Rain or Shine, This Run Is an Adventure

On the morning of last year’s Great American Adventure Run at Central Park in Huntington Beach, Oscar J. Rosales woke up to what would normally be a race director’s nightmare: rain, lots of it.

“It poured bloody murder,” Rosales recalled in a phone interview. But the runners didn’t seem to mind.

“I have more people telling me this year, ‘Gosh, I hope it rains again.’ ”

The race returns Saturday. The event, with courses of 2.8 and 4.8 miles, attracted 350 runners, about what Rosales would have expected on a sunny day. Rosales attributes that to the hardiness of the people attracted to his events, which eschew the streets for a lush park setting and courses that include dirt and grass as well as asphalt pathways.

“It’s nothing like a road race. It’s totally rural and cross-country,” Rosales said, adding that first-timers to his Central Park events--which include the Hillsea in May and the Sunset in the Park in September--are often surprised at how different the experience is from road races.

The 2.8-mile event begins at 8 a.m.; the 4.8-mile run starts at 8:30 a.m. Runners who enter both events are eligible for special plaques, in addition to the regular awards for age-group winners in each individual race.

Records for the 2.8-mile course are 14 minutes, 36 seconds, by Matt Messner for the men and 16:37 by Beth Metcalf for the women. Metcalf also holds the women’s record for the 4.8-mile course, at 28 minutes; Alfredo Rosas holds the men’s record at 23:27.

Race-day registration for the event will open at 6:30 a.m.

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Also on Saturday, they’ll be running off-road deep in the Cleveland National Forest, in the latest edition of the Winter Trail Run Series. The 22-kilometer race begins, as all the events do, at Blue Jay Campground (five miles north of El Cariso Village off Ortega Highway, 22 miles east of San Juan Capistrano).

The run begins at 8 a.m. Race-day entry price is $23. Future events include a 12K on Feb. 26 ($12) and a 50K run on March 26 ($40). For information, call Baz Hawley at (714) 380-2666.

What: Great American Adventure Run.

When: Saturday, Feb. 12, at 8 a.m. for the 2.8-mile run and at 8:30 a.m. for 4.8-mile event (registration opens at 6:30 a.m.)

Where: Huntington Central Park, Huntington Beach.

Whereabouts: From the San Diego (405) Freeway, exit at Warner Avenue and head east. Turn left on Edwards Street, and left again on Central Park Drive.

Wherewithal: $17 (includes T-shirt).

Where to call: (714) 841-5417.