The OC 5K is kind of interesting because it’s Saturday at 5:30 p.m. before the Sunday morning half and marathon. While I appreciate it’s the day before, I think I would like the race a lot more if it were in the morning. As a morning runner, it’s more enjoyable. But from a logistics standpoint, it would also be more enjoyable.
Before the OC 5K:
I did a shakeout run with friends in the morning. I hadn’t seen them in a while, and we went longer than anticipated. I planned around 4-5 miles, but we did 8. I don’t regret it, and it was an enjoyable run, but that was mistake number 1. The rest of the day, I mostly relaxed until it was time to leave. I ended up having a wrap from a local restaurant around 1:30. That was likely mistake number 2. I figured 4 hours would be enough time, but my stomach felt crampy the entire race.
We got to the OC Fairgrounds around 4 but didn’t get parking until around 4:30 because it was so backed up. As they say: thank goodness we got there when we did, because it took a lot longer to park. I picked up my packet, did about a mile-and-a-half warmup (after walking a mile), and got to the OC 5K race start around 5:20.
I tell you all this because it shaped my race and how I felt: tired. I figured I would likely feel tired anyway because it’s at night, but wow, did I feel tired.
OC 5K:
The OC 5K race started promptly at 5:30 p.m. The first mile of the OC 5K has a lot of turns. We had a slight headwind, and I could already feel that I did not feel good. Was it all my fault? Yes. Was I really that upset? Not really. I found myself around 5th woman. As we went around some turns, I passed a couple of people and found myself in second. I hit the first mile in 6:13, and I knew I was not going to be able to maintain that.
I also knew we would have at least some tailwind going back. I just focused on getting to the end. After mile 1 of the OC 5K, I felt all of my mistakes: the 8 miles 10 hours before and the wrap. I did not feel good, and I was just trying to muscle to the finish line. I ran a 6:34 next mile.
During the final mile, we went near the barn and over a dirt patch. I already felt like garbage, so to be running over uneven dirt, I was trying to just focus on not falling. I was really confused with a course marshal cycling next to a woman who passed me around mile 2.5. Was she in first place? I knew there was a woman in front of me, so I was really unsure what was going on. I did want to podium, so I just tried to hang on. I don’t really know how far the next woman was, and I didn’t really run any faster, but I shocked myself to run a 6:34 final mile because, if I had to guess, I would have thought I was running 7:00 pace.
I crossed the OC 5K finish line in 20:12 as 3rd woman overall.
OC 5K Thoughts:
It is kind of funny. I’ve now run four 5Ks between 20:12-20:14. Fast courses, slow courses, hilly courses, flat courses with turns. Racing so much, I haven’t really tapered for any of them. So maybe I should do that. Between the Fair Run and the OC 5K, I’ve done four 5Ks at the fair and gotten third at all of them. Anyway, I’m happy with this.
Common Questions about the OC 5k:
What time does the OC 5K start?
The Hoag OC 5K starts on Saturday at 5:30 p.m. during OC Marathon weekend. The half marathon and marathon are the next morning, which makes the 5K part of the bigger race weekend rather than a standalone morning race.
Where does the OC 5K start and finish?
The OC 5K starts and finishes inside the OC Fair & Event Center in Costa Mesa. The course goes through the fairgrounds, crosses Fairview Drive, heads toward Merrimac Way, loops around Orange Coast College, and comes back through the Pacific Amphitheatre area before the finish.
Can you pick up your bib on race day for the OC 5K?
Yes, race-day packet pickup is allowed for the Saturday OC 5K. The race recommends coming Saturday afternoon, picking up your packet, visiting the expo, and then running the 5K. That is different from the Sunday half and full marathon, which do not offer race-day bib pickup.
Is the OC 5K good for runners doing the half or marathon?
It can be, but it depends on what you want from the weekend. The race offers a Combo Crush medal for runners who do the OC 5K on Saturday evening and then the half or full marathon on Sunday morning. That said, a 5:30 p.m. 5K the day before an early race is not nothing, especially if you are trying to race both.
Is the OC 5K course fast?
The OC 5K can be fast, but it is not a plain out-and-back road 5K. There are turns, fairgrounds sections, and campus roads. I don’t think it’s especially fast between the dirt section as well as the multiple turns…but it is flat.
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Questions for you:
Have you run an evening race?
Have you run the Hoag OC 5k?