Brett Copeland's Staging Area

I have run each distance of this race multiple times and this year was an absolute joke. Signed up last minute for the 5K, so the date change and course issues didn’t impact me. Expo was the same as always, not many vendors, parking fee is a ripoff for such a small expo. There was immediate confusion at the start line, the announcer directed runners to a couple of folding chairs that was the “start line”, even though the timing mat was no where near it. Then the national anthem started and that’s where my issues start. The announcer recommended that people remove their hats like always. Some folks did not, probably because they are about to start a race and had everything situated. That’s when a security guard decided to enforce patriotism and put his hands on people demanding they remove their hats. These were females that he did this too and one was clearly bothered by it. This is completely unacceptable, especially with the way things are in this country. I left a comment on their Instagram post and was told an incident report would be filed, but they refused to issue an apology or even acknowledge it happened. Oh, then there’s the post race food. Did they forget that we are still in a freaking pandemic??? Unwrapped food that had been just sitting out for people to breathe on and put their hands all over, disgusting.

I was so glad to hear that Meb and other locals purchased this race from Ironman (Rock n Roll). The differences in ownership were apparent from the second I arrived. Bib pick up was much easier than in years past, no longer was it hidden a few blocks from the actual expo. The shirts are great quality as is the medal, both with a simplistic yet classic design to them. The course was the same as in years past as it should be, still fast with a few small climbs. Meb was even giving out high fives in the start corrals and hanging out at the finish line socializing with runners. The beer garden and post race party area had much more room this year and the lines for beer were super short due to beer being for participants only. You can tell that runners that truly get it and care about the sport are in charge now.

This was an ok race experience overall. I originally signed up for the ½ back in March but downgraded due to lack of training and too many other races on my schedule. I’ll break it down into three sections.

The Good: Fairly scenic course for the 5K, I did notice that the half marathon course had a large section with trees blocking the coastal view. The t-shirt is good quality and loved that they had boxed water. The medal was just ok, a little boring and uninspiring, could seriously use some color.

The Bad: The beer garden. Erdinger was handing out the N/A artificially flavored stuff at the finish. It’s not good and should not be called beer. They had an actual beer garden, $5 a piece which is reasonable and profits went to a good cause. Unfortunately, they were pouring bottles that had recently been put in to ice in red solo cups, which meant instant foam and it was taking 5 minutes to pour one beer. There are so many great breweries in this area, go get a keg from one of them and support a local business. Also, for the price of registration, one beer ticket should have been included. I can’t recall doing a race with a beer garden where you don’t get at least one. I heard from many that parking was a complete nightmare, luckily I took a chance and parked in the neighboring shopping center lot since I knew I’d be done before the stores opened.

The Ugly: Start line management. The corral was long and wrapped around to the expo. Unfortunately, there were no speakers in the expo area so you couldn’t hear what was going on at the start. The 1/2 should’ve started at 7 and the 5K at 7:20. I made my way to the start at 7:15 and the half runners were still in the chute and 5K runners were being told to get out. Even as they told the 5K runners to line up, late arriving half runners were pushing their way to the front. If you can’t arrive on time, don’t sign up. The 5K portion of this event was treated like an afterthought.

I wanted to like this race, but it failed miserably in the two areas that matter most to me, start line organization and beer garden. There were many other great races in SoCal this weekend, one of those will probably get my money next year.

This year Lexus Laceup and Ventura Marathon combined to form one event. It had the usual LaceUp expo with plenty of vendors and the beer garden/beach party was a two-day event. The shirts for Laceup this year aren’t the best, not a true tech shirt and the sizing on them is weird so they’re all going to end up going to goodwill. The 5K started extremely late, like 40 minutes. Not sure what the issue was, just kept getting told it would start soon. The warm-up I did before the race was essentially useless by the time we started. The course was just ok. It started with a short climb up Sanjon and went to downtown Ventura. I really wish they had utilized more of the coast and promenade for the race, but I know it’s tough when you have 3 different distances starting in 3 different places finishing in the same spot. The medal is really cool and the post-race party was fun. Loved the free Sierra Nevada beer! Hopefully next year they have more room and tables, once the 1/2 field starting finishing it got really crowded. Would also like to see the food truck option like the other Laceup races, the one brick hard waffle wasn’t cutting it.

