Chinese New Year Run

Such a fun 10k! From the dragon dancers to the drums to the soundtrack of Real McCoy songs to get you pumped at the starting line, what’s not to love. The crowd is electric with runners aged 6 to 90. It’s a scenic run through Chinatown, North Beach, and the Embarcadero and the energy is high with people cheering you on almost the entire time. I did the 2015 Year of the Ram run and lucked out with perfect race weather. I saw that previous races had rain, though it’s such a cool run I doubt this really puts a damper (no pun intended) on things.
Side note: I was able to count the amount of cars broken into the night before, glass shards gleaming in little piles down the Embarcadero stretch. By my second lap, all was nice and tidied up.
Not the most organized race I’ve ever been to, but the Chinatown YMCA puts forth a solid effort and it feels good to support them. When I got to the finish line, I tried scouting for water and snacks to no avail but, hey, you’re in Chinatown at 9am on a Saturday after a 6.2 mile run. Skip the snacks and go for dim sum or pop into Golden Gate Bakery. This is worth checking out. It’s a good time and one I plan to do yearly.

This is one of my favorite runs of the year. I always plan to do this run each year because it is a great crowd and a fun course with great views of Chinatown, North Beach and the Embarcadero. The 2015 run had beautiful weather for the run in the 60’s with bright sun at race time.
My middle school aged son always looks forward to this race because there is so much fun activity like costumed dragons dancing before the race and firecrackers before the starting gun.
My only caveat is that this is not a race to try for a personal best. There are just too many runners packed into the narrows streets in Chinatown. The 1^st mile will be slow because of the pace of other runners.

I am a fairly experienced racer, having done plenty of 10ks and half-​marathons. This was my first year running the Chinatown 10k, and it was by far the most disorganized race I’ve ever done. The volunteers were VERY poorly trained and, as a result, were unhelpful and even harmful to us. Specifically:
1. At several spots where the race course turned onto a different street, the volunteers weren’t directing people to turn! Some of them were just standing there, zoned out, not directing runners in the correct direction. When I got to Pine & Grant, there was a right turn, but there were NO signs or traffic cones, just three volunteers in orange vests, obliviously staring at passing cars and talking to each other. I ran straight past them (going the wrong direction) and they didn’t even notice! Two blocks later, realizing I was lost, I backtracked to Pine & Grant and shouted at the three of them «WHERE does the course go?» and they pointed up Grant, blithely unconcerned that I’d run the wrong way. I told them, «I just ran right past you, going the wrong way, and you didn’t stop me or say anything. Pay attention and do your jobs!» They just shrugged and turned around and went back to staring at traffic. Wow.
For the entire rest of the race, whenever I approached a turn, I had to shout out to the volunteers, «Am I supposed to turn here?» until they snapped out of their daze and replied «Oh yeah, you’re supposed to turn right.» This happened several times! The volunteers need to WAKE UP and do their jobs!
2. There were many points where runners were stopped to let cars cross intersections. NO! That is totally inappropriate for a timed race, even one through a busy downtown area. Runners should never be stopped during a race; this interferes with their pace and finish time. It is the cars that should be stopped and re-​routed
3. The water stations were a nightmare. The volunteers were unprepared and scrambling to fill everyone’s cups like waiters at a psychotic restaurant — frantically running around and bumping into each other, instead of pouring all the cups before the runners got there. It was clear these kids had no training or rehearsal for filling and handing out thousands of cups. After waiting with my hand extended and being ignored by all those fumbling magoos, I said «Screw it» and poured my own cup, something I have never done during any race. It set me back many minutes — not cool. And during the second lap, they RAN OUT OF WATER. Are you kidding me? How does a race run out of water on a warm day? I have NEVER heard of a race where the stations ran out of water. That should not happen. Seriously. WTF.
4. After one hour, the volunteers all quit early! For most of the 10k second lap, there was not a single volunteer in sight anywhere, and several of us weren’t sure where to go/​turn, as there were no arrows or signs. I cannot believe the organizers let the volunteers go home before the full 2 hours had elapsed and ALL the runners had finished!
When the race results were published, I was dead last in my age/​gender group, and needless to say, I was quite upset. I ran a steady pace, yet I’ve never finished a 10k so poorly. My lackadaisical time was due to errors that weren’t my fault — the bottlenecked water station, the 3 idiots at Pine & Grant who sent me several extra blocks off course (my app measured my total distance at 6.93 miles instead of 6.2), and the lack of volunteers guiding people at the end.
I should point out that I encountered many volunteers on the course who were very cheerful, friendly and helpful. But the few I encountered who were unfriendly and lazy ruined most of the experience for me. I’m not sure where the volunteers came from, but there needs to be a major overhaul of their training and preparation and attitude.
Sadly, due to these issues, I don’t think I will run the Chinatown 10k again in the future.

