The family was spending the weekend in Huntington Beach and I found a nice, inexpensive race that is run right on the beach. At only $21 per head (for the … MORE
The family was spending the weekend in Huntington Beach and I found a nice, inexpensive race that is run right on the beach. At only $21 per head (for the 5K) I was skeptical of how the experience would go. But, I was distinctly and pleasantly surprised.
Overall Production:
This was an exceptionally small production, with only around 100 runners racing across four distances (5K, 10K, 15K and Half Marathon). The main course was a 5K out and back that the middle distances (10K, 15K) ran multiple times according to the length. The Half was also an out and back, but offered a turn around much further down the course. The race was run on the shoreline in Huntington Beach on open bike trails. The weather was great, at about 75 degrees and a totally clear sky.
Packet Pick-Up:
There really was no packet pick-up. They asked everybody to show up 30 minutes before the run and they passed out bib numbers at that point. The bibs are as basic as they come. It’s just a number! No other logos or lettering at all (and no tracking decal either). This is obviously a cost-saving measure, but I’ve never seen bibs so basic as this. There was no extensive process for picking up your number. They had about 4 people with clipboards checking off names and handing out numbers. It initially felt really disorganized, but actually moved quite quickly and was not a problem at all.
Swag:
With a race cost of only $21 for the 5K, I didn’t expect any swag at all. But they did give out a medal and a number of small things at the finish line, including an inexpensive tote bag with the race company’s name (A Better World Running). There were also a LOT of freebies at the end that I’ll cover later in the review. There was no t-shirt for the race.
Website and Pre-Race Communications:
The website did a great job of giving parking instructions, along with a specific address, and it was very easy to find them on the beach. I was a little worried that it might be hard (I struggled to find a race on the beach last week with a different company) but was proven totally wrong in that respect. Email communications were sound as well. The only knock would be a lack of course maps and elevation information on the website. I always like to review that and was mildly upset that it wasn’t present. Truth be told, their website is as simple as they come. But it gets the job done and their communication was clear and concise.
Pre-Race Administration:
The instructions for parking were great. I didn’t even have to pay (not typical in Huntington Beach) as they directed us to a free lot. They gave a simple explanation of the course before we started running (but it’s hard to mess up in explaining an out and back on a straight, flat path directly along the ocean). There was no effort to stagger race starts either. That’s usually a pet peeve of mine. But with so few runners it simply wasn’t necessary.
The Course:
The flattest course I’ve ever run. My GPS said the total elevation gain was 2 feet. I think that’s the time I stepped off a curb into a parking lot honestly. haha. The distance was also accurate to the 5K billing (I cannot speak to the Half Marathon obviously). It was a simple out and back along a wide bike path that was directly adjacent to the ocean sand. It was an open course, but at the time of the run there wasn’t a whole lot of other people on the path, so it was never problematic. The only scenery was the ocean itself – but if you’re only going to have one scenic thing that’s a pretty good option. After the run I kicked off my shoes and waded into the water to cool off. My one critique of the course was that the 5K turnaround was not as clearly marked as I would have preferred. They really needed a bigger sign and maybe even a volunteer standing there directing traffic.
Water and Aid Stations:
As the race required the 10K and 15K runners to do multiple turns, the start line served as an aid station and was fully decked out with everything you could want. However, runners only had access to an aid station every 3.1 miles as a result. I’m unsure on the Half Marathoners, but I assume there was another aid station somewhere along the course to support them.
Crowd Support:
There were a lot of people coming and going along the path, but almost nobody was there exclusively to watch us run. That didn’t stop many people from cheering us on and encouraging us.
Finisher’s Medal:
I was surprised that a race with such a low cost even offered a finisher’s medal. Typically when you dip below a certain price point it’s just understood that it’s not part of the package. So credit to A Better World Running for getting it done. The medals are obviously lower budget and not of the nicest quality, by necessity. They featured the race logo and indicated all four distances (although not the location or date). Also, the ribbons were very inexpensive, but the company went to the trouble to have distance specific ribbons for 5K, 10K, 15K and Half Marathon to differentiate what race you ran. You don’t often see that with any races except for the more expensive ones. So I applaud this small detail as it’s something I often hear being requested in other races. Good job. Very impressive considering all the constraints.