This event starts at the same time at 25 different locations around the world, as well as organized runs using their official app. Santa Clarita is lucky enough to have the earliest start time, 4:00 am! Packet pickup was held the day before and on race morning from 2:30-3:45. We got there just before 3:00 to be the crowd. The registration fee is $60 which gets you a bib w/ timing chip, a nice tech shirt, and a swag bag with lights you can wear since it’s dark out. I was able to park in the shopping center garage for free and it was directly next to the start/finish area. They had TV’s set up to broadcast the live feed from around the world and heaters were set up nearby. Southern California was announced as the coldest of all locations, it was around 45 at the start.

The race started at exactly 4:00 and stayed on local roads since they have street lights. Portably light carts were set up on a few stretches of darkness. The portion of the course that I covered was mostly flat with a few hills around the 4 mile mark. The first water station wasn’t until mile 3, so I suggest bringing your own. I was finally caught by the “catcher car” at mile 6.5, but I had a few friends make it to mile 8 and 10.5. Luckily I was caught right by a shuttle stop back to the finish area. The shuttle had a bucket of red bulls since they are the main sponsor, much appreciated at this time of day. Back at the finish everyone was presented their medal and some stuck around to watch the live feed, but I noticed most leaving since it was still cool out.

I was given an entry for this from Lexus Laceup since they partnered with Wings For Life to have a double medal, but I will gladly pay my own way to do this again next year!

The expo was held on Friday and Saturday at the Los Angeles Convention Center. I had originally planned to go on Saturday after the LA Big 5K. Unfortunately, having a pub run the night before and not being able to sleep well, I missed that. The expo was held in the west hall this year and was noticeably smaller, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. The first step was to get my bib, but they didn’t have it at the numbered bib section. It was at expo services not too far away, presumably because we were upgraded to start line hospitality. Next up, I got my super nice Skechers race shirt and gear check bag. The race once again offered a virtual event bag, which I’m always a huge fan of. It’s way less waste and there were plenty of vendors handing samples out. The giant Skechers Performance race merchandise store was the first thing that everyone had to pass through. I don’t usually buy stuff at the expo, but this year was an exception. I grabbed two nice visors (on sale) and the official race shirt. After that, I did my usual vendor browsing. There was one handing out samples of non-alcohol beer (Erdinger N/A), which I actually liked.

The Race: My alarm went off at 2:30 and I managed to get up on time for once. All of the things I needed were already laid out, just had to wash up and get ready. I was on the road by 3:00 since my shuttle reservation was at 4:30 and it’s about an hour drive with no traffic. I got to Santa Monica and parked right at 4:00. My parking was pre-paid weeks in advance, which is highly recommended if you park here. It was about a 5-10 minute walk to where the shuttles left from, so I had plenty of time to be on one by 4:30. Or so I thought. This was the major issue I know that everyone is complaining about. The line to board the buses was insanely long and was barely moving, even with a lot of buses just sitting there. Also, the porta-potties were directly beside the shuttle line. Volunteers were slowly “checking” bags and checking to see who was wearing running vests, waist pouches, etc. They were giving out red wristbands to attach to them, but I’m not sure why. I finally got on a bus just before 5:00, cutting it close to get to the hospitality tent for the 5:30 ambassador meet-up. Once we were close to the stadium, it appeared the off ramp the said buses only was completely closed and not even letting buses exit. All of the shuttles ended up in the same line as vehicles dropping runners off. More confusion set in once at the stadium, a few buses got turned around near the academy gate. They pretty much said screw it and dropped us off there, so I got in a good warm up walk to the stadium. On to the race itself, which started at 6:45 with the elite women, followed by the elite men and the full field. It seemed as if the weather was finally going to be on our side, around 50 at the start! I was put in corral B, but in no way did I train enough to maintain that pace. Since this day wasn’t about a PR or even a course record like the previous 2 years, I decided to go full on tourist and have fun with it. Once they announced there would be close to 40 Snapchat filters along the course, that made my decision even easier. Geo-filters are the only reason I really use SC, so I thought it would be fun. The race started with the usual shuffle out of the Dodger Stadium parking lot onto the streets of LA. The first 4 miles are in the downtown area through Chinatown and Little Tokyo. The course then went on to pass through Echo Park, Silver Lake, Little Armenia, and into Hollywood. I was trying to stop at all of the major landmarks to Snapchat and see what filters were available. It was really fun to finally just take this course in and pay attention to the sights and sounds. After passing through all of Hollywood, the course went through Beverly Hills and on to Rodeo Drive. Just after that, I spotted the first LA Road Runners aid station. I remembered seeing them post that they would have Hot Shot pain shots (like an alcohol-free shot of fireball for pain). I grabbed one and downed it, which didn’t sit well on my stomach for a few minutes. After getting water at the next aid station, that issue went away. I also tried to stop whenever I saw icy hot spray being used at medical tents. My longest run prior to this was the Pasadena Half in January, so my knees were starting to ache. The next few miles were a combination of running and walking to keep from getting an injury. This part of the course is where you really learn to appreciate the support the city shows to this race. There is never a dull moment and you will never have to worry about not having water, fruit, snacks, candy, or even a shot of beer or two. That’s the #1 reason I love this race and this city. I have never seen so much support and encouragement from complete strangers (and even fellow runner friends not running the event). The last few miles went through the community of Brentwood with a gradual downhill to Santa Monica and Ocean Avenue. The last 1/2 mile is barricaded off to keep out bandits and was packed with people cheering. At this point, the race was 5 1/2 hours old and it felt like I was coming down towards the finish line in the top 10. Again, I F’N LOVE this city. I hit the finish at 5:33 with a smile on my face. Not my best, not my worst, but without a doubt the most fun I’ve had during a marathon.