This is my second time running this race and there are a lot more runners this year than last.
Pros:
— It was sunny on race day, instead of the pouring rain like last year.
— Streets were closed off for the running trail.
— Lots of volunteers working (thank you all who volunteered your time!)
— Directions inside of YMCA for bathrooms, bag check ins, and t-​shirt pick ups were big and clear.
— Lion dancing and firecrackers before the race started and also at the post-​race both in Portsmouth Square.
— Woman announcer (all races I have done were all male announcers).
— Many families with their kids run this race and it’s nice to see young kids racing.
— Bag check in is quick.
— Goodie bags and snacks afterwards.
Cons:
— Streets were closed off for runners, so the runners are free to run anywhere within the closed off area instead of being forced to run in the father right side of the closed off area. That does not make sense.
— Runners SHOULD NOT be stopped in the race for the cars, the cars should be stopped for the runners. Hella mess with my pace and zone of running!
— Since it was a sunny day and YMCA is well aware that there are a lot of runners, there should have been more water stations and that water is available throughout the whole time of the race. The first water station was tiny and the many volunteers were all unprepared. They should have poured out many cups of water ahead of time in anticipation for the waves of runners. And the volunteers should spread out instead of being all clustered together when handing out water. When I reached the second water station on my second lap (I ran the 10K), the water station ran out of water. It was a SUNNY day, so be prepared with more than enough water!!! Lastly, there was only a small sip of water per cup so WTF.

First time doing the Chinese New Year run for year of the ram. I chose the 10k (6 miles) and it was awesome. You start at Grant and Sacramento, go through north beach, embacadero, financial district and finish on Kearny.
Race started at 8 but found parking easily on Kearny a few blocks away from start line. Good thing it didn’t rain this year since it’s what I heard happen last year from a couple I met. Lucky for us it was a bright sunny day.
Got there about half hour early and a good amount of folks were already there but the whole street quickly filled up. A cool lion dance performance prior to the start.
It was great seeing folks from the very young to the elderly running hard. Saw a couple people I knew too during the run. Thanks to all the volunteers keeping the intersections clear and passing out water as we ran by. It was fun running in the community with folks of all ages.
For the 10K, had to do 2 laps which puts you up against a slight hill to climb to do the 2^nd lap.
After the finish line, got a goodie bag with some chips from Food should taste good, flyers, and applesauce, and post race at Portsmouth square. They had booths passing out coconut water and juice but the lines were super long.
All in all a good run in the community and to celebrate the new year.

This is a fun race. Wear a costume of the animal of the year if you want. Chinese year 4712 or January 31, 2014 to February 18 2015, is year of the horse. Year 4713 is year of the sheep. Most of the runners in costume are children. Why would an adult want to wear a costume anyway? No expo! You get your race bib in the mail. The kids from the Chinatown YMCA volunteer to manage the course and do an excellent job. There are a few hills, this is SF, but nothing too steep. If you never ran a race, this is a good first race for you. (There is a 5K and 10K) If you are a very fast runner start at the starting line. The first few blocks are crowded and slow you down. If you are an average runner get out of the way and let the fast guys go. After the race hang out at the plaza for a time and enjoy the day. Next race March 1, 2015

Probably the most well organized run I’ve ever done. Bibs were mailed out about 2 weeks early with a race map and instructions for race day. T-​shirt pick up was offered early, but I did mine right before the race with no problems.
Streets were closed to traffic for the run, which made for a lot of honking and angry yells from cars on the Embarcadero, but the police and YMCA volunteers made up for it by cheering extra for us as we ran by. The race was chip timed and results were immediate.
For a «mostly flat» course the hill right before the finish is kind of a killer. Thankfully it’s a run/​walk so I wasn’t the only one walking that last bit. There were professional photographers on the route so I had to pick it up and look fast!
Snacks, water, goodie bags, foam rollers and prizes in Portsmouth Square after. It was fun, can’t wait to run again next year.