Post-Race Administration:
One of the cost-cutting decisions that they opted to implement was not having an electronic tracking system. As a result, the race director was manually recording numbers and times as they crossed the finish line. So she was fully engaged in that process and had a volunteer assisting as well. The assortment of post races snacks was impressive – most especially because of the low cost of the race. They offered specialized water called Qure, Gatorade, Gu packets, bananas, Protein bars, bottled cold brew coffees and some other cracker like snacks. They also had inexpensive reusable tote bags with the race company’s logo on them. I was really impressed with having so many options considering the low cost. The last run I ran in this price point offered water and bananas only. These guys have cracked the code on providing great value and bang for your buck.
Results:
As referenced above, the results were all recorded by hand by the race director. She promised to post the results the same day, and send out an email. I’ll update this post once I see how those results look.
History of the Event:
This run company has been operating since 2011 and has tried to compete by offering low cost community events. They run a beach front race in three locations every month: Huntington Beach, Santa Monica, Long Beach. They also offer the run as a virtual race. The races often share the same name, logo and medal, but occur on different days. I believe they always use the same courses in those towns. I’m unclear how long they’ve been running the “Summer Break” race, but it’s clear that they’ve been using this course for a while for other races at least.
So would I do it again?
Absolutely. I’ve seen low budget community races done before in other areas, but this company is doing it as well as I’ve ever seen. If you enter with realistic expectations, you’ll be blown away by a fun event at a very economical price (and in an area of the country that was never known for economical prices on anything). I doubt I would travel to the LA area specifically for this race. But as I’m in town semi-consistently for work, I plan to make it a point to check A Better World Running’s calendar before my next trip. I wouldn’t hesitate to sign up again.
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Great bang for your buck
The family was spending the weekend in Huntington Beach and I found a nice, inexpensive race that is run right on the beach. At only $21 per head (for the … MORE
The family was spending the weekend in Huntington Beach and I found a nice, inexpensive race that is run right on the beach. At only $21 per head (for the 5K) I was skeptical of how the experience would go. But, I was distinctly and pleasantly surprised.
Overall Production:
This was an exceptionally small production, with only around 100 runners racing across four distances (5K, 10K, 15K and Half Marathon). The main course was a 5K out and back that the middle distances (10K, 15K) ran multiple times according to the length. The Half was also an out and back, but offered a turn around much further down the course. The race was run on the shoreline in Huntington Beach on open bike trails. The weather was great, at about 75 degrees and a totally clear sky.
Packet Pick-Up:
There really was no packet pick-up. They asked everybody to show up 30 minutes before the run and they passed out bib numbers at that point. The bibs are as basic as they come. It’s just a number! No other logos or lettering at all (and no tracking decal either). This is obviously a cost-saving measure, but I’ve never seen bibs so basic as this. There was no extensive process for picking up your number. They had about 4 people with clipboards checking off names and handing out numbers. It initially felt really disorganized, but actually moved quite quickly and was not a problem at all.
Swag:
With a race cost of only $21 for the 5K, I didn’t expect any swag at all. But they did give out a medal and a number of small things at the finish line, including an inexpensive tote bag with the race company’s name (A Better World Running). There were also a LOT of freebies at the end that I’ll cover later in the review. There was no t-shirt for the race.
Website and Pre-Race Communications:
The website did a great job of giving parking instructions, along with a specific address, and it was very easy to find them on the beach. I was a little worried that it might be hard (I struggled to find a race on the beach last week with a different company) but was proven totally wrong in that respect. Email communications were sound as well. The only knock would be a lack of course maps and elevation information on the website. I always like to review that and was mildly upset that it wasn’t present. Truth be told, their website is as simple as they come. But it gets the job done and their communication was clear and concise.