Post Race: Once I received my medals and took my picture, I went to get my stuff from gear check. This was an area the needed to be improved on from last year and they nailed it. It was done by bib number this year and not last name, which did not work very well. The sign pointing towards the finish festival and beer garden was after the exit chute to get there, so a lot of people had to turn around to head that way. Another issue I had was the number of friends and family members over-crowding the entrance to the festival, it was nearly impossible to enter and spectators were practically stepping on runners feet. They definitely need to move them further back next year. That is the last thing people need after a marathon in a cramped space like that and the risk of injury. Once in the beer garden, I could tell it was much larger than last year. We got one free beer with our bib, which I really think should be at least 2. Angel City brought four beers this year versus the two last year. Overall, it was another fantastic event from Skechers Performance and Conqur Endurance Group. The support from all cities involved and the volunteers was world class. It was an honor to work with them during the season and I hope to be back next year. If not, I’ll still Conqur LA again!

This was race #2 in the first ever ConqurLA Challenge. Packet pickup was on Friday and Saturday, I opted to go on Sat. It was very well organized and had some of the usual vendors. For comparisons sake, it was a little bit bigger than the Revel Canyon City expo, much smaller than LA Marathon. Parking was a little tricky due to other events going on in the area, but I got lucky with a metered spot on the street. I got in and got my bib, t-shirt, and check out a few vendors before leaving. I really like the shirt for this since I wear a lot of black t-shirts as casual wear.

I was running late on race morning, which meant I ended up at the back of the massive live to enter the stadium parking lot. I imagine that someone with the city of Pasadena dropped the ball here because stop lights were still functioning and police were nowhere to be seen directing traffic. Conqur group was very responsive on social media and communicated that the race would be delayed. I understand that some people were upset about waiting in the rain during the delay, but we were about to run a half in it anyway. I’m sure these issues are at the top of the priority list to improve on next year.

On to the race itself, which started right around 0730. It was raining lightly and the wind wasn’t too bad, I estimate it was around 45-50. That’s cold for SoCal natives, but I thought it was perfect. I hate racing with the sun beating me down. The course went through a few neighborhoods before heading to Old Town Pasadena and surrounding area. Even though it was raining, there were still plenty of people out cheering us on. Around mile 9 the course crossed over the beautiful Colorado Street Bridge back down towards the Rose Bowl, where the half runners ran what doubled as the 5K course around the golf course. The finish chute started just outside of the stadium culminating with the finish line at the 50-yard line. On the field they had signs for taking pictures, mylar blankets, and water/Gatorade. Snacks were available exiting the stadium which led to the finish festival. Not many people were sticking around since the rain was getting heavier and the wind was picking up. I decided to have my free beer courtesy of Ballast Point and then head home. Traffic leaving was a bit backed up due to the single entry/exit point. The volunteers were absolutely AMAZING! They had to stand in the rain and did so with a smile on their faces and the aid stations were handled very well. Traffic and parking aside, this was a great race with a fun challenging course and a awesome medal. I’m positive the parking issue will be addressed and their isn’t anything they can do about the weather. Can’t wait to run again next year!

