Happy game day everyone! And what a day it has already been. The Los Angeles Kings 5k Run was bright and early this morning. However, it definitely was NOT bright out. The forecast for today was rain until around 9:00 am. Convenient considering the race started at 8:00 am and we would be done by 9:00.
When we arrived downtown, and finally found the parking (most streets were blocked off and LA has so many one way streets!), we went out into the cold and wet environment. I for one didn’t think that many people would show up if it was raining. I was wrong. There were some REALLY dedicated runners doing warm up laps in the parking garage in nothing but short-shorts and tank tops. My mom, best friend, and I were all in pants with waterproof jackets and baseball caps on. Side Note: The baseball caps weren’t much help as the rain seemed to hit you in the face no matter which direction you were running.
When we made it to the Start line, I was less than motivated to hit the ground running…literally. But once host Daryl Evans announced that the race was beginning, the three of us were motivated to run the whole thing just so we could be done sooner rather than later. None of us had ever been so wet and cold. This picture is a pretty accurate description of how we felt :
Towards the end of the race, we saw Daryl Evans cheering people on to keep going and a few of the LA Kings Ice Crew as well. One of the contests in the race was to beat Daryl Evans. If you did, you got an extra raffle ticket for the Kings giveaways at the end of the race. When we finally made it past the finish line we walked over to the sponsor booths to get Powerade and some free goodies. We also wanted to get under an awning of some type to get out of the rain. Ironically, shortly after we finished the race, the rain completely stopped. How special. But now was the fun part! The Kings giveaways! Everyone had been given a raffle ticket upon signing in and there was drawings of these tickets for prizes. Some of the goodies given away included signed pucks, baseball hats, team signed hockey sticks, and SEASON TICKETS for next year!! Sadly, none of the people in my group won anything, but it was still a really fun experience and a good way to give back.
It was the 10th LA Kings 5k race, and proceeds went to benefit the American Heart Association’s Go Red for Women campaign. Sponsors of the event included Kings Care, McDonald’s, Gold’s Gym, Waste Management, Coke Zero, Melissa’s, Renegade Race Series, and Wetzel’s Pretzels. I’m happy that I went and got to be around other Kings fans for the day. Can’t wait for the Kings game tonight and hoping for a win! But first, I’m going to need a pre-game nap.
A few pictures from today:
