A holiday fun run where you raise money for charity? And a chance to run in a Santa-styled running shirt or a Santa suit? That sounds like a great recipe … MORE
A holiday fun run where you raise money for charity? And a chance to run in a Santa-styled running shirt or a Santa suit? That sounds like a great recipe for a joyous Christmas race! Unfortunately, I only had a so-so experience instead of a jolly, ho-ho-ho time.
Pick-up/Pre-race:
-The pre-race was well-organized, and full of buzzy holiday energy. However, check-in was the first sign that things weren’t great. Despite my registering well in advance, they ran out of Santa running shirts in my size. I was given a shirt one size too large, which didn’t fit at all. They gave me a Santa suit instead, but the suit fell apart on me less than halfway through the race—the belt tore apart, and I had to run with a suit that was flapping in the wind, slowing me down.
Course:
-The course is a nice, flat out-and-back route along the sand in Huntington Beach. The Christmas-at-the-beach vibes and views are great, but it’s not a 100% closed course, so I had to dodge non-runners a few times. It was also hotter than usual for December, and it didn’t help that the race didn’t start until 8 am, giving time for the sun to heat up. Water support was fine, just enough for a hot day.
Post-race:
-Nice festive environment in the post-race, great holiday music, and a few food/coffee trucks for extra refreshments.
Swag:
-The medal is nicely-done, in the shape of a green gift box with red ribbons. The aforementioned too-large Santa shirt was an inexplicably pale pink. I’m not sure why a Santa shirt isn’t a jolly, bright red. I wouldn’t even mind pink if it was a cute, thoughtful pink hue, but this one just looked like a red shirt that was left out in the sun too long, and sun-washed into a faded pink. I’m not even gonna get into the poor-quality Santa suit that disintegrated on me.
Bottom-line:
-On paper, this should’ve been a great holiday fun-run, but in execution, the race was less than ideal for me. The poor/inadequate shirts, followed by a late start and hot weather made for a frustrating experience… These are all very fixable, so I don’t want to be too harsh on a charity-run, but I probably won’t be back for another go.
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Could be better… ran out of shirts
A holiday fun run where you raise money for charity? And a chance to run in a Santa-styled running shirt or a Santa suit? That sounds like a great recipe … MORE
A holiday fun run where you raise money for charity? And a chance to run in a Santa-styled running shirt or a Santa suit? That sounds like a great recipe for a joyous Christmas race! Unfortunately, I only had a so-so experience instead of a jolly, ho-ho-ho time.
Pick-up/Pre-race:
-The pre-race was well-organized, and full of buzzy holiday energy. However, check-in was the first sign that things weren’t great. Despite my registering well in advance, they ran out of Santa running shirts in my size. I was given a shirt one size too large, which didn’t fit at all. They gave me a Santa suit instead, but the suit fell apart on me less than halfway through the race—the belt tore apart, and I had to run with a suit that was flapping in the wind, slowing me down.
Course:
-The course is a nice, flat out-and-back route along the sand in Huntington Beach. The Christmas-at-the-beach vibes and views are great, but it’s not a 100% closed course, so I had to dodge non-runners a few times. It was also hotter than usual for December, and it didn’t help that the race didn’t start until 8 am, giving time for the sun to heat up. Water support was fine, just enough for a hot day.
Post-race:
-Nice festive environment in the post-race, great holiday music, and a few food/coffee trucks for extra refreshments.
Swag:
-The medal is nicely-done, in the shape of a green gift box with red ribbons. The aforementioned too-large Santa shirt was an inexplicably pale pink. I’m not sure why a Santa shirt isn’t a jolly, bright red. I wouldn’t even mind pink if it was a cute, thoughtful pink hue, but this one just looked like a red shirt that was left out in the sun too long, and sun-washed into a faded pink. I’m not even gonna get into the poor-quality Santa suit that disintegrated on me.
Bottom-line:
-On paper, this should’ve been a great holiday fun-run, but in execution, the race was less than ideal for me. The poor/inadequate shirts, followed by a late start and hot weather made for a frustrating experience… These are all very fixable, so I don’t want to be too harsh on a charity-run, but I probably won’t be back for another go.
This Run is Growing Up
This is a run I've been a part of for the last couple of years - originally it was a bunch of us donning Santa suits and running out the … MORE
This is a run I’ve been a part of for the last couple of years – originally it was a bunch of us donning Santa suits and running out the doors of a Road Runner store in Laguna Hills, CA throughout the streets and into a trail and back. Starting this year it is a full-fledged timed run on an actual course at the State Beach in Huntington Beach.
And it is better for it. Caren Ware has been putting some great themed runs through the year and this is now part of them. You get your choice of a Santa suit or a race t-shirt that looks like an ugly sweater. The medal is nice as well.
You are running on a public boardwalk and it was another beautiful day in Southern California. The course is flat and easy with water stations and volunteers cheering you on along the way.
It should be noted that unlike other Caren Ware events this run was at Beach and PCH and not at Bolsa Chica.
RaceShed had a 20% off discount that doesn’t work on Active – only on the race’s own registration page.