Awesome 80’s 5k/10k Run

I missed the Cassette medal in 2012…
I missed out on 2013’s Darth Vader medal, too (so sad)…
But I snagged the colorful Mrs. Pac-​Man medal last year!
And this year, I picked up the out-​of-​sight DeLorean medal!
Superhero Events really knows how to throw a party. Along with their highly-​anticipated Hollywood Half Marathon and their, sad to say, defunct Costume Party Half Marathon (I hope it returns someday), their Awesome 80’s Run is a blast as well! This year a 10k was introduced – a double loop around the Rose Bowl – so many, many runners signed up, laced up, and took part. Even «The Walking Dead’s» Michael Rooker (Merle Dixon) ran with us! Despite the rain and thunder, this year’s Awesome 80’s Run was great fun: an entertaining MC «Hammer,» tons of throwback costumes, DJ set lists of rocking’ 80’s music, and a creative «Back to the Future» medal.
So, medals… I have some great ideas for future 80’s medals:
* Gizmo
** MJ’s sequined glove
*** Super Mario
**** Slimer from «Ghostbusters»
***** a spinning Rubik’s Cube
****** Sony Walkman
***** Max Headroom
**** Mr. T
*** Boombox
** RUN DMC’s classic Adidas
* Knight Rider
What do you say?
Bueller, Bueller, Bueller…

Like the other reviews said this isn’t any type of competitive race where you should expect to have a PR for your 5 or 10k time. It’s a themed fun run so expect a ton of people walking, pushing strollers, & walking dogs on the course. The event is fun if you’re doing it with a group of friends & taking pictures with other people & their costumes but as fair as a race there could be some improvements. Since the course goes around the rosebowl/​golf course it would be better to start the 5k first so you don’t get stuck trying to go around more people that are walking during the 10k, & starting the race on time. The 10k was suppose to be at 8:15 am, & the 5k at 8:30. We went to line up for the 5k and the 10k was still waiting to go. Both races were started 15 minutes behind schedule.
The race packet pick up was pretty easy the day of the race they gave well over an hour before the races started for everyone to get their bibs that couldn’t make it out to Pasadena the Friday before the race. They have chipped timing now, at the end of the race you return the time chip from your shoe for your finishers medal.
Besides the late start of the race & trying to go around all the walkers during the race the only other problem was trying to get out of the parking lot. The race course go around the parking lot so if you’re trying to leave while the race is still going to wait for about 20 minutes. If the medal for next year is cool enough & my friends want to run it again I’d probably do the race again. One of the cool things about this event is they don’t have periods where they continue to raise the price of the race. It’s the same price until it sells out & they have a lot of different promo codes that you can use to save $ 3-​$ 10 on registration.

Came to pick up my packet a day early. The website said we could pre-​purchase a parking pass for $ 7 as opposed to paying $ 10 on the day of the race. When I inquired about it, the staff directed me to the race director. He said the Rose Bowl just notified them the day of that they wouldn’t be offering pre-​paid parking. Please confirm your facts before posting falsely on your website!

This is a super fun run! The medals are pretty awesome, the course is pretty easy breezy, and most of all, it’s all for fun. It’s not a timed race, so you’re really just there to see all the folks dressed in all their cool 80s gear. If you’re someone who’s competitive and NEED a timed race, this may not be for you.
Packet pick up is pretty easy. You swing by the Rose Bowl the day before, opt to purchase a parking pass, and you’re all set.
As far as the course, it’s pretty uneventful. You’re running the perimeter of a golf course, so occasionally, you’ll have to dodge a crossing cart. Not a whole lot of course entertainment, water stations, or even a medical tent, but I guess when it’s a 5K, they figure you should be alright. That’s a pretty bold assumption though, IMO… especially since there was a ‘passing out’ incident by the finish line last year.

I love fun runs! I felt compelled to do the Awesome 80s Run this year because (1) it’s at the Rose Bowl, (2) it’s just a 5K yay, and (3) the Ms. Pac-​Man medal looked AWESOME. And this race did not let me down!
Since the Rose Bowl is a short drive away from me, I did my packet pick-​up on Saturday. Very fast and easy. During packet pick-​up you can also buy a parking pass, which is quite convenient. And it’s also slightly cheaper. The day of the race we parked in the lot closest to the start line and got to try some free samples from vendors while waiting for the race to start. The race start time was later than I expected, which was probably not a good move on their part since it meant that it was pretty darn hot and sunny during the run. The race itself is basically one loop around the Rose Bowl and they provide you with two water stations. Since I’m not in the greatest shape I had to walk for a lot of it, but no one cares since it’s a FUN RUN! Speaking of which, people came out in wonderful outfits! My friends and I were Care Bears and we ran into a couple other groups/​families of Care Bears too :)
After the race is over they give you a nice big heavy Ms. Pac-​Man medal and then you get to grab water and food samples. The only inconvenience is that they don’t give you a bag to put anything in, so good thing my friend had brought one with her! What was really cool however was the Delorean that the race provided for photo opportunities. The line to take a picture with it was long, but it moved fast and was definitely worth it.
I had a lot of fun doing this race with my friends, but it is a bit expensive for a 5K. Now that I’ve done it once, I’m content with not doing it again… unless the medal looks awesome, in which case I’ll be back ;)

