Mission Inn Run 2025 Race Report

We had a blast at the 2025 Mission Inn Run. I met all my goals. My husband didn't get to run his race, but he seems okay with that. We got two nights in the hotel without our kid, since he stayed the night at his grandma's house. That was a first!

The event itself: Where? How long? When? Weather?

This event benefits a historic landmark that has been a hotel for over a century. It was restored 30 years ago, but needs constant maintenance to remain a cultural landmark. It's been a stop for travelers for 150 years. It even served as dormitories for UC Riverside at one point in the mid-20th century. Nixon was married there, so was Bette Davis, Reagan honeymooned there. My husband and I spent our wedding night there and all of our out-of-town guests stayed there for the wedding weekend. The weather on race day was ideal. Sunday, October 19th, 2025. Mostly Sunny. Low: 54℉ High: 79℉.

Course description and evaluation of event logistics

The 10k course goes through Fairmount Park, along the Santa Ana River Bike Trail (SART), around Mt Rubidoux and re-joins the half marathoners at Ryan Bonaminio Park. You climb Palm Ave, adjacent to Evergreen Memorial Park, go over the Buena Vista bridge. Then it's mostly flat or downhill through the Eastside neighborhood, which is one of Riverside's oldest residential neighborhoods. Founded in 1870, the Eastside was originally home to many workers in Riverside's citrus industry. It is known for being one of the most walkable neighborhoods in the city. Large trees, wide boulevards, lots of gardens and shade. At 3rd Street, the 5k merged with the 10k and half marathon. It re-energized me for the last mile.

How did you train for the event?

The training that helped me most was beach miles with valley runners Los Angeles x Goodr. I changed my split from 2 min run / 1 min walk to 2 min run / 30 sec walk and I did practice that on my last long run before the race (8 miles). I'm following the LA Road Runners level 3 plan for the Los Angeles Marathon. This was supposed to be a taper week. We have 20 more weeks until the full marathon.

Gear and Nutrition

I carried very little with me. I knew roughly where the water stops would be. The 10k had four water stations. I also knew where the photographer would be. 😉 I wore my new Crowned Athletic flow top, red Arabian Nights. People called me "red dragon" or just "red." One guy said it looked like a troll threw up on me, since I had glitter on my face and a sequin headband. Sorry, I passed you, on the right, going up a hill, LOL.

I drank an electrolyte drink (325 mL) electrolit during my warm-up walk. I probably drank 2 cups of coffee with one packet of collagen in the hotel room. I ate one Rx bar 1 hour prior to the race start. I ate two fruit strips about 15 minutes prior to race start. I waited until I passed the 3 mile mark to take my Gu Raspberry Lemonade flavor. I took the Gu much earlier last year and got tired in mile 5. I felt strong and powerful throughout the race all the way into the finish line. My heart was pounding but I stayed in zone 4.

Specific experiences

My goal was to make it to the kids race. I did make it. But it felt like my mouth was totally dry. I couldn't run with my son, he's definitely faster than me on a good day. But that cottonmouth feeling was so bizarre. I ate two bananas and drank about 16 oz of water between my race and his. I had to speed walk from the finish line back to the start line to catch him in time. I had about 10 minutes to spare.

I had a profound thought between miles 1 and 2. This was my first 10k race as a marathoner. Even though I had already done the Bimbo Global race this season, I didn't feel that it was as important as the Mission Inn Run. I felt the sense of pride that I have experienced a marathon build and now racing a 10k seems like no big deal, just a stepping stone during a taper week, on my way to training for the full marathon. It gave me a sense of peace and allowed me to settle in to the race.

Finish and associated emotions

I was happy when I finished. I wasn't looking at my watch while running. I was just looking at my Gym Boss. I told myself not to worry the whole race about finish time. But I knew from my playlist and from the time on the clock at the finish line that I was going to make it. We ran past the start line and I saw my son and husband there. It was so cute to hear them cheering. My son wanted a hug but I gave him 2 high fives instead.

Overall evaluation of the event

Overall, I loved this event. Really enjoyed my time in Riverside. There were enough port-a-potties to use before all the races. Enough people were milling about starting very early, like 5am, so if you want to walk to warm up like we did, you wouldn't have to feel unsafe. The weather was great. By the race start at 7:45am, the sun was up and very bright.

Budget

$900 for three nights

$139.24 for parking & incidentals

$129.70 for race registration

$59.78 for gas

$284.28 for Crowned Athletic stuff from 70% off sale

$291.95 for food & dining

$1804.95 for the race weekend