Exercise and Socialize A Party in Pajamas, And a Beer Garden

They roll out of bed, go out in public dressed as they are when they sleep, some even with their hair still in curlers.
They gather early in the morning and go for a little run.
It’s the PJ 10K, an annual event in Long Beach, CA, a creative concept that’s a party in pajamas.
The Pajama Run, as it is officially known, is a 10K, 5K and 1K event that takes place the end of June, from downtown Long Beach, along the sand, to Belmont Shore and back. It’s as silly as it is scenic. Participants are required to wear PJs – “It is mandatory to wear appropriate clothing” the rules clearly state –and more than 3,000 take part in it (the 2012 race was Saturday, June 30).




To be clear, this a fun event. The post-race Expo has food and vendor tents and in 2012 organizers added a beer garden, in which participants received a cold can of Michelob Ultra and were encouraged to stay throughout the day. The beer garden is open to the public, too, and beers are sold throughout the afternoon ($5 Bud Light and $6 for a Shock Top and Landshark Lager).
The beer garden also has Hooters girls, and in 2012 people who could do the hula hoop for a minute won a free Hooters calendar.




There’s even a post-beer garden party at Shannon’s bar just up the street on Pine Ave.
This kind of activity is what I like to refer to as “exercise and socialize.”
So enjoy the photos, but as a veteran of such things, I do have a few suggestions for the beer garden to make it a real, rocking party:
• Open it a half hour after the start of the race. People want to go in immediately after the finish; eventually it will be nearly as popular as the Super Bowl 10K’s beer garden up the coast in Redondo Beach.
• Have music in the beer garden and put the DJ by the beer garden entrance (a radio station set up inside, but too late to be effective and it was at the back of the large area). Better yet, have a band!
• Hold the costume contest in the beer garden.


• Keep the Hooters girls!
To register for next year’s event, check out its website at: www.lbpajamarun.com.











Leave a Reply