Pasadena hosted its first Lululemon Run With the Roses 5K on January 1, 2024. As soon as midnight hits the New Year, the horns blow for runners and walkers to complete the 3.1-mile tour along the iconic Tournament of Roses Parade route.
This was a very fun event and a great way to kick off the new year strong! Apparently, this idea originated from the Lululemon Pasadena Run Club, and it spawned into a huge success.
the logistics before the run
Registering was as simple as logging on to the special Lululemon Run With the Roses 5K website, entering your details, and paying $29. You could also register and pay on behalf of your guests under your email as well. Closer to the actual run date, you’ll receive an email about picking up the bib.
In all honesty, I was a bit confused about when the actual 5K was happening. It said New Year’s Day midnight, so for some reason, I thought it was midnight from December 30 to the 31st, not the 31st to the 1st, literally when the new year starts. Lululemon ended up updating their website to indicate December 31 at 11:59:59PM.
the lululemon pop-up store
Lululemon set up a pop-up store diagonally across from the Lululemon Pasadena store. This was to divert traffic and showcase the cute collab clothes between Lululemon and Pasadena’s iconic rose logo.
I was absolutely in love with the gray Scuba Oversized Half-Zip Hoodie. It had a cute Lululemon / Pasadena logo embroidered on the hoodie. The other clothes had the logo screen printed.
Picking up the bib was hassle-free. You show them the email with the QR code, and they scan the bib for you. They also included some sunscreen samples from Supergoop.
the race day
Leave it to me to take on a 90-minute Barry’s Bootcamp class on the day of the 5K. Since Colorado Blvd and street parking nearby were closed, we had to coordinate the best options for parking. It’s best to arrive earlier so you’re not wasting your energy running to the starting line from wherever you park.
The starting line is at the Pasadena Lululemon store, and you run down Colorado Blvd until you hit Hill Ave, then you loop back down Colorado Blvd until you hit The Paseo. If you’re familiar with Pasadena, you’ll know the major points of interest. I’m not familiar with anything east of Lake Ave, so I was dreadful about where Hill Ave was.
I had a knee and ankle injury, so I paced myself to jog the entire 5K. I was so proud of myself for only walking for 1 minute throughout the whole route. The experience was great because there were hundreds of campers along Colorado Blvd who were cheering the participants on. Everything just worked out.
room for improvement
Considering how this is the FIRST Lululemon Run With the Roses 5K, it went really well. There is always room for improvement. I appreciate that huge signs were showing the mile pace. However, when the race started, the crowd turned into a stampede.
Another issue was at the finish line, where the line for the medal, water, and snacks was chaotic. I think I waited 5 minutes to get a medal when I finished the race because there were so many people. If the event anticipates thousands of participants, they need to figure out a way to get people through quickly.
Lululemon Run With the Roses was a BIG hit overall. I enjoyed it, had a great time, and already crossed off my New Year’s goal of running a 5K! This was a great way to start off 2024 strong.
Lululemon has a 10K coming up in Los Angeles!
