LA 5K
Los Angeles, CA
- 5K
- Road (Paved)
- Official race website
The Big 5 Sporting Goods LA 5K is a family-friendly 5K, open to participants of all ages and abilities, including runners, walkers and strollers! Experience an iconic run as you run through beautiful Elysian Park before a rewarding finish set against the backdrop of world-famous Dodger Stadium. All participants will … MORE
Find Nearby Lodging (hotel, rental, etc.):
Great Running Event
This is HILLY!!! I wasn't expecting 4 hills - if you want to PR, just be mindful of that :) Good times none the less! From start to finish the … MORE
This is HILLY!!! I wasn’t expecting 4 hills – if you want to PR, just be mindful of that 🙂
Good times none the less! From start to finish the atmosphere was electric, its a fun morning out indeed 🙂
A fun and hilly 5k
A fun, family-friendly race through Elysian Park, and a great tune-up if you’re running the LA Marathon the next day. But beware the hills! Expo / pick-up: -Race-day bib pick-up … MORE
A fun, family-friendly race through Elysian Park, and a great tune-up if you’re running the LA Marathon the next day. But beware the hills!
Expo / pick-up:
-Race-day bib pick-up on Saturday morning was available, and seemed to run smoothly, but I picked up my bib at the expo on Saturday. I’m guessing due to covid concerns, they shifted the expo from the LA Convention Center to Dodger Stadium this year. Prior to entering the expo, you were required to show proof of vaccination or a negative test. Great stuff, thumbs up, I appreciate the focus on health. The outdoor setting made for a more energetic and festive environment, at the cost of more sun. This was fine for bib pickup, but hastened my expo-browsing time.
-The bigger issue was the screw-up over my Double Play (5k + marathon) registration. I was bounced back and forth between the 5k, marathon, and registration tents where they claimed I had registered for the “Double Play”, but not for the 5k separately, which the “Double Play” fee supposedly didn’t include. There were at least 10 other frustrated runners facing the same Double Play-but-not-5k issue as me while I was there. I was running short on time, and faced with growing heat and growing frustration, I felt cornered into paying the extra $40 for the 5k just to move on. I still don’t know whether this was a gross bait-and-switch scam by the organizers at the last minute, or just an awful user-interface design on their website. If it’s the latter, why would you sell something called the “Double Play”, then allow users to check-out and pay if it doesn’t even include both the marathon and 5k that’s advertised? At no point was I ever prompted to add the 5k separately at check-out. By that logic, I should have had to add the marathon separately too, right? It’s like selling a fast-food combo, but then later saying, “Actually, you were supposed to add the fries as a separate order”. WTF.
Parking/ Pre-race:
-Parking was plentiful and free at Dodger Stadium. Lots of port-a-potties, and space to stretch, warm up, and get ready. There were no individual corrals to speak of, but the participant field was small enough that it didn’t matter.
Course:
-The 5k course goes downhill out of Dodger Stadium, onto Stadium Way, through Elysian Park, then up Academy Road, and back into the Stadium. There are more hills than you might expect, so don’t expect a PR on this course.
Scenery/Weather/Support:
-The greenery of Elysian Park made the run very pleasant. Cloudy morning in the upper 50s. One water station about halfway through the course.
Post-race/Swag:
-The official 5k race shirt was light gray, with the red/teal/blue Big 5k logo featured in the middle. Same colors and design template as the official marathon shirt. The finisher medal is a solid silver/blue design, featuring the red/teal Big 5k logo and a background of Dodger Stadium. Post-race goodies: bananas, water, and Clif Bar duos.
The Bottom Line:
-Aside from the Double Play registration issue, this is a solid 5k that I wouldn’t mind running again.
Great Marathon Warmup.
This was my first race last year, and the one where the running bug bit me. This year I was running the marathon, so I picked up my stuff at … MORE
This was my first race last year, and the one where the running bug bit me.
This year I was running the marathon, so I picked up my stuff at the expo. Last year I got it day of. Both were super easy. LOVE the shirt this year! So comfy, and baseball themed makes sense. The medal is hefty, and matches the marathon one nicely.
The course is very hilly! I went my regular 5k pace, and quickly got exhausted. I gotta remember to take those hills slower.
Self seeding means that there was a ton of weaving through people pretty much the entire way, and I put myself very far up.
Tough but rewarding 5K
This was my first race on the west coast (I'm from MD). I ran it with my wife the day before running the marathon. I knew she was going to … MORE
This was my first race on the west coast (I’m from MD). I ran it with my wife the day before running the marathon. I knew she was going to be slower so it was a nice jog and i hadn’t been able to run due to an injury so it worked out good.
There are no shuttles to the race so plan to Uber if you are staying at one of the hotels. Give yourself enough time because some of the entrances were pretty far backed up. Ubers could not get back in for pickups so plan to walk down to one of the roads to catch a ride back (outside Sunset Gate is where we met our ride).
The course itself is not easy. There are some big hills, so just relax and enjoy it the best you can. This is not a course to try to PR. Starting and finishing at Dodger Stadium was fun. Nice to see it from the outside (gates are open for the marathon). Finish festival was as expected. A band, some food, some tents from the various support organizations. Overall a well done event. I like the green St. Patrick’s Day themed shirts and medal. If i lived in LA I would do it again.
Good swag
Great medal for 2017! Really pretty design. Challenging course on the hills in Elysian Park around Dodger Stadium. This race probably has the best swag ever with a goodie bag … MORE
Great medal for 2017! Really pretty design. Challenging course on the hills in Elysian Park around Dodger Stadium. This race probably has the best swag ever with a goodie bag from big 5 sports.
Run the park around Dodger's Stadium
It's nice to see tents for charities in the Dodger's parking lot rather than tents selling stuff. This is a hilly quick run around Elysian Park and the surrounding hills … MORE
It’s nice to see tents for charities in the Dodger’s parking lot rather than tents selling stuff.
This is a hilly quick run around Elysian Park and the surrounding hills around Dodger’s stadium.
Around hilly areas of Dodger's Stadium
It's a good way to get all of your nervous energy out of the way for the LA marathon the next day. The course is a bit hilly around Dodger's … MORE
It’s a good way to get all of your nervous energy out of the way for the LA marathon the next day.
The course is a bit hilly around Dodger’s stadium, but a good way to get a good run in before the marathon as it has a bit of hills from the stadium to the downtown LA areas.
Nice tech shirt and a well designed medal.