2012 Gritty City Race Schedule

The 2012 race season is underway and we wanted to make sure everyone was up to date on our planned races throughout 2012. We’ve already had a great turnout running and volunteering at the Chinatown Firecracker Run and we’ve had other members also run 2 other USATF races. Anyone is welcome to run more USATF Races than the ones listed below. Below is a link and summary for more information.

http://www.scagrandprix.org/

February 26, 2012 – Brea 8K – USATF

This is a great early season, very fast race!

March 18, 2012 – LA Marathon – USATF

The Stadium to the Sea course is in its 3^rd year and the popularity for this race only grows each year.

March 24, 2012 – Race for the Cure – 5K – Dodger Stadium

Running to support a great cause, can’t miss this.

April 16, 2012 – Boston Marathon

Good luck to all who are talented (and lucky) enough to get in!

May 20, 2012 – Pasadena Marathon and Half Marathon – USATF

Will it rain for a 4^th year in a row? New course including a run across the Colorado St. Bridge.

July 4, 2012 – Nautica Semena 15K – Santa Barbara USATF Race

Get your run in before the afternoon BBQ’s and fireworks!

August 26, 2012 – Road Mile – El Toro USATF

Lets really put to work all our track workouts and test our speed in this classic 1-mile road race!

October 7, 2012 – Chicago Marathon

One of the finest and most popular marathons in the country.

October 7, 2012 – Santa Monica 5000 (and 10000) – USATF

For those of us staying local this weekend, here is another great race for us to score points for our team.

November 4, 2012 – Dino Dash 5K – Tustin – USATF

Let’s stay sharp late in the year with this cooler weather 5K

November 22, 2012 – Thanksgiving Day – Turkey Trot – TBD

December 9, 2012 – Holiday Half Marathon – Pomona – USATF

Last USAT&F race of the year just before the Holiday’s. 

Interview with Andrew Fan

Hi everyone, this is the first part (of what I hope) will be a regular series on the website. I'm interviewing Andrew Fan, one of the newer members of Gritty City Track Club. Let's get right into it:

John: Hi Andrew, so how long have you been running?

Andrew: Although I started running 3 mile distances on and off about 7~8 years ago, I didn’t get serious about running until about 2 years ago.

John: That's awesome, so what got you into running?

Andrew: I joke with people saying that I run for calories burned, which has truth in it, but I realized that I was severely out of shape and overweight. I knew that something had to change.

John: What other running clubs have you been a part of?

Andrew: Pasadena Pacers.

John: Oh the Pasadena Pacers is one of my favorite groups! That’s actually the first running group I joined as well. So how does the group at Gritty City differ from our friends at the Pacers?

Andrew: The Gritty City seems to have a lot of experienced, competitive runners that know how to balance being very serious about running, yet still enjoying it. You can see how they all have a love
and passion for it, which encourages me push myself harder to excel at something I love doing.

John: So recently, I saw a YouTube video of you from the show "Wipeout". I have to admit this is one of the funniest things I have seen in a very long time. How did this come about? (Here’s the link for those of you who want to witness Andrew in all of his glory http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MfoiIM9v03A )

Andrew: I used to watch the show on a regular basis and thought "man, that looks fun!" and “shoot, I could do that too.” I’ve never had issues with making a fool of myself in front of people, so why not
make a fool of myself on a national stage?

John: Wow after that experience, I'm sure you are ready for some Mud Runs. What does your upcoming race schedule look like?

Andrew: Although I don’t have any Mud Runs in mind yet, I’ve got the Rock and Roll Pasadena, LA Marathon, Hollywood Half Marathon, Ragnar SoCal, Pasadena Marathon [half], Fontana Days Run, and Rock and Roll San Diego planned. It’s quite a lot of races, but I enjoy the atmosphere and experience.

John: Awesome, I'm sure you'll do great in those races. Now what do you do in your free time, besides running? What are your other passions?

Andrew: While I joked saying I run for calories burned, I have a passion for food. It doesn’t have to be wagyu steaks and foie gras – if it tastes good, I’m always down for a good eat. I’m an Yelp Elite
member, so I go around trying new foods and write about my experiences.

John: That's great Andrew. Any last words you wanna share?

Andrew: Do you have some Grey Poupon?