Hundreds of competitors are expected to take over the streets around South Pasadena High School on Saturday, Dec. 7, for the 22nd annual South Pasadena Tiger Run 5K/10K Run/Walk and 300m Tiger Cub Run.
The time-honored, South Pas-centric event, presented by the SPHS Booster Club, benefits SPHS clubs, activities and teams.
Last year, more than $25,000 was raised, with all the net proceeds staying at SPHS to support the groups, according to organizers. The event hosted 701 competitors last year and organizers are shooting for 750 this year.
“It’s such a South Pas tradition,” Bill Buckley, chair of the Tiger Run, told the Review. “We’re lucky to have people from Alhambra and San Marino, but a majority of the runners really do come from South Pas, which I think makes it even that more special. It’s that once-a-year, walk it, jog it, run it, reason to come together.”
Buckley added that the Tiger Run stands out from most L.A. races due to its “family-focused, multi-generational attachment to the school and the community which makes it super special.”
The 5K/10K Run/Walk starts at 8 a.m. and the 300m Tiger Cub Run for children 10 and younger starts at 9:30 a.m. on Diamond Avenue between the South Pasadena High School campus (1401 Fremont Ave.) and the school’s gymnasium. There will be a health and fitness expo along the school’s walkway, plus entertainment and giveaways, and Skills USA will offer a $5 pancake breakfast starting at 7 a.m.
“It will make it feel even more festival-like because everything will be so much closer,” said Buckley.
Due to construction going on at the high school’s track, the finish line will be under the same balloon arch that serves as the start line on Diamond Avenue. The Tiger Cub Run will be held along Diamond Avenue as well, with the children finishing under the arch. The route will be the same from last year. A map of the route is available on the event’s website.
Packets for the race can be picked up at the SPHS cafeteria Dec. 6 from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. or on the morning of the event Dec. 7 from 6:30 a.m. to 7:45 a.m.
Registration for the 5K/10K Run/Walk is $45 (add $5 for walk-up registration on day of race), and the Tiger Cub Run is $20.
Free parking is available on streets surrounding SPHS, on Monterey Road and Fremont Avenue. The Gold Line station is located two blocks north of the start line. There is no parking on Diamond Street of the south side of Monterey Road.
To register, visit sptigerrun.com. For more information, contact sphsboosterclub1@gmail.com.
