wellness
Parkrun Long Beach: 2 Free Weekly 5K Events
Find free parkrun 5K events in Long Beach every Saturday. Two locations offer timed runs at El Dorado Park and nearby sites for all fitness levels.
How we reported this
Long Beach parkrun participation reached 187 runners at the most recent Saturday event on July 4, 2026, at one of the city’s two main sites.
Interest in these timed outdoor runs has grown steadily since the programs resumed full schedules after earlier disruptions, giving residents a no-cost way to track fitness progress in neighborhood parks rather than paying for gym memberships or race entries. Morning temperatures in July make the early start times practical for avoiding midday heat along the coast.
East side option at El Dorado Park
The established parkrun at El Dorado Park begins at 8 a.m. from the main lot off Studebaker Road near Spring Street. Runners follow a flat 5K loop that circles the park’s central lake and passes the archery range before returning to the start. The course uses permanent distance markers and timed results posted online the same day.
A second option operates at Heartwell Park on Carson Street between Cherry Avenue and Paramount Boulevard. This event also starts at 8 a.m. and covers a measured route through the park’s tree-lined paths and open fields, with water stations provided by volunteer marshals at the 2K and 4K points.
Registration and next steps
Both locations require free online registration through the parkrun website before the first run, a step completed by more than 4,200 local participants since the Long Beach events launched in 2019. Runners receive a unique barcode that records their time without any entry fee.
Those planning to attend can check current course conditions on the city’s parks website or arrive 15 minutes early for a short briefing. New runners are paired with guides on request, and results appear by barcode number within hours of the finish.