A four-decade-old run that begins and ends in downtown Riverside and challenges participants to trek around local landmarks in hilly terrain will be held Sunday.
The 41st annual Mission Inn Run will featur a 13-mile “half-marathon,” as well as 10K and 5K contests coursing through neighborhoods and along the Santa Ana River bottom.
All of the excursions begin and end on Market Street, between Second and Fifth streets, near the Mission Inn Hotel & Spa, according to organizers.
In observance of Veterans Day, registration fees will be reduced $5 for former and active-duty military personnel.
Teams and individuals will be invited to take part in each of the contests, which are organized by the nonprofit Mission Inn Foundation. About three-dozen businesses, private nonprofits and government entities are sponsoring this year’s run.
The half-marathon will travel a course that takes athletes north to Lake Evans, through Fairmount Park, around Mt. Rubidoux and past Carlson Dog Park, along the Santa Ana River bottom to a pumping station, where participants will reverse course and return to the Mission Inn via Third Street.
The 10K circuit approximates the longer trek, but runners will return to the downtown space after going only about half the distance parallel to the river bottom.
The 5K contest steers around Lake Evans and back to the Mission Inn without circumnavigating Mt. Rubidoux.
Organizers said there will be lighter jogs for youths and small children, remaining in the downtown area as part of this year’s “Kids’ Fitness Festival.”
For the first time, a “beer garden” will be set up at the finish line for participants of drinking age.
The event is slated to last from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.
More information is available at missioninnmuseum.org/ .