The organizers of this race series definitely get runners! I signed up for this a year ago to get the best price. I wasn’t really trained to do a marathon, but there was no way I was going to drop down to the half. Packet pickup/expo was fairly small, I think there were only 10 or so vendors. It was a quick and smooth process to get everything and head back home. The buses to the start ran from 4 to 5, which meant getting up extremely early. It took about an hour to get to the start area since the buses had to go from 600 feet elevation to almost 6000. It wasn’t as cold as I expected it to be, but I still used the gloves and space blanket they provided in the swag bag. The first half of the race was completely downhill and aid stations were almost every 1.5 miles, they water and powerade, 3 of them had GU gels. The second half had a few small uphills, which completely derailed my pace, but that was due to lack of training. The final mile and a half was through the city of Azusa. The finish area is one of the best I’ve experienced. After getting my medal, I got my picture taken and headed to the beer garden for my 2 free beers. It was Coors Light since MillerCoors was a sponsor, understandable since there is a Miller brewery a mile away. They also had free pizza and pie, as well as free finisher certificates. Pictures from the race were also free. The medal is HUGE and the t-shirt was really nice, they even give you the option the get long or short sleeve. This is a race I will definitely do again, possibly at their other location as well.

Lexus LaceUp knows what they are doing! Their prices are extremely reasonable, I paid $27 to do the 5K. Their race ambassadors are always putting 30% discount codes on social media. The t-shirts are high quality and the medals are really nice. You also get a Sierra Nevada beer and food truck brunch with your registration. All of that for under $30. The course was almost completely flat, with the majority providing beach and ocean views. I can’t wait to run all 4 of their location next year and get that challenge medal!

This was my first time running this race, as it’s part of the inaugural ConqurLA Challenge. I registered for all 3 races at once through imAthlete.com, quick and painless. Pre-race information was communicated consistently via e-mail and Facebook. There was an option to pick up your bib the day before, but I opted against driving an hour for that. There was a one-hour window before the race(s) to pick it up and the lines were very short. I decided to park downtown near the pier where the finish line was, it was about a mile walk to the start which made for a good warm-up.
The 5K started first, led by the track teams from Santa Monica and Malibu High Schools. They were competing in a first-year challenge. Shortly after, the full 5K field was off and running. 20 minutes or so after the 5K began, the 10K started. I had to do a lot of weaving in and out because I wanted until the last minute to go #1 and didn’t get closer to the front in time, totally my fault. The start line was near Ocean View Park and the first mile was mostly flat and went along Main St. Just before mile 2, the course made a turn facing the pier followed by a right onto Ocean Ave. This is where the gentle uphill climb began as well as passing by the finish line chute. Over the next 2+ miles, the course gained about 200 feet of elevation. Mile 3 was mostly on San Vicente Blvd with the turnaround coming at mile 4. At that point, I was rewarded for keeping a good pace on the uphill climb with a 200-foot elevation loss in the exact opposite direction. The final stretch of the race is also identical for the LA Marathon, so it’s good practice for mentally preparing yourself for that. Upon crossing across the finish, there were volunteers handing out water and finishers medals (see picture). Runners were then directed to the Santa Monica Pier where the expo was being held. Once there, I got my finishers shirt and a few other goodies. Results were available live online with free tracking that included social media posting. There was also a results tent set up with plenty of laptops. All in all, this was an amazing race from Conqur Endurance Group and a great way to start the Conqur LA Challenge. My only suggestion is to consider starting the 10K first; there seemed to be a lot of walkers with strollers on the course.

For an inaugural event, this race was almost flawless. I registered early on when it was announced and had a discount code, so I got a steal of a deal. Even if I had to register last minute, it would’ve been worth it.

Packet pickup was in the parking of lot of Road Runner Sports (the title sponsor along with Green Flash Brewing and Adidas). It was quick and painless and took less than 10 minutes. I got my bib and free pint glass outside, then had to go inside the store to get my t-shirt and free sunglasses. I got an XL shirt, which was HUGE. Luckily I was able to swap after the race. The sunglasses were really nice and I’ll actually wear them every day. They actually retail for $25. The race shirt says “On a Beer Run” on the front with three small sponsor logos on the back.

Race morning came EARLY. They told everyone that latest you could be in line to catch a shuttle from the finish line at Green Flash to the start was 0500 (race started at 0630). I’m pretty sure plenty of people got there later than that, but I was on time and at the start area with an hour and change to kill. I did expect a little more out of the start. Team RWB was the race charity, but they didn’t even do the national anthem beforehand. The race started a few minutes late, I think it was around 0640. The weather was ideal for running, low 60’s, clouds, light breeze. The first few miles were mostly downhill with a few small inclines. Mile 7 was a gradual uphill, but you are rewarded with a decent downhill shortly after. At mile 10 is the “King of the Mountain” hill challenge portion. It’s 1.1 miles of STEEP uphill, almost 300 feet of gain to be exact. After that is another sharp downhill that leads to yet another hill that finishes with a right turn and a 1/4 mile flat stretch to the finish. I wasn’t concerned with time as this was a marathon training run, I just took it easy and enjoyed the event. Course support was good, but limited during the first few miles since access to the bike path is difficult. They had water and Nuun at each stop and had Clif Gels around mile 7 or 8. In race medics were also everywhere!

