No Bones About It, It’s a Fun Family Run

The organizers of Sunday’s 5K Dinosaur Dash (and its smaller sibling, the 2K Brontosaurus Blitz) swear they’re not riding on the coattails of the summer blockbuster “Jurassic Park.”

In fact, they point out, this is the event’s third year, and the 1992 running drew a whopping 2,500 participants to the Tustin Marketplace. The dinosaur theme is carried through in the event’s T-shirts, in the prizes, in the decor and even in the costumes worn by some of the runners.

“It’s really fun. It’s really good for the kids,” said a spokeswoman for Race Pace Promotions. The event raises money for the Tustin Schools Foundation; the 2K fun run is for children.

The race, which is run on a flat course that should make for some fast times, starts and finishes at the Tustin Marketplace.

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Meanwhile, at Fashion Island, a 5K and 10K are on tap, starting under the big guitar at the Hard Rock Cafe. The Run for Cover is a fund-raiser for HomeAid, the nonprofit arm of the county’s Building Industry Assn.

HomeAid specializes in building and renovating homeless shelters in the county. This is the fifth year it has held the Run for Cover, which changes locales from year to year. This is the first time the Hard Rock Cafe has taken part.

Jenifer Moody, special events coordinator for HomeAid, said she expects participation in this year’s event to jump to about 2,500 from last year’s 800, partly because the event T-shirts will sport the popular Hard Rock Cafe logo and because the restaurant will host a post-run party.

Both courses are slightly hilly and will start and finish at the Hard Rock. There is also a 1K fun run for children 12 and under.