"No one ever regrets showing up for a run," Beth Crider told the Ladera Ranch community magazine's October 2025 issue, "but people always regret hitting 'snooze.'"
That line belongs to the woman who started the Ladera Ranch Run Club. A year after that profile ran, her group is hosting the community's first Ladera Run for Hope at Town Green this Saturday, October 24. The race is new, but everything behind it grew from one standing Thursday-morning meetup outside a coffee shop on Crown Valley Parkway. That meetup is still the easiest way in, before race day and after it.
A Start Time Set by a Coffee Order
The club meets every Thursday at 6:15 a.m. outside Oslo Coffee Co. This Thursday, October 22, is one of them. Shop & Dine Ladera Ranch's listing for the club says all levels and all paces are welcome, and that the only steps are to show up and lace up. Oslo is at 25642 Crown Valley Parkway, Suite E1.
An older run-club directory from 2024 gave the start as 7 a.m. The current Shop & Dine listing says 6:15, and that is the time to plan around.
Crider explained in the same October 2025 profile where the idea came from. She had run since high school and finished her first marathon in college. When she lived in Dallas, she joined a run club there that "truly became my family." After moving to Ladera Ranch she wanted to build the same thing here, and she said she "finally got the courage to do it last year." Given when that profile was published, the club started around 2024.
She told the magazine that her favorite part is the conversation:
"There is just something different about the conversations and stories that come up when you run side-by-side versus a face-to-face interaction."
The profile also said that not everyone talks. Some members put their music on and run. The club has made a point of welcoming people who worry they are "too slow" or "just starting."
That is a low bar on purpose. There's no registration and no fee listed, and the start point is the same storefront every week. The same weekly meetup is the group now putting on a race.
What the Club Had in the Works a Year Ago
The October 2025 profile described themed runs the club was planning, including one where runners would wear pink for Breast Cancer Awareness Month. It also mentioned occasional joint "Ultimate Run Club" outings with running groups from surrounding cities.
This October, the club's fundraising run comes with a partner and a cause. The Ladera Run for Hope is hosted by the Ladera Ranch Run Club together with Ladera Ranch Community Services, or LARCS, and benefits Breast Cancer Solutions. LaderaLife's event page calls it the inaugural run and invites people to run or walk with friends, family and neighbors.
Breast Cancer Solutions describes its mission as direct assistance, community referrals and support for breast cancer patients in Orange, Riverside and San Bernardino counties, including temporary financial help and patient navigation. The Eventbrite registration page says proceeds benefit the organization and that "funds stay local."
So a community group that already runs on a weekly schedule is putting on a fundraiser for a regional patient-support nonprofit, with LARCS as its partner. That partnership is why the event appears on the community calendar alongside the familiar Town Green programs.
Friday Night to Saturday Morning, by the Clock
The weekend starts the evening before the race. Here is the schedule as the organizers have published it.
| When | What | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Friday, Oct. 23, 6 to 8 p.m. | Pink Party packet pickup with race shirt, packet, treats and goodies | lululemon, Mission Viejo Mall |
| Saturday, Oct. 24, 6:30 a.m. | Start and finish area opens | Town Green, 28801 Sienna Parkway |
| 6:50 a.m. | Survivors' celebration | Town Green |
| 7:00 a.m. | Run and walk begin | Town Green |
| 9:00 a.m. | Event window closes | Town Green |
If Friday evening doesn't work, the LaderaLife page says to arrive early Saturday and collect your shirt and packet before the start.
The Eventbrite listing covers the rest of the logistics. The event is open to all ages, parking is free, and every registered participant gets a shirt, a medal, water on the course and snacks at the finish. Registration has a no-refunds policy.
As of this week, the listing doesn't post a race distance or a route map, and it doesn't say whether you can sign up on race day. Its FAQ asks both questions but leaves them unanswered. Before you set an alarm or bring a group, check the registration page for the current price and any updates, or email the club at [email protected].
You don't have to run to take part. The event page links a volunteer sign-up form. Local businesses interested in sponsoring can contact Katherine Harbison at the Ladera Ranch Chamber of Commerce at [email protected].
A note on the name: the Chamber's calendar lists the same Town Green morning as "Ladera Ranch Run for a Cause." The date, time and place match, so it is one event under two names.
After Saturday, the Calendar Resets to Thursday
The Thursday run keeps going after race day. The Oslo meetup is back on October 29 and continues weekly after that. For anyone whose first group run happens at Town Green this weekend, that is the next step.
For runners who want another race on the calendar, Thanksgiving morning is the closest one, and there are two well-established options within a short drive.
- Turkey Trot on the Ranch, Rancho Mission Viejo, Thursday, Nov. 26. The 10K starts at 8:00 a.m. and the 5K at 8:30 a.m. Both start at The Pavilion, 2 Tierno Road, and finish at Sendero Field, 29201 Ortega Highway. The Little Gobbler's 1K starts and finishes at Sendero Field at 10:00 a.m. RunSignup currently lists the 10K at $48.70, the 5K at $43.40 and the 1K at $16.90 with fees included. Registration for the 10K and 5K closes at 9:00 a.m. on race day.
- Dana Point Turkey Trot, Thursday, Nov. 26. This one runs at Dana Point Harbor, with a 5K, a 10K, a combined 15K and a kids' one-mile race, plus a costume contest and a fitness expo. According to the race-info page, the 10K starts at 7 a.m., 5K waves go at 8:30, 9:30 and 10 a.m., and the kids' mile starts at 10:30 a.m.
Between Saturday and Thanksgiving there are four more Thursdays, and each one starts outside Oslo Coffee Co. That is roughly a month of 6:15 a.m. runs, enough to go from a first run-walk at Town Green to a Thanksgiving 5K with people you already know. Crider's original plan was a running group here that would feel like the one she had in Dallas. The profile pointed readers to @laderaranchrunclub for upcoming runs and invited them to lace up and join.
The next chance to show up is Saturday, October 24, at 6:30 a.m. on Town Green, and after that, every Thursday at 6:15 at 25642 Crown Valley Parkway.
At Ladera Realty, we've watched many Ladera Ranch traditions start the way this one did, with a few neighbors and a standing time on the calendar. If you're new to the community and want to know which groups, meetups and morning routines will help you settle in, we're glad to share what we know. Connect with Our Local Experts.
