Running: Registration is open for the 34th Super Bowl Sunday 10K/5K Walk/Run to be held Feb. 5. Entry fees are $35 for the 10K, 5K and Baby Buggy races. A combo package for the 10K and 5K is $60. Corporate teams (maximum of six members) cost $180. More than 10,000 people attend the annual event which includes a costume contest and custom awards for the top three finishers in each category. The event will also serve as the USATF Southern California 10K Championships. Michelob Ultra will host a Health and Fitness Expo on Saturday, Feb. 4 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and on Sunday, Feb. 5 from 6 a.m. to noon as well as the post-race hospitality area. For more information or to register, visit www.Redondo10K.com.
The 58th Annual John Hales Memorial Sand and Strand Run returns to Hermosa Beach on Sunday, Feb. 12, after a two-year absence. The event is being re-organized by Club Ed Running, a local community running group coached by Ed Avol, a longtime Manhattan Beach resident and runner. All proceeds go to Project Touch, a non-profit organization working with at-risk teens in the South Bay. The annual event was renamed a few years ago, to honor long-time Hermosa Beach runner John Hales, who loved the event and ran in it every year for decades, prior to his death in 2007. The event starts and finishes on the sand, at the surf, at the Hermosa Beach Pier. This year, there are five races and SIX competitions: the long-time favorite 2.5 mile run (one loop of the course, which runs about half on the sand, half on the Strand); the challenging 5 mile run (2 laps of the 2.5 mile course), and three shorter sand dashes for kids under 10 years of age – a 50 meter sand run for those 5 and under, a 100 meter sand run for those 6-8, and a 200 meter sand run for 9-10 year olds. For the really motivated runners, there is also a Sand King/Sand Queen competition, which requires runners to compete in BOTH the 2.5 AND the 5 mile runs (with standings determined by adding up each runner’s 2.5 and 5 mile finish places). Race fees are $30 for the 2.5 and 5 mile runs, $45 for the combined Sand King/Sand Queen competition, and $15 for the kids’ races (race day fees go up by $5). Event registration is available on-line at Active.com, with mail-in race forms (available at Village Runner, the Hermosa Beach Community Center, and several local stores), or by emailing ed@clubedrunning.com.
Football: Registration is underway for the Beach Cities Sports Youth Flag Football Spring Season, which will begin in March with Friday night, Saturday or Sunday games. The league consists of four divisions for players ages 6-13. A new Future Stars Division for Kindergarten-aged kids has been added. Most games are played at Mira Costa’s Waller Stadium, pitting kids of similar ages in competitive, fast-paced 8-on-8 games. Cost is $250 per player (plus $20 for pants). Fee for the Future Stars Division is $150. Registration ends January 31 and is available at www.bcsflagfootball.com.
Baseball: The Mira Costa PONY Baseball League (MCPBL) is accepting player registration for the Spring 2012 season. Players ages 4-14 are eligible. Registration cost is $150 for players from ages 4 to 12. The cost for players who are 13 and 14 is $275. Registration is available online at www.miracostapony.com. MCPBL is a Manhattan Beach league based at Mira Costa High School which also serves players from El Segundo, Gardena, Hawthorne, Hermosa Beach, Lawndale, Redondo Beach and Westchester.
Volleyball: Registration is now open for The United States Youth Volleyball League spring season. Open to boys and girls ages 7-15, the instructional league teaches the fundamentals of volleyball such as serving, passing, setting, and spiking. Every player who registers will receive a uniform T-shirt, his/her own volleyball, and a participation medal. The league in Hermosa Beach meets at South Park on Mondays and Wednesdays from 6-7 p.m. The season runs from April 11 through June 6. Fees are $145 through March 1 (add $40 late fee through April 1). Multiple child discounts available. Registration is available online at www.USYVL.org. For more information about volunteer opportunities, additional locations, registration forms, or other questions, contact 1-888-988-7985.
Surfing: The South Bay Boardriders Club continues its 2011-12 South Bay Surf Series this month. Open to non-club members, the contests are slated for: Saturday, Feb. 18 at El Porto (sponsored by Dive N’ Surf); Saturday, Mar. 17 at 26th Street, Manhattan Beach (sponsored by Pier Surf); Saturday, April 21 at El Porto (sponsored by Surf Concepts) and Saturday May 19 at the Manhattan Pier (sponsored by Spyder Surf).
Fitness: AdventurePlex, 1701 Marine Ave., Manhattan Beach invites family members ages 5 and up to improve balance, strength and power on its 35-foot outdoor rock walls, which are open every day from 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. Cost is $8. Also available is a Ropes Course where groups of seven (ages 8 and up) start each half hour every Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. – 4 p.m. Cost is $20 and advance registration is recommended. Cost is $8-$20 depending on activities. For more information, call 310-546-7708.
