Whittier 5K Race & Walk

Runners and walkers of all shapes and sizes take to the streets of Whittier for this 5K starting and ending at the community center. There’s a slight incline for the first part of the course, but it isn’t too bad. On the day we participated, it was foggy and a bit chilly, but that didn’t detract from the good times. Everybody seemed to be in good spirits and it was nice to see so many homes and businesses throughout the route that were decorated for Halloween. Kudos to the house with the «Go 5K Runners» banner — much appreciated!
I loved the family atmosphere of the «spooktacular.» It was definitely a kid/​dog friendly event. The day started off with a ½ mile dash for the wee ones and their parents. Next, the main race featured a costume contest and there were a good number of participants dressed up. One of the costume contest winners was a family dressed up as pirates; they even made up their baby carriage into a little pirate ship. Very cool!
After the race was officially over, the prizes were given out to the top three finishers in each age/​gender division as well as the costume participants. There was also a free pancake breakfast, but the line was ridiculously long. I’m taking off one star for that line and also for the over-​zealous volunteers at various spots of the race. The young members of the local football team should stick to «way to go» or «good job» words of encouragement; participants don’t need to hear «faster!» or «suck it up!» That’s for the football field, not a community run/​walk.
Each runner/​walker received a drawstring bag and a commemorative t-​shirt. I’m wearing my shirt with pride and looking forward to being a part of the spooktacular next year.