Los Angeles Chinatown Firecracker 5k/10k Run

ok, so the disclaimer is that I used to help organize this event when i lived in LA. But I originally found this event because it is held in Chinatown, where i grew up, its a fun run, AND it donated its proceeds to my elementary school there.
my first Firecracker race was back in 2000, Year of the Dragon. it had been a number of years i ran competitively (since my track & cross country days in hs). so i said what the heck, i can double the distance and entered the 10k run.
let me just tell you that as an athlete, you’re trained in the highest sense of «mind over matter.» so despite my lack of training, toughness of the hills, the longer distance, i ran as hard as i could to keep up with those hardcore runners. at about 150 meters from the end (next to Chinatown’s central plaza), I glanced at the «Finish» banner and went for it… all i remember next was waking up with oxygen tubes in my nose & being fed water by a medic. apparently my mind didn’t give up, but my body shut me out of my ambitions, and i ended up at the onsite EMS station.
that was my first experience. eventually i came back afterwards to redeem myself, but i also helped out with the committee. these guys work super hard to put together a quality professional run for the community, and don’t get paid a single cent for it. a lot of other runs, you’ll notice, is run by paid companies that do this for a living.
the race itself is a lot of fun. it is the oldest and largest Chinese New Year type run in the US. it lights up 100,000 firecrackers to start the run (and that lasts like 5 mins so bring your cameras and earplugs). its very festive… they have live bands, entertainers, lion dancers, taiko drummers, and a very diverse and active vendor booth area including a BEER GARDEN for registered runners. this past year was the 30^th Anniversary, and they hosted a carbo-​load lunch which was great. unlike many other races, this event is still very rooted in the community so you won’t see corporate logos on their t-​shirts, which by the way are really cool because the logo changes every year to whatever the zodiac is… and they host a logo competition every year!
Aside from the festivities, the run itself is quite rewarding. both 5k and 10k runs wind through parts of Elysian Park near Dodger Stadium. If you elect the 10K, you will not be disappointed as you get almost 360 degree views of Downtown LA that most Angelenos don’t even know about. the 5K is a shorter version of that. Both runs start and end in the heart of Chinatown. they have a 1k Kiddie run which the kids love too, and all the local elementary schools the Firecracker organization gives to comes out to run.