Fun medals, cool bibs, free pics but not a great race for anyone with a competitive bone in their bod! No timing chip so the use of their clock seems beyond pointless to me.
Sure, it’s a fun run but where’s the fun in not having an official time? That’s definitely something I’d like to see return, even to something as short as a 5k in the dog days of Summer. This race also can’t seem to start on time which is not only an inconvenience and inconsiderate to people’s schedule and time it’s also a bit annoying considering how warm it is in late August. They published a start time of an hour later than last year and still managed to miss it.
It was definitely the medal that hooked me for another team registration but I’m not certain at this point that I’ll participate again in 2015.
The course is the same, one loop around the Rose Bowl. Everyone seems to have a good time but like most runs out there, there is room for improvement.

Pros: ~The awesome costumes
~The medals
~That you get a discount on the registration with a code
~ You get to take pics with a hover board and DeLorean
~80’s cover band
Cons: ~You’re charged a $ 4 service fee for purchasing your registration online
~The parking situation is completely unorganized with traffic coming from 2 different directions. It’s slow and tedious b/​c they only had ONE person collecting money.
~It started at 9:30 am which is too late during the summer time. It should start at 8 or 8:30 at the latest, IMO.
~There were no medics nearby when a man either tripped or collapsed from heat exhaustion. He was lying flat on his back and breathing heavily when I observed a bunch of people around him waiting for some sort of medical help to arrive.
~The event didn’t start on time
~The water provided tasted like dirt
~They need to have music playing in more spots throughout the race
~ The VP/​Event Coordinator, Sabrina Nwadike, does not know what she is doing when it comes to responding to emails. Plus, I’d paid for my parking in advance for $ 7 instead of the $ 10 you would have to pay when getting to the event. There was no note telling us when we would get said parking pass. When I emailed Sabrina, I got an instant generic email response answering general FAQs. When I finally did get a hold of her, she reported that passes would be mailed out 1 week in advance (again, something that was NOT indicated on the site). I was then told that I did not pay for pre-​parking. When I sent her a screen shot of my confirmation she then sent me a screen shot showing my charge never went through and that the parking passes were no longer on sale. Thus, in addition to the headache with this glitch and the time I spent going back and forth with Sabrina, I didn’t even get an apology of any sort AND had to pay the $ 10 instead of honoring the $ 7.
Overall Experience: I’d say the actual race is great with all the people running in it, the medals and the costumes. However, the headache with the parking situation, having an unpleasant experience with Sabrina Nwadike, and the cons I listed above bring my 5 star rating down to a 3. I would recommend it to people who have never run it to get the experience but I plan to never run this race again.

Loved the theme. Seeing people get really into it was awesome. From 80s fashion to full on costumes. It was a great. Wish it started a bit earlier. But ran smoothly.

The Darth Vader Medal is the highlight of this run. I did this 5K a while ago, but will write a review now in case it comes around next year and people consider doing it.
The run is a bit pricey for what you get? And it’s a pretty short 5K around the Rose Bowl with nothing much to see or experience along the way. No music, no water stations, no medic stations but then again, it’s a 5K. There’s a small little gathering of booths in the Rose Bowl to browse prior to the race, but other than that, not much to see or do before/​after the run. Got to see some pretty AWESOME 80s runners though but the run itself was quick and breezy.
I think one Darth Vader medal is enough so won’t be doing this one again!

This race is worth going to just for the people watching and costumes. Neon as far as the eye can see and Star Wars characters in multiples. I opted for a more obsure 80’s icon (Captain EO, complete with Fuzzball) but still got recognized and took a picture with a fellow Disney nerd (YAY!). My favorite costume was the «Say Anything» guy with the fake arms and boom box above his head!
The course itself was fine; you travel the Rose Bowl loop. The water station seemed REALLY far away, but I’m pretty sure it was only because the weather was warm. The Darth Vader medal was really neat. Was a little confusing at the finish line where exactly we were supposed to go, got to be a little bit of a cluster f*&k.
Paying $ 10 for parking was a bummer, but checking in before the race was a breeze. The sunglasses were a nifty little freebie!

Beautiful finisher medal. Scenic 5K around the beautiful Rose Bowl. Fun crowd. A really good, easy race (unless you’re wearing a Stormtrooper costume).

Quick, fun themed 5k! Well organized! Cool medal! Very entertaining.
Will try to do this 5k every year!