At the finish you got your medal, which looks like a tap handle and has a bottle opener on the back. There was water, nuun, bagel pieces, fruit, and lara bars. Most importantly, 4 beer tents with each having 2 different Green Flash brews. You could either get four 4oz tastings, two 8oz tastings, or one 16oz pour. They also had temp tattoos and sunglasses to give away. There were plenty of people giving their tickets away (thanks strangers!) There was some confusion with getting your ID checked and moving on to the beer tents, but the wait wasn’t too bad. There was also a picture station with a podium made with beer boxes and it had props such as a giant keg, beer glass, and bottle of beer. The Green Flash tasting room was open as well with a good 16 Green Flash beers on tap and 8 or so more from Alpine Brewing (Green Flash kegs and bottles their beer for them). I had one more there and got a growler to take back home. Oh, they also had special Snapchat filters too!

All in all, this was the most “bang for the buck” I’ve ever received for my registration fee. I hope they do this again next year, because I’ll definitely make this my San Diego “go to” race.

Signed up last minute to keep busy for the weekend. Parking was a little tricky since it is in downtown LA. Packet pickup was right at the start line, didn’t get the shirt because I didn’t have time to take it back to my car. The start was well organized, 5K and 10K started together. 5K was one loop, 10K was two. The race started and finished just outside of Staples center and there was a carnival for the kids afterwards. The course was flat, only difficulty was the sun beating down on the asphalt, probably needs to start earlier. They were literally handing out gallon jugs of water to people because of the heat. Everyone that finished got a nice, small medal and they had snacks and drinks available. Results were posted near the finish and online shortly after. Will definitely do again if nothing else is planned on race day.

All “Elite Sports California” races are a joke. Packet pickups are unorganized, they still use those crappy reusable timing chips, courses are painfully boring, age group “prizes” are usually cheap. Races get cancelled for no reason and it’s impossible to get a refund or transfer. Race director doesn’t pay his charities. He is a crook that is just out to put money in his pocket by putting on cheap, poorly run events. Serious road racers need to avoid these at all costs.

I’m glad I did this race to say I did it. That being said, I doubt I will do it again. Like most Rock ‘n’ Roll races, corral assignments are completely ignored. That may be a small issue at some of their events, but this one seemed to have 50 corrals and people just lined up wherever they wanted, including walkers in the faster corrals. I spent the first 3+ miles weaving in and out of groups of walkers 4-6 people wide. The course is what you would expect, completely lit up by the hotels and casinos on the strip and lots of bands on the course. The weather this year was extremely windy and there was a light mist, nothing brutal though. Aid stations were well manned, but runner etiquette was non-existent at them. The tech shirt and medal were both excellent. The pre-race Kid Rock concert was ok, seemed to get people pumped, fireworks went off at the start of each corral. The finish chute was well done, they had thermal blankets, snacks, and the corporate Mich Ultra beer. That went in the trash since there is a Yardhouse close by. If not staying on the strip, I recommend one of the hotels near the convention center is. That’s where the expo is held and there is tram station right there that runs to the start area and there is another close to the finish area. Again, great race to do once. If I had to do it over, I would make sure I was in the first few corrals to avoid the massive amount of walkers.

Packet pickup was a breeze and a fairly decent size. Pre-paid $10 bucks for parking and no one even checked to see if anyone paid on race morning, so that was a rip off. The course was very scenic with some rolling hills and one fairly steep hill. The finish line party was pretty good with Firestone Walker beer. The t-shirt and medal need some serious work. Shirt was cotton and the medal was very uninspiring.

Cancelled 2 days before because the crook Bill Escobar didn’t secure the proper permits. Refused to refund money to anyone, when he finally did for some people, the check bounced. He has no business being a race director.

All “Elite Sports California” races are a joke. Packet pickups are unorganized, they still use those crappy reusable timing chips, age group “prizes” are usually cheap. Races get cancelled for no reason and it’s impossible to get a refund or transfer. Race director doesn’t pay his charities. He is a crook that is just out to put money in his pocket by putting on cheap, poorly run events. Serious road racers need to avoid these at all costs.

Still hasn’t figured out where packet pickup will be since Sports Authority is going under and no one else wants anything to do with this shady race director.