Wespark 10k Run & 5k Run/walk

I ran the 5K race last year when I first started getting into races. Having grown up in L.A. and having not been to Universal Studios since I was a teenager, I thought the race was OK. Running in the backlot was somewhat uneventful from having seen it. And most hasn’t changed in 20+ years.
The down side was descending a huge hill that gave everyone tons of energy and excitement only to see that same hill on the way back toward the finish line. My time was just fine.
I don’t like that this year (2013) they’re requiring all participants to raise $ 60 along with the $ 40 registration fee. Since it’s not a cause I endorse, asking friends and family is too much for such a small race. Didn’t even consider registering this year.

What a fun race! Emphasis on «fun» — this is without a doubt a «fun run» but if you go into it not knowing that it will take some time for you to adjust and figure that part out.
The race started after 845A, which I think is extremely late for a race to begin. The original start time of 745A was pushed back an hour but communicated to all runners several days before the race which was helpful.
There was a small expo and several food trucks on the back lot the morning of.
Parking was free which is a total PLUS! This is one of the first races where I didn’t have to pay for registration, parking at bib pick up (Sports Authority Sherman Oaks) and race day parking at the venue. Thank you weSpark and Universal — this was very much appreciated.
Now, the run… I would have started the corrals differently, but I’m no race organizer.
I didn’t like the idea of 5k runners, 5k walkers (some with strollers) starting before 10k runners. This made it a pain in the ass! to push through walls upon walls of walkers and runners. It’s also a little dangerous if you ask me because you have charging 10k runners attempting to get through the crowds and having to run around the walls of people on the sides of the road. For those of us running the 10k and needing to loop the course twice, it would have made more sense to send us out of the starting line first so slower runners and walkers were in back of us. It does take more effort to wind in and out of these people, this was the part of the race that was NOT fun.
I also thought the course would be more level with one hill — oh no, to my surprise it was much more hilly than I had expected with a few down hills and a couple flat stretches.
Running through the sets was really awesome as you can see from many of the awesome pics posted.
I’m not a huge Universal fan but the sets were really fun! I’m honestly asking myself if I liked them more than the Disney run. The second time around the course was different, many areas gave way to open roads while there was still some heavy congestion from walkers who were still working on finishing the 5k.
This race was similar to Disney in way of many participants stopping mid course and taking pictures and waiting in lines to take pictures with the entertainment. This is fine if it’s what they’d like to do — I just think there should be separate lanes for runners and walkers so you don’t have people coming to a dead stop in front of you while you are running. It’s always discouraging to trek up hills with others walking them and huffing and puffing in front of you, some separation would be appreciated.
All in all, this is a fun run for an amazing low registration price benefiting a great cancer support center in the valley. It is totally worth it to run it or walk it, if that’s your thing.
A great time was had even without a PR :) I did manage to come in 9^th place in my age group which wasn’t too bad.

Do it as a fun run, do it to support the charity (WeSpark), do it because you just think it would be darn awesome to run on a studio backlot. You can take this more seriously as a race, but I personally think that it may be more beneficial to approach it more casually.
The run comes in a 10K and 5K variety, where the 10K is just a loop through the 5K course twice. Both were priced at $ 30, and the race was evidently capped as registration closed about 10 days in advance of the event. The event took place at the Universal Studios backlot, with free on-​site parking.
At one point, I was planning to run the 10K with three friends, but plans ended up changing and it was down to just two of us. My friend dropped down to the 5K, and since I wasn’t particularly in the racing mood (to such an extent that I even forgot my Garmin at home), I decided to drop down to the 5K as well so I could just chill and run together. I was happy to find that this was a very easy change to make, just by visiting the Solutions table on race morning.
The race was originally scheduled to start at 7:45 am, but a week or so before race day, the event organizers sent out an e-​mail notifying us that the start time had been pushed back to 8:45 am due to mandate by Universal (noise policy). I understand that that’s outside of the event organizer’s control, and I think that they did as best a job as they could in communicating information about the race ahead of time as it evolved… though that, in conjunction with this morning’s ending of Daylight Savings Time, and the unseasonably hot November weekend made it kinda a warm day for a run.
We arrived early on race morning around 7:15 am for packet pickup, which was way too early but it was sure nice to beat the crowds. There were already a lot of people picking up bibs, and the lines were a little chaotic and disordered to the point that I reached the front of a long line only to realize that I had been lined up for the wrong line. I think that this situation could have been improved a bit.
I also decided that it was a good thing that I didn’t enter this race looking to make a 10K PR, because I thought that the wave starts were VERY poorly designed. They had the 5K runners corralled at the front of the start line, followed by 10K runners corralled behind them (and presumably the 5K walkers corralled off to the side would be released after them). This meant that all the fast 10K runners would have to weave their way through all the 5K runners, fast and slow, first. I felt bad for them, especially since the beginning of the course had very narrow and tight corners that made the course very congested.
However, these kinds of issues aside, I actually really liked the course, as it was interesting, with all kinds of scenic backdrops and characters, and it had a good amount of hills which I thought made it a more interesting challenge (am I alone in enjoying running hills?). Again, there are some tight corners, and you will have to run on cobblestone at one point of the course. Otherwise, have fun enjoying the sets! I brought my camera and took pictures all around — my favorite part was running through Wisteria Lane, since I was a Desperate Housewives fan, and I stopped to take a picture of my friend in front of the Bates hotel from Psycho with a guy holding a (prop) knife to her neck.
Post-​race sustenance included bananas, tangerines, random torn pieces of bagel, and oddly, Powerbar gel chews that I’m pretty sure are more appropriately eaten during a race (longer than a 10K) as mid-​run fuel. One of the vendors at the post-​race expo was Voskos, handing out free greek yogurt samples, and you could also buy food from various food trucks on site.
All in all, a good and scenic fun run with good hills, probably not the best for a PR due to tight spots and the weird wave start, and the more casual crowd that it attracts (but you never know). I support all races for a good cause (as most are), and think that this is a great event for the family to come and enjoy a fun run/​walk through the Universal Studios backlot.