Wife: «Let’s do a 5k.»
Me: «Ummm …»
Wife: «You get a Darth Vader medal.»
Me: «A 5k, let’s do!
This was my first-​ever 5k and it lived up to its name: Awesome! I’m not a runner or fitness fanatic, but my wife had me at «Darth Vader medal.» I’d like to say I trained diligently in the weeks leading up to the event and that I ran the entire distance, but I’m all for honesty in Unilocal reviews … so let’s just say I had a lot of fun.
Pre-​race packet pickup was easy and hassle-​free. After putting on our bibs and putting away our goodie bags, my wife and I took a photo with the Back to the Future DeLorean, then snapped photos of the many costumed characters (Princess Leia, Pac Man, Ms. Pac Man, and Blinky, and Freddy Krueger, to name a few). We were really happy that our first 5k had such a party atmosphere. Everybody was enjoying themselves on a Saturday morning and once the run started, the easy-​going vibe and 80s revelry continued. There were two bands playing 80s music along the course and the mile markers served as great photo-​ops.
After the race, we took more photos, grabbed some water and snacks, then danced to the third band of the day. We admired our Darth Vader medals, which were beyond awesome, especially with the Awesome 80s run Vader t-​shirt that came with our goodie bags. Looking forward to the next one!

The Darth Vader medal was really all i came for this year.
i participated in the 2012 run in SF and had crossed it off my runner’s bucket list… until i rec’vd email newsletters about the 2013 run and mock up designs for the medal… Darth Vader… really? ok, sure. why not! **if you’ve participated in an Awesome 80s Run event before, then you know their medals are made with quality and pure awesomness!**
This time i opted to participate in the run closer to home… Pasadena, CA. the location was perfect… Rose Bowl loop, a trail i was familiar with. the pasadena run didn’t seem as big as last year’s SF run…
Getting to the venue was smooth… no traffic (we arrived around 7:30am) and parking was a breeze. Although, parking is $ 10… wish they can include this in the registration fee so participants don’t feel obligated to incur anymore cost.
the course was ideal… loop around the rose bowl. plenty of space for runners and walkers to share the road. thankfully it was early enough in the day that it wasn’t too hot. there was a slight breeze during some areas of the course that helped out greatly. there were a couple bands along the route to boost the 80s spirits… good times!
costumes were entertaining. i was a Rogue Squadron pilot and my bf was a Stormtrooper. we saw many star wars themed costumes… very awesome… as well as other 80s related costumes. great seeing everyone’s creativity and spirit come together!

I DID IT FOR THE MEDAL!!!
Do a 5k for a badass Darth Vader medal? SIGN ME UP!!!
I heard from my sister that last years 5k/​10k was horrible! Had no one at the water stations handing out water. She even had to go to the water fountain at the golf course to get some water.
But after my family and I found out what the medal was going to be, we knew we had to sign up.
We went as cereal box characters. It was cool when people actually recognized who our characters were and wanted to take pictures with us. THANK YOU!
And everyone’s costume looked awesome too! Props to the people rocking storm trooper gear! Ya’ll are crazy! lol.
It was a pretty good stroll around the Rose Bowl and golf course. I wish they had more than one water station though. If I wasn’t walking the whole thing and running it, I would be pissed off that there was only one water station.
The cover bands were good. We were all laughing though because at the finish line, the band at the front of the Rose Bowl was having a twerking contest. hahaha. We were like «Isn’t this a family run?» LMAO! But the dude was funny.
It was $ 10 to park. Or $ 5 if you bought it the day before when you picked up your bib.
You got a t-​shirt and glasses as give away’s.
Will I do it again? Hell yeah! As long as they keep coming up with brand new bad ass medals!
Team Cereal Killers represented and killed it!

I did this run last year and this year. I can say, they did a lot of improvements. For example, on 2012 they had a 10K run
too, but it delayed the run for the 5K runners, which means hotter temperatures for the 5k runners. I like it how it’s just 5K run this year. I love that they changed the medal design and the shirt. Last year, it was a cassette. This year it was the Dark Vader. If they change the medal design every year, I’ll definitely join every year just to collect them because they’re made nicely and of good quality. This year was much more organize compared to last year. Parking is $ 10, cash only, a bit stiff but they did offer it for $ 5 if you pre-​pay your parking the day before.
Suggestions:
Please separate runners and walkers. It’s just an accident waiting to happen. Or have pace corrals.
Please start on time. The race was scheduled for 8am but end up starting at 8:40. It was so hot by the time the race started.
In summary, I’ll do this race again if the medal next year is a rubics cube, a boom box or the first cellphone ;)

2013 was my first time running the Awesome 80s Run. It was a Saturday race so it was nice they had race day packet pickup because there was no way I was going to drive to the Rose Bowl on a Friday. Parking is $ 10 is lot I but we just parked in the dirt off Seco right after you turn down to go to the stadium, kind of in front of Lot K area. I think that’s where more local runners park.
I got there around 8, took like 10 seconds to pick up my packet. Pretty well organized. Race start was right there in front of the bowl. It started at around 8:38 and the 5k was basically a giant loop around the stadium. Pretty fun and at that time in he morning, it was still shady. Although I didn’t dress up, it was a great people watcher. They had a delorean on display for people to take pictures with and the medal was darth vadar. Super cool! It’s a timed race too in case you care.