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COUNTDOWN TO THE STARTING LINE

Events

Plover Dash (5k)

Price: $43.40
incl. $3.40 Fee
Time: 8:00AM PDT 11:30AM PDT
Price increases after December 6, 2025 at 11:59pm PST

Brown Pelican (10k)

Price: $48.70
incl. $3.70 Fee
Time: 8:00AM PDT 11:30AM PDT
Price increases after December 6, 2025 at 11:59pm PST

Fuzzy Feathers Kids Run

Price: $22.20
incl. $2.20 Fee
Time: 9:00AM PDT 9:30AM PDT
Registration ends April 25, 2026 at 11:59am PDT

5K Plogging

Price: $43.40
incl. $3.40 Fee
Time: 8:00AM PDT 11:30AM PDT
Price increases after December 6, 2025 at 11:59pm PST

10K Plogging

Price: $48.70
incl. $3.70 Fee
Time: 8:00AM PDT 11:30AM PDT
Price increases after December 6, 2025 at 11:59pm PST

Beach Clean up only

Price: $0
Time: 8:00AM PDT 11:30AM PDT
Registration ends April 25, 2026 at 8:00am PDT

$0

Raised of $100,000

$0
$100,000
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Event Description

Amigos De Bolsa Chica, in conjunction with Bolsa Chica State Beach is hosting a run/walk/beach cleanup for Earth Day! 

Run for the Birds, Run for the Planet, Run for Earth Day!

Run and walk along the beach on a flat, fast, and paved course.  The event is at Bolsa Chica State Beach, Saturday April 25, 2026 -- all races start at 8:00 AM, but be there beforehand for FREE BEACH PARKING! 

You can register to run/walk a Plover Dash 5K, Brown Pelican 10K, Fuzzy Feathers fun run (for the kiddos), 5K Plogging (picking up litter while jogging), 10K Plogging, or a Beach Clean Up with State Beach!

Every participant in the Plover Dash 5K, Brown Pelican 10K, and Plogging events will recieve:

🏅 Custom Commemorative Medal – designed exclusively for this event.
👕 Limited-Edition Race Shirt – created by a local artist, featuring a different Bolsa Chica bird each year (a collectible piece of art you’ll want to wear proudly).
📸 Free Race Day Photos – downloadable and shareable, NO hidden costs.
🏆 Overall & Age Group Awards – recognition for top finishers in multiple categories.
⏱️ New & Professional Chip Timing – results automatically synced to Athlinks.
🎪 Finish Line Festival – with vendors, product samples, music, and HB community vibes.

🌴 Race Day Details
📍 Location: Lot 25, Bolsa Chica State Beach
🕖 Check-in: 7:00 AM - 
🏁 5K & 10K Start: 8:00 AM
🦜 Kids Fun Run: 9:00 AM
FREE Beach Parking — but we encourage you to go green!
🚲 Bike to the event and enjoy our safe-keeping Bike Valet just steps from the start line.
🎒 Gear Check Available – store your personal items securely while you run.

**Fuzzy Feathers Kids Run participants recieve commemorative medals & special prizes for their participation**

Check in begins at 7am in lot 25 at Bolsa Chica State Beach.  5K and 10K begin at 8am.  Kids fun run starts at 9am.  

Bonus Highlights

  • Environmental Impact – proceeds go to educational programs for children, schools, & the public; optional plogging categories combine running with cleanup.

  • Community Connection – a welcoming event for runners, walkers, families, and volunteers!

Proceeds help the Amigos de Bolsa Chica's (a 501c3 non-profit established in 1976) efforts to offer environmental leadership roles to all by providing community-based education programs centered on the Bolsa Chica that create greater awareness of coastal California's threatened biodiversity. 

There is a family friendly expo before and after the race, showing what the Amigos de Bolsa Chica is all about.  Look at Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve water samples through microscopes, learn about the wetlands and the birds that visit there, and explore what we can do to protect the environment and the wildlife of the wetlands.

Join us this Earth Day — and make your miles matter. 🌎💚
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State Beach Entrance

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Directions for State Beach Entrance

Our event location changed a bit this year!  The EVENT and STARTING LINE will in Lot 25 at Bolsa Chica State Beach, but to get FREE BEACH PARKING at Bolsa Chica State Beach, you need to come in through the main entrance on Pacific Coast Highway!

 

Map Location

 
Be sure to enter through the MAIN KIOSK from Pacific Coast Highway **be sure to tell them you are here for the Running is for the Birds for FREE beach parking**
Turn right once you are inside the State Beach
Drive all the way down to the end - Lot 25 is the last parking lot near Warner.
Lot 25 will likely be full - park in lot 24 or 23

 


Our Story & Mission

🌿 Fifty years ago, we went to court to protect Southern California’s Bolsa Chica wetlands from development — and sparked a movement. Today, we continue that mission by tackling the challenges of a rapidly changing climate through research, science, and education.
Our work protects the health of wetlands and oceans for generations to come — but we can’t do it alone.
💚 Join the movement to preserve our coastline — and stay connected to our conservation stories, field updates, and community events.

🎥 Subscribe to the Amigos de Bolsa Chica YouTube Channel and be part of the journey to protect and restore our coastal ecosystems.
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Any questions? Contact us today!

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