History

After running in their first half-marathon in 2007, Jodi Miller and her friends formed a running club in Ladera Ranch called Ladera Legs, whose goal was to establish camaraderie among runners and walkers in the community and to share a love of running. The running club is a non-profit organization so in addition to providing support to one another in their running endeavors, they also strive to give back to the community and raise funds for charities that are close to their hearts.

The initial idea of starting the running club came from Jodi’s friend Jeff Davis, owner of Ladera Cyclery.  Jeff wanted to put together a cycling race in the community and, after talking to Jodi, they decided to combine their two favorite pastimes and create a running and cycling race in Ladera Ranch.  They thought this would be a great event for the community as well as an excellent way to raise money for charity.  (In 2007, net proceeds went to Juvenile Diabetes Relief Foundation and the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.)

Jeff, Jodi, her husband, Ryan Miller, Stuart McClure, Sue Shaver, Tammy Lane, Jena Schuster and the ladies from Ladera Legs worked tirelessly to put the race together in less than 60 days!  They weren’t sure what the turnout would be, but the event ended up being a big hit with the residents and the feedback was incredible!  The day was crazy with two separate events going on, so they decided to split them up the following year with the run in July and the cycling in August.  As a bonus, the 5K/10K Run and 1K Little Firecracker Dash has been added to the line-up of Ladera Ranch’s renowned 4th of July activities and we can’t think of a better way to kick-off the holiday festivities!