Boo this year you went back to cotton t shirts with no option for a tech tee! :(
Its become tradition for me to do this 5k as it is what started me to run 3 years ago.
$ 40 on race day. Parking is easy at Portsmouth Garage– with a fee.
Lots of yummy oranges after the race.
5k and 10k. Might do the 10k next year but that gnarly hill before the 5k finish line for the loop gives me no desire to do it!
I’ll be running again next year but bring back the tech teeee please!

WOW, did you know this was their 34^th annual run this year?!
Usually when hosting an event in SF, you’re destined for mother nature to rain on you. This year we lucked out and got a runner’s dream weather — slightly sunny but mostly overcast. The 10k is really just doing the 5k twice. They are more than stocked full of high school volunteers on the day of the race making sure runners stay on course and providing water at the stops along the way.
The registration and sweats booth area before the race was organized and done well. They had entrance and exit only doors creating a one way stream of half-​awake runners. They even provided coffee and some snacks too.
The race was too small to have waves so early on it was one big cluster fk.
There was some confusion over the 5k and 10k runners split, though. I felt really bad for the 5k runners who had to backtrack a mile or two after realizing the went off course.
Sadly, there was no official timer. Maybe they didn’t have enough participants or funding to provide it.
Another thing was for the 10k runners, I wish the volunteers didn’t stop the flow of the runners to let traffic through. You can see the runners maybe 4 blocks away coming at you and everyone is running at the same pace. But for some reason they continue letting cars go through…
This was a decent run that benefits the programs at the Y. For improvement, I suggest they learn from the Glide Bridge to Bridge.

I just ran this race yesterday – my first 5k in longer than I care to disclose.
And I loved it. Its so well organized. I did not pick up my bib in advance so I showed up a bit early. There were tons (seemed liked hundreds) of volunteers helping with everything, from showing you the bathroom, to helping you put your bib on, to directing you to the start line.
Everyone was so polite and helpful. Yeah lots of kids ran past me (which I loved – they are adorable) but also old Chinese women wearing jeans and carrying purses. My favorite site was seeing a Chinese woman run down Embarcadero carrying tupperware – yes tupperware!
The course is great and I was surprised how much ground it covered. It starts in Chinatown, goes up Pacific (the only real hill) and then across Little Italy to Embarcadero and then through the financial district.
Water stations were at every mile and they hand out super small cups so grab two if you need to drink a lot, like me.
The finish line was great. They give you a water bottle and there is a whole table for fruit.
I loved the race. I hope to run it again next year.

I really like people who think outside of the box.
For example, last year at the CNY Run (year of the rabbit), some guy dressed up as a carrot instead of the usual rabbit (and let me tell you. «Playboy bunny» should never be associated with the words «YMCA Run To Benefit Kids In The Community.»
This year, since it’s the year of the dragon, I told my friends that we should brainstorm a way to stand out so we can win the costume contest (yes, a costume contest!). To which my friend replied: I’ll just go naked and represent a newly-​hatched baby dragon.
Nice.
Not the most scenic route (Bridge to Bridge trumps that) but definitely a fun, fast run. Pretty crowded and they don’t separate based on your pace, so it’s not for hardcore runners looking to zip through the crowds.
(For my runner friends, see this year’s event/​registration here:
)
The worst part of this run, since there are kids allowed, is that all the kids run faster than I do. Ego deflation.

My first 10k! What a great run. I am looking forward to the next one. Super crowded though.

MY FIRST 10k! What an accomplishment for me. 1 year and a half ago I weighed 148 lbs. Now just under 115 — I never imagined myself to be where I am today.
The run was pretty easy. I believe there was a good turnout. definately a lot of energy in the crowd. This is my first 10k run and will NOT be my last. I plan on running the CNY YMCA run every year — until I’m 60! Hehee.

