After a 10K, Holiday Beer Tastes Better

Watching parades, blowing things up and drinking too much beer aren’t the only time-honored Fourth of July traditions observed locally. For reasons known only to themselves, some people decide to spoil a perfectly good holiday by doing something athletic.

Un-American? Perhaps. But for those who feel the need for strenuous activity, here is an assortment of local running races that will hit the streets of Orange County on Tuesday. All entry fees include a race T-shirt and the right to inflict a guilt trip on your less ambitious friends.

* The 17th annual Run in the Parks in Laguna Niguel starts at Crown Valley Community Park, 29831 Crown Valley Parkway. Events include a 10K (at 7 a.m.), a 5K (8:15 a.m.) and children’s races (9:30 a.m.). Race-day registration begins at 6 a.m.; entry is $18 for runners, $17 for walkers, and $15 for children 12 and under. Information: (714) 495-9622.

* Downtown Huntington Beach is the site of another 5K, part of the city’s daylong Independence Day celebrations, including a parade at 10 a.m. Race registration opens at 6:30 a.m. at 17th and Main streets; events include a 5K for Huntington Beach residents (7:30 a.m.), the main 5K run/walk (8 a.m.) and a kids’ one-mile run (8:30 a.m.). Fee is $20. Information: (714) 374-1535.

* Lake Forest is launching a Fourth of July run of its own, and as in Huntington Beach, it will precede a parade. Registration begins at 6 a.m.; this four-mile run begins at 7:30 a.m. just north of Toledo Way on Lake Forest Drive. Entry is $25. Information: (714) 858-7386.

* La Palma also has a race, this one a 5K (walk and run) and 10K starting at La Palma Central Park, 7821 Walker St., north of La Palma Ave. Registration begins at 6 a.m.; all events start at 7:30 a.m. Entry is $11, plus $7 for the T-shirt. Information: (714) 522-6740.