you were running on. These parts kind of killed the «mood» of the run. It did have some really cool parts though. A few tunnels and a building with music blaring paired with extravagant lighting and a then a spot with a giant lighted tree were some areas that really gave it that «cool factor» that I was expecting. Also the fact that it wasn’t timed was both good and bad. It was pretty crowded so it would be a little difficult to run for time anyway, you would simply bump into too many people. Water was available in a few spots and there was one place to use the restroom at the halfway point. Typically, that wouldn’t be an issue during a 5K but with the massive wait time, it might have been helpful to have one or more restrooms considering the crowd of 10,000 was also composed of mothers, fathers and children who had to wait a while at the start as well.
3.) The Entertainment/​After Party Area: This place is pretty much where the music stage and vendor booths were. The actual music performance and light show was actually a pretty cool element of the event. You had EDM (Electronic Dance Music) and some pretty cool lasers & lights flashing across and illuminating the courtyard area. All the costumed people were dancing and everyone, including families were having fun. That really added to the fun «experience» of the event. You also had plenty of vendor giveaways and activities as well as some food/​beverage stands.
Bottom Line:
There are definitely some issues that probably use some attention but overall this is one of those races that due to its uniqueness, is something that you almost have to try just for a change of pace. This event was one that brought out the creative crowds with some pretty original and fantastic costumes that were quite a sight to see. Overall it was pretty fun and is definitely more so with a group of friends. I hope they can work out some of the kinks and maybe even offer a 10K variant in the future to improve the overall «experience» of the event. If they can do that, then this could really be something.

The Electric Run sounds like it would be fun, but it was just okay.
The packet pickup was pretty easy on race day. Our group got there early like they said so we had over an hour and a half to walk around and wait for the race to start.
We lined up to run around 6:30 when the race was set to start at seven. During that time, there were still TONS of people filing in to the race pickup and to the start line. Luckily, that didn’t stop us from starting on time.
It was nice seeing everyone all lit up, but the course itself wasn’t as lit up as we thought it would be. And there wasn’t as much music either. There were many parts where you were just in the dark and quiet running.
The drawback of starting and finishing early was that getting out was horrible. We had other plans in San Diego, but could not leave. There was only one exit from the parking lot, so we ended up sitting in our car for an hour and forty minutes while all the latecomers were still barely starting their race at 8:30pm and on! The exit for the cars was blocked by the race course.
There wasn’t too much course support, and not many photographers. Not even one at the finish line.

It was super fun! Thanks trish for setting up a Unilocal team! Thanks Maria for helping with coordinating!
Certain parts of the run was on uneven dirt road and it was dark. Other than that I don’t have any complaints. Great for families. It’s like a giant party with fun music and people.