1^st run ever! with Tina Y. and my friend Janice! Got a really awesome t-​shirt with a cool tiger design on the back.
The weather forecast told me that it may rain that day… but when we got there, it was only lightly sprinkling. We started the run, dressed up as tigers (with tiger ears, tiger bowtie, tiger tail, tiger tights and glamorized coordinating tops with Tina and Janice), shuffle on full blast. Janice starts off ahead of Tina and I… I start to slow down behind Tina. then my shuffle slips off my shirt and dangles between my legs. oh no! Must catch it to keep motivated and catch up with my friends! As I try to pick up the shuffle, I slip and my knee scrapes the street. Ehhh. no big, just a scrape. One woman asked if I was okay and said that my fall was graceful. Heh. Bounced up and continued running. Then I thought to myself, «Hmm… wonder if I’m bleeding?» I look down… and OMG there’s so much blood! I start to get a little lightheaded at the sight of all the blood coming through my tiger tights. What to do? Who can help me? I’m all alone! =(But then, I see two women with backpacks who I hope have some tissues or napkins. And just my luck, they do! They are very sweet and concerned about my bleeding wound (thank you very much ladies!) and give me a pack of tissues to mop up the blood. The event staffer on the bike asks if I want to take a shortcut and I respond with, «NO! I must finish this race!» So I continue running while people behind me ask if I’m okay and are encouraging the «wounded tiger» to keep on going! So, I do! And finish the race about 42 – 43 minutes in.
I meet my friends at the finish line who immediately take me to first aid at Portsmouth Square to clean up the mess I made. And to our surprise, they didn’t have anything sufficient to clean up my wound! They were more prepared for those suffering from a heart attack (with heart machines, I suppose) and not scrapes. Though my friends said that it made more sense that they would have bandaids, ointments and such… So, Tina Y. washed out my wound with bottled water which, though helpful as it was to clean it out, was painful! (btw, thanks Tina and Janice for taking great care of me!) First aid then wrapped me up with some gauze and sent me off.
Long story short — don’t try to do two things at once especially when running down a slippery hill!
Besides the scrape, which I am still tending to and hoping will scab over soon, I had a great time with my friends and the participants of the run! Everyone was happy and excited to be there! The running route was pleasant and there were few hills which weren’t very steep. Very doable for runners and/​or walkers.
Great run for a great cause!
I can’t wait for next year to log in a better time! =)

This race was fun! It’s one of the smaller races, unlike the Bridge to Bridge Run or the Kaiser Run. So you don’t have to worry about dodging slower runners or walkers.
This year’s race was particularly freezing cold and it didn’t stop raining at all, but it was still a blast. Volunteers were plentiful and it really seemed like people were happy to be out there.
The race is open to all ages, lots and lots of cute kids running the 5k. They all looked so cute wearing their cut out garbage bags.
I would love to run this race again! It has some inclines but its great!

I really enjoyed the race. Although this year it was really raining hard, but nothing they can really do about it. But the volunteers were great at passing out water, stopping traffic, and passing out snacks/​tshirts. I never had to stop at an intersection. Overall it was a good race!

In 1996 I pass out water in this race I think by the Marina Greens. People of all different ages was in this race. But you have t be careful because of traffic. When I helped out it was raining.

Benefitting the Chinatown YMCA, the annual Chinese New Year run is a quick 5 & 10K through [a surprisingly flat portion of] Chinatown, North Beach, the Embarcadero and the Financial District.
While it isn’t a huge race, it’s definitely a «fun run». The streets are narrow enough without parked cars on either side; unless you’re toeing the Start line, the amount of kids jamming their way through the pack will hold you back for the first half mile. Not the safest idea, I literally resorted to the sidewalk just to get around the congestion.
But looking back, it actually is a pretty cool race. That is, until I realized that half the kids that participated probably beat me.

Fun run, and for a good cause. It’s so eerie how Chinatown is so quiet and empty, and then the second loop around you start seeing the shops and markets opening, and people beginning to get off Muni and mill around.
The only thing is that you need to run faster than my pace to hit all the water stops. On my second loop, after panting and thirsting for water, I saw from afar that the volunteers at the water station started dumping the cups of water! When I finally reached the table, they regretfully said that they were all out. :(meep.
Anyway, they do have a goodie bag and munchies at the end, and you can enjoy the magnolias at Portsmouth Square, and the rest of your Sunday. :)

**********************2/​17/​08 update****************************
Ok, this is really an amazing race. I did it again and am updating it to 5 stars. It’s hard to block traffic in the city, but these guys do a great job. Also, how often do you actually get to run through downtown streets — not often! It’s hard to pull this race off but they do!
***********original
3.5 but enough fun to round up.
Fun community race. 5K is one loop around Chinatown, North Beach, and the Embarcadero (10K is two loops). A couple of small hills but mostly flat make it a good course for a fast race.
The bad is that the 10K is not so populated, and the volunteers had difficulty keeping the cars from bullying the runners at intersections. Also, at some of the smaller intersections, the volunteers had difficulty stopping the pedestrians crossing the course, who seemed not even to notice the people running full speed into them.
Overall good cause, good course, and happy to see races continue to be on the streets rather than the same old gg park/​great hwy course.