Pre-Race Administration:
The instructions for parking were great. I didn’t even have to pay (not typical in Huntington Beach) as they directed us to a free lot. They gave a simple explanation of the course before we started running (but it’s hard to mess up in explaining an out and back on a straight, flat path directly along the ocean). There was no effort to stagger race starts either. That’s usually a pet peeve of mine. But with so few runners it simply wasn’t necessary.
The Course:
The flattest course I’ve ever run. My GPS said the total elevation gain was 2 feet. I think that’s the time I stepped off a curb into a parking lot honestly. haha. The distance was also accurate to the 5K billing (I cannot speak to the Half Marathon obviously). It was a simple out and back along a wide bike path that was directly adjacent to the ocean sand. It was an open course, but at the time of the run there wasn’t a whole lot of other people on the path, so it was never problematic. The only scenery was the ocean itself – but if you’re only going to have one scenic thing that’s a pretty good option. After the run I kicked off my shoes and waded into the water to cool off. My one critique of the course was that the 5K turnaround was not as clearly marked as I would have preferred. They really needed a bigger sign and maybe even a volunteer standing there directing traffic.
Water and Aid Stations:
As the race required the 10K and 15K runners to do multiple turns, the start line served as an aid station and was fully decked out with everything you could want. However, runners only had access to an aid station every 3.1 miles as a result. I’m unsure on the Half Marathoners, but I assume there was another aid station somewhere along the course to support them.
Crowd Support:
There were a lot of people coming and going along the path, but almost nobody was there exclusively to watch us run. That didn’t stop many people from cheering us on and encouraging us.
Finisher’s Medal:
I was surprised that a race with such a low cost even offered a finisher’s medal. Typically when you dip below a certain price point it’s just understood that it’s not part of the package. So credit to A Better World Running for getting it done. The medals are obviously lower budget and not of the nicest quality, by necessity. They featured the race logo and indicated all four distances (although not the location or date). Also, the ribbons were very inexpensive, but the company went to the trouble to have distance specific ribbons for 5K, 10K, 15K and Half Marathon to differentiate what race you ran. You don’t often see that with any races except for the more expensive ones. So I applaud this small detail as it’s something I often hear being requested in other races. Good job. Very impressive considering all the constraints.
Post-Race Administration:
One of the cost-cutting decisions that they opted to implement was not having an electronic tracking system. As a result, the race director was manually recording numbers and times as they crossed the finish line. So she was fully engaged in that process and had a volunteer assisting as well. The assortment of post races snacks was impressive – most especially because of the low cost of the race. They offered specialized water called Qure, Gatorade, Gu packets, bananas, Protein bars, bottled cold brew coffees and some other cracker like snacks. They also had inexpensive reusable tote bags with the race company’s logo on them. I was really impressed with having so many options considering the low cost. The last run I ran in this price point offered water and bananas only. These guys have cracked the code on providing great value and bang for your buck.
Results:
As referenced above, the results were all recorded by hand by the race director. She promised to post the results the same day, and send out an email. I’ll update this post once I see how those results look.
History of the Event:
This run company has been operating since 2011 and has tried to compete by offering low cost community events. They run a beach front race in three locations every month: Huntington Beach, Santa Monica, Long Beach. They also offer the run as a virtual race. The races often share the same name, logo and medal, but occur on different days. I believe they always use the same courses in those towns. I’m unclear how long they’ve been running the “Summer Break” race, but it’s clear that they’ve been using this course for a while for other races at least.
So would I do it again?
Absolutely. I’ve seen low budget community races done before in other areas, but this company is doing it as well as I’ve ever seen. If you enter with realistic expectations, you’ll be blown away by a fun event at a very economical price (and in an area of the country that was never known for economical prices on anything). I doubt I would travel to the LA area specifically for this race. But as I’m in town semi-consistently for work, I plan to make it a point to check A Better World Running’s calendar before my next trip. I wouldn’t hesitate to sign up again.