_ The 2023 For the Love of the Bay 5K/10K:

Announcing the start of registration for year 3 of the For the Love of the Bay 5/10K run and walk at Lake Merritt!!

So excited to have this event again. From the music played to the awesome medals and unique shirt design, the volunteers and of course our sponsors, the event in 2022 was fantastic!!! Great finishing times, great weather, and all smiles. This year, we expect the event to be even bigger, better and more fun if that is even possible!!! And that's what a 5/10K should be. Fun for all with a the mix of community involvement, friendly competition and families coming out, all in the name of Love for the Bay.  

We are encouraging people of all walks of life, tall and short, thin and wide, fast and slow to come out. Whether you are a strong runner, casual walker or family with a stroller, this is an event that we feel embodies the diversity and unique culture of the Bay Area!!

We have done our BEST to make the event especially affordable. We want to help lower the barrier of entry for families and those who typically cannot afford the high registration cost of many of the weekend run events these days.

Your registration includes:

Bibs with standard racing chips to keep official times
Results posted within 24 hours
Age Group Prizes for men and women (pair of running shoes of your choice from REI for winners in age group/gender (13-49 years old, and 50+ divisions).
Event shirts for all who participate the day of.
Event medals for all participants who finish the run/walk within 2 hours. 
A fun post event raffle with prizes from The Golden State Warriors (tickets), REI, GU Energy Labs, Red Bay Coffee, Oakland Zoo, Patagonia and more!!
Photos from all angles by photographers who will have photos posted to share within 5 days of the event. 
Refreshment stations along the course and post run snacks for race/run/walk energy/recovery. 
Packet pick-up: We will have multiple options including morning of the run as well as Thursday and Friday pickups as well that will be shared as we get closer to the actual run day (anticipate one of those days to have a packet pick up at REI in Berkeley). 

The starting line will be on the front Lawn at the Boathouse just past FairyLand at 699 Bellevue Ave. Just look for smiling faces, red balloons and the red shirts gathering!!  

Schedule/plan for race day the 21st:

6:45AM Early morning race packet pickup starts.  

7:40AM Gather and pep rally to the start, get run ready, share hugs, high fives and making sure the person next you laces are tied.

8:00AM Start the of 10K run (followed by 10K walkers).

8:10AM Start of the 5K (followed by event walkers and strollers). 

10:05AM Raffle starts (in the time between race and raffle we will have post race recovery items for all the runners). 

Parking is $5 on Bellevue in the Fairyland parking area. On the street, it's metered parking starting at 8am. 19th BART would be the closest BART station to walk in from. It is .8 of a mile away from the starting line.