Events
The HEART RUN 5K
The HEART RUN 10K
The HEART RUN Half Marathon 13.1 miles
Kid's DASH :200 yard TOT TROT /600 yards Kid's 4 to 11
Place
Bolsa Chica State Park
Huntington Beach, CA US 92648
Description
❤️ The HEART RUN: Half Marathon, 10K, 5K, & Kid’s Dash
Celebrate Valentine’s Day in a healthy, heart-filled way! Whether you're running for a personal best, walking with a sweetheart, or bringing the whole family, this is Southern California’s premier February race. Enjoy a flat, fast course at beautiful Bolsa Chica State Beach and stay for the festival!
🏃♀️ Packet Pick-Up Options
Skip the lines on race morning and grab your gear early!
Option 1: Pre-Race Packet Pick-Up (Optional)
- Date: Thursday, February 12
Time: 3:00 PM – 6:45 PM
Location: Road Runner Sports in Newport Beach
Address: 1835 Newport Blvd, Costa Mesa, CA 92627
Option 2: Race Day Pick-Up
- If you can't make it Thursday, don't worry! You can pick up your bib and shirt on race morning starting at 6:30 AM in LOT 25. (State Park gates open at 6:00 AM).
🚗 High Traffic Alert & Parking Info
Please Plan Ahead: In previous yevents, we have experienced significant traffic backups at the State Park entrance gate.
- Arrive Early: We kindly ask that you plan to arrive early to ensure you are parked and ready.
- Carpooling: We highly encourage carpooling! It saves you money and helps everyone get into the park faster.
- Entrance Fee: The State Park charges $15 per car. Please have a credit card or your State Parking Pass ready to keep the line moving.
- Free Parking Option: Free LIMITED parking is available in Sunset Beach for those willing to arrive extra early and walk into the park. (No car entrance at the far corner of Lot 25; use the Main Gate in the mid-section).
📅 Race Day Schedule (Saturday, Feb 14)
6:30 AM: Race Day Check-In Begins (Lot 25)
7:00 AM – 11:00 AM: February Festival Expo & Valentine Card Station
8:00 AM: Half Marathon Start
8:15 AM: Kid’s Dash (Tot Trot & Youth)
8:30 AM: 5K & 10K Mass Start
9:10 AM: 5K Overall & Division Awards
9:30 AM: 10K Awards Ceremony
9:45 AM: Half Marathon Awards Ceremony
🎁 Exclusive Participant Swag
Every runner is a winner at The Heart Run! Your registration includes:
- Custom Apparel: A high-quality 5K/10K race shirt or a premium Long-Sleeve "Finisher" Hoodie (exclusive to Half Marathon participants).
- The Medal: A custom-themed finisher medal with a distance-specific neck ribbon.
- The Expo: Access to our "Full of Heart" section, including a complimentary DIY Valentine’s card-making station.
🍪 February Festival Expo & Treats
Fuel up and have fun! Add a $6 Food Voucher to your registration to use at any booth, including:
- Galletina’s Specialty Cookies: Delicious heart-themed treats.
- Tacos & Tamales: Authentic post-race fuel.
- Fresh Fruit & Whole Coconuts: A refreshing tropical recovery.
- Specialty Coffee: To kickstart your morning.
- New for 2026: Visit our "Decorate Your Own Cookie" experience booth!
📍 Essential Logistics
Location: Bolsa Chica State Beach, LOT 25 (Corner of Warner & PCH).
Parking: Entry is via the Main State Park Gate only (mid-section of the beach). Parking is $15 (Credit Card or State Pass required).
Pro Tip:
- Free LIMITED parking is available in Sunset Beach for those arrive early and willing to walk into the park.
- Finisher Medals: Collect your medal at the designated table under the finish arch (Left for Half, Middle for 10K, Right for 5K).
- Family & Pet Friendly: Strollers are welcome! Pets are allowed but must be kept on a leash with responsible clean-up.
Run for a Cause: Proceeds support the Ware in the World Foundation, providing medical supplies and schooling in Nepal and supporting Miss Pam’s Ranch for troubled youth.
A CELEBRATION of EVERYTHING in FEBRUARY!
CHIP TIMED by ITZ ABOUT TIME. PROCEEDS help form Ware in the World Foundation. Proceeds from the races go to supporting the needs Caren Ware has RAN into Running remotely around the world. We currently are gifting proceeds to Nepalese villages and their medical and schooling needs, plus helping them create means of healthy income during the monsoon seasons. We opened Take Care Beauty Salon in the school village of Sotang so the moms could earn money for their children's school supplies. We covered costs for baby births so children and young mother's have safe deliveries. And we provided trekking shoes, jackets, and sleeping bags for the guides and porters, plus help with tuition for kids to go to school. It's exciting and healthy to gift back! Our hearts should be our biggest muscle! Read Caren Ware's book FINDING FIT available on Amazon. To be released by Dec. 1, 2023!
Watch YouTube Channel Caren.ware.events adventures. We also help Miss Pam's Ranch, a working ranch that teaches troubled youth to ride, do chores, build esteem, and set goals. Miss Pam RUNS the ranch from a wheelchair. WATCH YOUTUBE Channel Caren.ware.events Woman RUNs Ranch from a wheelchair. Hit Donate and help us spread health and hope...around the world with a healthy heart of giving.
Bag of heart cookies for $10 offered at the Galentina's Bakery booth at the race.
Same location as RUN in the NEW YEAR! Just as FUN! Double the FUN!! Run up an appetitive for the Super Bowl Games. Run with your sweetheart...albeit your children, wife, girlfirend, running buddy, or just solo. We ALL have a heart and we want it to be the healthiest!!
HALF MARATHON & 5K COURSE
THE HALF MARATHON is currently permitted for 2 laps around the entire BOLSA CHICA STATE PARK and proceeds to the Dog Beach and back for two full loops.. A almost all FLAT COURSE. Hear the surf. Enjoy the beach.
5K is and out and back. The turn around is near the Bolsa Chica State Beach main entrance.
Photo Gallery
Parking/ Entrance to Bolsa Chica State Park.
The event is in the farthest western lot- Lot 25) Closest to Warner & PCH, but to enter the park use the following address: 17851 Pacific Coast Hwy. BRING $15 CASH (or a parking pass) to make the gate line proceed quickly. Credit cards slow the process.
FREE OR METERED PARKING: There is also parking behind the Jack and the Box (corner of Warner and PCH ) and an easy walk-in. DO NOT PARK in the shopping lot or at the gas station. And, the STATE PARK has a program where you can come and do a beach clean up for a FREE STATE PARKING PASS.
Public Restrooms are provided by the State Park and the buildings are located on each end of the parking lot .
Race Contact Info
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Directions
Race Participant Survey
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