| 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | |
| H (°F) | 75 | 67 | 64 | 65 | 75 |
| L (°F) | 55 | 55 | 47 | 53 | 46 |
I loved this course for my first time as a runner! I thought the organization was great ! Loved the vendors there also. I would do this again if it … MORE
I loved this course for my first time as a runner!
I thought the organization was great !
Loved the vendors there also.
I would do this again if it was in Corona
Please come back
I do have arthritis and so it was great to run for a case I actually have myself
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Charity Run already a plus for me. The course is great! challenging but it's not going to kill you. The swag in the festival area it top notch! well organized … MORE
Charity Run already a plus for me. The course is great! challenging but it’s not going to kill you. The swag in the festival area it top notch! well organized registration, awards from the stage where given out quickly, and the holiday props in the festival area make for great pictures. If you have young kids they are going to love playing in the snow and watching the Monster BMX show.
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This is one of the Jingle Bell Run/Walk for the Arthritis Foundation and I previously reviewed this run last year but there are some changes this year. After 4 years … MORE
This is one of the Jingle Bell Run/Walk for the Arthritis Foundation and I previously reviewed this run last year but there are some changes this year. After 4 years the event has been moved from the Crown Valley Parkway side of Laguna Niguel Park to the Las Paz side. I am sure it was beyond their control but the event is now different.
The “Run” portion I did now appears to be a different course from the “Walk” others started a bit later. In the past the 5K runners ran past (and could stop and perform) the “reindeer games” along the course. Not this time – some memorable things like the kissing bridge, spotting gnomes and earning bells and now just for those who did the walk. I miss that.
So the course itself has gone from very easy to a 5k with a montser 197 foot climb up a hill at the 1.25 mile mark (kicked my ass!). The course is now pavement for the first 2 miles and trail for the last mile. A warning to my stroller runners out there; there are about 4 steps you need to go down at that pavement/trail transition.
The event is still very family friendly with snow for the kids and great sense of community and dedication to its cause – Arthritis with special attention to Juvenile arthritis. The expo had less interesting booths (mostly medical groups – some had booths and didn’t show). Parking is now totally at a nearby government building and you arrive by shuttle.
Like last year I found this event through Living Social.
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This run is held at Crown Valley Regional Park in Laguna Niguel, California and this was my 4th attempt at it. Just so much to love here. I do many … MORE
This run is held at Crown Valley Regional Park in Laguna Niguel, California and this was my 4th attempt at it.
Just so much to love here. I do many 5k’s and I double up during the Christmas season and even after my first go round this is the one I keep telling people “You gotta do this!”
If you have kids they have fake snow and “Reindeer Games” including – from what I saw – Kids building and painting wooden trains. How Norman Rockwell is that?
The races are split up – serious runners at 9am (yes!) ..less ambitious and walkers at 9:45 and a kids 1K at 10:30am (why aren’t all kids runs 1K?).
The run has 5 or 6 chances to score jingle bells (bells = raffle chances) including a bag toss into chimneys and a kissing bridge. I elected to run through without temptation since this was one of my better runs of late but I could see where you could do a serious run then do a fun walk to experience all this. This run is pretty much flat and you are only on turf for a few moments at start and finish.
The cause – Arthritis – is very much present in all you experience here. An accent is placed on the young side of this issue. Audrey Van Winkle is a victim who was diagnosed at the age of eight and was the main focus and also lead a team of runners.
I love the spirit of this event and the expo carries it well. Their is a cohesiveness to it most others lack….and it’s very Christmasy!
With the growing popularity of this event parking has gotten sketchy. The event responded by asking everyone to park at the Laguna Niguel City Hall and taking the shuttle. I arrived for the 9am run at 7:30am and walked right on the shuttle and left after the run no problem.
I paid through Living Social and had to show at the packet pickup the day before to redeem, I am not sure why and I wish that wasn’t necessary.
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My first race and I got 3rd in age group
I loved this course for my first time as a runner! I thought the organization was great ! Loved the vendors there also. I would do this again if it … MORE
I loved this course for my first time as a runner!
I thought the organization was great !
Loved the vendors there also.
I would do this again if it was in Corona
Please come back
I do have arthritis and so it was great to run for a case I actually have myself
coming back for 2020!
Charity Run already a plus for me. The course is great! challenging but it's not going to kill you. The swag in the festival area it top notch! well organized … MORE
Charity Run already a plus for me. The course is great! challenging but it’s not going to kill you. The swag in the festival area it top notch! well organized registration, awards from the stage where given out quickly, and the holiday props in the festival area make for great pictures. If you have young kids they are going to love playing in the snow and watching the Monster BMX show.
New Course for 2016
This is one of the Jingle Bell Run/Walk for the Arthritis Foundation and I previously reviewed this run last year but there are some changes this year. After 4 years … MORE
This is one of the Jingle Bell Run/Walk for the Arthritis Foundation and I previously reviewed this run last year but there are some changes this year. After 4 years the event has been moved from the Crown Valley Parkway side of Laguna Niguel Park to the Las Paz side. I am sure it was beyond their control but the event is now different.
The “Run” portion I did now appears to be a different course from the “Walk” others started a bit later. In the past the 5K runners ran past (and could stop and perform) the “reindeer games” along the course. Not this time – some memorable things like the kissing bridge, spotting gnomes and earning bells and now just for those who did the walk. I miss that.
So the course itself has gone from very easy to a 5k with a montser 197 foot climb up a hill at the 1.25 mile mark (kicked my ass!). The course is now pavement for the first 2 miles and trail for the last mile. A warning to my stroller runners out there; there are about 4 steps you need to go down at that pavement/trail transition.
The event is still very family friendly with snow for the kids and great sense of community and dedication to its cause – Arthritis with special attention to Juvenile arthritis. The expo had less interesting booths (mostly medical groups – some had booths and didn’t show). Parking is now totally at a nearby government building and you arrive by shuttle.
Like last year I found this event through Living Social.
My Favourite Christmas Run
This run is held at Crown Valley Regional Park in Laguna Niguel, California and this was my 4th attempt at it. Just so much to love here. I do many … MORE
This run is held at Crown Valley Regional Park in Laguna Niguel, California and this was my 4th attempt at it.
Just so much to love here. I do many 5k’s and I double up during the Christmas season and even after my first go round this is the one I keep telling people “You gotta do this!”
If you have kids they have fake snow and “Reindeer Games” including – from what I saw – Kids building and painting wooden trains. How Norman Rockwell is that?
The races are split up – serious runners at 9am (yes!) ..less ambitious and walkers at 9:45 and a kids 1K at 10:30am (why aren’t all kids runs 1K?).
The run has 5 or 6 chances to score jingle bells (bells = raffle chances) including a bag toss into chimneys and a kissing bridge. I elected to run through without temptation since this was one of my better runs of late but I could see where you could do a serious run then do a fun walk to experience all this. This run is pretty much flat and you are only on turf for a few moments at start and finish.
The cause – Arthritis – is very much present in all you experience here. An accent is placed on the young side of this issue. Audrey Van Winkle is a victim who was diagnosed at the age of eight and was the main focus and also lead a team of runners.
I love the spirit of this event and the expo carries it well. Their is a cohesiveness to it most others lack….and it’s very Christmasy!
With the growing popularity of this event parking has gotten sketchy. The event responded by asking everyone to park at the Laguna Niguel City Hall and taking the shuttle. I arrived for the 9am run at 7:30am and walked right on the shuttle and left after the run no problem.
I paid through Living Social and had to show at the packet pickup the day before to redeem, I am not sure why and I wish that wasn’t necessary.