It’s officially running weekend in Long Beach! With the arrival of the inaugural Children Today 5k on Saturday and the 25th Long Beach Marathon on Sunday, some of the best and more inspirational athletes from across the city and beyond will take to the streets to display their athletic prowess and bring attention to good causes with the grand city of Long Beach as their backdrop. Also, some streets will be closed.

The Children Today 5k is sponsored by local non-profit Children Today and Long Beach City College, which will be hosting the event this Saturday beginning at 9:00am. The course runs through LBCC’s Pacific Coast Campus and will benefit Children Today’s work in assisting children dealing with homelessness. Runners also et free admission to the annual LBCC Reggae Festival, which will be held at 12:00pm directly following the race. You can still sign up! Visit the website here or e-mail Miles Nevin (miles@childrentoday.org) for more information.

The starter’s pistol for the 25th annual Long Beach Marathon will sound at 7:00am this Sunday morning, at the starting line near the Convention Center parking lot on Shoreline Drive. The course heads down Ocean Boulevard and 2nd Street in Belmont Shore, making its way through the campus at Cal State Long Beach and looping back downtown. Promoters tout the fact that 80% of the course boasts an ocean view; pretty impressive in its own right. Of course, that means it will be a bit difficult for the rest of us to maneuver through town, so check this Press-Telegram chart for the streets you should avoid on Sunday.

Visit runlongbeach.com for more information. Good luck to the athletes!

Disclosure: staging-live.lbpost.com co-founder and Long Beach City Councilmember Robert Garcia is a Children Today board member and a Long Beach City College employee. Click here read our policy on covering the Long Beach City Council.

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