The OC Fair Run 5k is one of my favorite races of the year. Now, it’s not fast, but it’s a favorite. You get to run through the actual fairgrounds! The course itself feels like a cross-country course because there are so many turns around the rides and animals.
Before the OC Fair Run 5k:
I left around 1 p.m. the day before and headed to Orange County. It’s about a 2.5-hour drive with traffic, and even on Saturday, there was plenty. I didn’t realize bib pickup ended at 2 p.m., so I missed it and just got a quick bite to eat, relaxed, and watched the Olympics. It was very uneventful, and I fell asleep pretty early. That also meant I woke up around 5 a.m. for the 8 a.m. race—a little earlier than I prefer, but no big deal.
I got to the OC Fair Run 5k around 6:30, picked up my bib, and then did a quick warm-up. If you are running the OC Fair Run 5k, I highly suggest getting there 50-75 minutes early to park because it gets crowded and hard to park later.
After my warm-up, I headed to the OC Fair Run 5k start line. When a race gives me a lower bib, I always feel a lot of pressure to perform as well as I did the year they deemed I deserved a lower bib. Last year, I was third overall and had a weirdly good day. I have felt stale with running in the last week, and running the Tracksmith 5000 certainly did not help that. So anyway, I was nervous, and being at the OC Fair Run 5k start line for 15 minutes before the race did not help.
OC Fair Run 5k Race:
The gun went off, and so did we! As mentioned, my body did not feel great, but I immediately found myself in third place among the women. I thought, “Just have to hold this.” Not that place really matters, but of course, I wanted to perform as well as the year before. Since the OC Fair Run 5k has so many turns, I honestly didn’t care as much about pace—rather, placement.
The first mile of the OC Fair Run 5k is fast and has the least amount of turns. I also took it out too fast in 6:20. From there, it was a perfect regression run, and I just tried to keep going.
While running through the fair, there are a ton of turns—you go around rides as well as the barn animals (yes, it smells as bad as you think). After mile 1 of the OC Fair Run 5k, I truly just wanted to finish. Since there are so many turns, you can’t see how you are placing, so it makes you nervous the entire time. I ran a 6:38 second mile.
A fun feature of the Orange County Fair Run 5k is that you get to stop and play fair games if you want. There are two stations they open up for games and photos. I have never attempted it, but it looks like a fun thing to do!
For the third mile of the OC Fair Run 5k, I was just trying to hold on. I kept telling myself, “You can do it. Just keep going.” And I did, one step after another. I actually didn’t realize there is a slight uphill on the third mile either. We left the fair around mile 2.5, and I sprinted as hard as I could. I ran a 6:46 third mile and finished in 20:32.
OC Fair Run 5k Thoughts:
I had honestly hoped to be faster, but I ran what I could on the day, and my body did not feel great. I’m happy to be 6 seconds faster than the year before and get third again. Consistently third. As summer of 5k season winds down, I’m looking forward to using some of that speed for longer races.
You can see Strava here and all race recaps here.
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Questions for you:
What is your favorite running race?
Have you been to the fair?