Runners speed past sea life during Aquarium of the Pacific 5K

The Aquarium of the Pacific has plenty of “athletic” animals: fast-moving sharks, contortionist jellies, acrobtic otters and … running humans?

Yep, at least on Saturday morning, Oct. 14, when the popular tourist attraction hosted the annual Aquarium of the Pacific 5K, as part of Long Beach Marathon weekend.

While the main 26.2-mile event is on Sunday, hundreds of people, including families, participated in a 5-kilometer jaunt that took them through the Aquarium of the Pacific and past all of the facility’s lovable sea creatures. Participants received some swag for running in the 5K, including an aquarium-themed finishers medal.

The 5K began at the aquarium, with participants then making their way around Shoreline Village Park, past the lighthouse in ShoreLine Aquatic Park and over the Queensway Bridge. After that, they turned around and finished the race by running through the aquarium.

As the participants made their way through the aquarium and toward the finish line, the facility’s staffers and mascots — and, one would hope, at least a couple of supportive otters — cheered them on.

Source: Orange County Register