Tustin Adds Dash With Its Dinosaurs

The medals and other awards handed out to division winners at most 5K and 10K events are fine, but the awards that runners will be competing for Sunday at the fourth annual Dinosaur Dash in Tustin have a little more personality.

Each is handmade by a youngster in the Tustin school system. The ceramic dinosaurs are glazed and mounted atop wooden trophy stands.

The 5K Dinosaur Dash (and its companion event for youngsters, the 2K Brontosaurus Blitz) drew about 2,000 runners last year and raised $25,000 for the nonprofit Tustin Public Schools Foundation. This year, according to event co-chairwoman Diane Winn, there are almost 2,000 runners already signed up, so race-day registrants should ensure a much bigger turnout than in 1993.

More than a dozen Olympic athletes, including high-jumper Dwight Stones and swimmer John Naber, will be on hand to meet the public and sign autographs. There will be a post-race breakfast at 8:30 ($4 per person, at Red Robin in Tustin Marketplace) and other events.

“It is a run, but also we make it a community event for all of Tustin,” Winn said. “It really pulls people together.”

The race, Winn said, is one of the fastest-growing in the region. It starts at Tustin Marketplace, heading west on El Camino Real and then north on Browning Road. From there it turns east on Irvine Boulevard and south on Jamboree Road back to the mall. It’s flat and has relatively few turns.

“As 5K road races go, it’s a super-fast course,” said Herb Massinger of Race Pace Promotions in Dana Point, the event’s promoter.

In an unusual twist last year, a Placentia couple won the men’s and women’s divisions. Kevin Broady finished the run in 14 minutes, 37 seconds (a course record), and Marilyn Broady clocked 17:47. The women’s course record, set by Tracy Gold in 1992, is 17:20.

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Many miles ago, bicycles were fairly straightforward contraptions, but these days, most of us might as well be working on Lamborghinis when it comes to even the simplest repairs and maintenance. But it pays to know how to do some of these things ourselves, especially if we ride regularly.

To that end, REI in Santa Ana is offering a hands-on maintenance workshop Saturday from 1 to 5 p.m. Participants will learn how to do a complete tuneup. REI provides the tools and expertise; you bring the bike.

The cost is $60 for REI members, $70 for non-members (about the cost of a complete tuneup). Road bikes and mountain bikes will be covered. Information: (714) 543-4142.

* What: Dinosaur Dash 5K and Brontosaurus Blitz 2K.

* When: Sunday, Nov. 13. Registration opens at 6:30 a.m.; the 5K starts at 8 a.m., and the 2K (for children up to age 12) begins at 9:30 a.m.

* Where: Tustin Marketplace.

* Whereabouts: From the San Diego (405) Freeway, exit north on Jamboree Road. Tustin Marketplace is on the left.

* Wherewithal: $20 for adults, $15 for children 12 and under. Includes T-shirt.

* Where to call: (714) 832-6299.