FAQs
WeRock stands for “We Run Our Community’s Kids”. We are a noncompetetive marathon training program that teaches middle and high school students mental and physical endurance. In our program and they learn that they are capable of doing hard things.
For Middle School students, we train right after school on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and all campuses will meet together on Saturday mornings. We also meet on the occasional Monday following a race for “Medal Mondays”. Runners will be asked to complete one independent run on their own before Friday. Each campus will have specific training times based on the school bell schedule.
High School will meet on Tuesday and Wednesday afternoons and Saturday mornings
During the week, we train on our School Campuses.
Saturday practices will typically be in Aliso Viejo, Mission Viejo, or Ladera Ranch.
Our races are typically located throughout Orange County, Riverside, and Long Beach*
*Subject to race availability
Our milestones are:
5k distance in October
10k in December
Half Marathon in January
The BIG 3 between March and April (long runs of 18, 20, 22 miles)
Full Marathon (26.2 miles) at the OC Marathon, which is traditionally the first weekend in May
1. A standard watch with a stopwatch function (GPS watch is NOT required)
2. Black shorts or leggings (no team logos, basic brand logos, and simple stripes are acceptable)
3. Handheld running water bottle, hip belt or hydration backpack (they should have pockets to hold
fuel)
4. Good pair of Running shoes
5. Ability to maintain a minimum pace of 15-minutes per mile during the week and a 16-minute per mile pace on Saturdays (which is really not more than a speed walk)
WeROCK has a partnership with Road Runner Sports in Laguna Hills. Mention WeROCK at checkout to receive 10% off.
A Snail’s Pace & Sports Basement also offer a team discount of 10% off.
You may shop anywhere, such as Amazon, Dicks Sporting Goods, or any local running store. Our recommendation is to go into a store, try a few things out, and find out what works best for your runner before buying online if that is the better option. Some runners prefer handheld water bottles, some prefer hip belts, and others like hydration packs.
All Runners will create a Strava profile and join their WeRock school club and the WeRock all-team club in Strava. These groups are set to private. We suggest your athlete profile is set to private as well.
Runners will check in at aid stations along the route each Saturday, and their time will be recorded. Regular pacing reports will be sent out to parents to ensure all runners are keeping with our minimum requirements and on goal.
While we love seeing our runners achieve the incredible milestone of a full marathon, we understand that for some runners it’s just not the time for it. We will work with the runner and parents to alter the training plan as necessary. Many runners who do not do a full marathon will run the OC half marathon instead.
Our races can vary from season to season based on race schedule and availability, but we will do one formal race per month. Traditionally, WeROCK runners have participated in the following races:
- Aquarium of the Pacific 5K, Long Beach
- Dino Dash 5K, Tustin
- Santa Clause for a Cause 10K, Irvine
- Citrus Half Marathon, Riverside
- Surf City Half Marathon, Huntington Beach
- WeRock 10K & 32K (formerly known as the WeRock 20 mile qualifier), Aliso Viejo
- Rock It Racing El Moro, Crystal Cove Newport Beach
- OC Marathon & Half, Newport Beach
Absolutely! You may join as an official WeROCK participant and enjoy all the benefits that our student runners get.
Not ready to commit quite yet? You may join us for any of our practice runs during the week or on Saturdays as long as you sign an Adult Participant Training Run Waiver.
Parents are also welcome to register independently for any races that WeROCK participates in but will be responsible for their packet pick-up if they are not WeROCK Participants themselves.
Besides an amazing experience building mental and physical endurance and camaraderie with
fellow runners your age? You get 2 short sleeve WeROCK run shirts (1-Orange, 1-Color of the year),
a long sleeve run shirt, race medals, and shirts to show off your achievements, and, if you complete
the full or half marathon at the end of the year, a cool finishers Jacket to compliment that awesome
medal to show off your accomplishment!
WeROCK handles race registration and Packet Pick up for all our participants. Runners will receive
their bibs, SWAG, T-Shirts, etc. at the WeROCK compound at each race.
While there is no equal substitute for running with your peers and experiencing the awesome team-building experience we have at practice, we understand that life happens. Many of our participants do other sports throughout the year alongside WeROCK. If you are unable to join us for a practice, you can make it up on your own. Just be sure to log your miles in Strava.
As we progress through the year, however, we have found that the longer miles become more challenging to make up independently. We highly encourage all our participants to join us in taking advantage of our frequent aid stations and the mental boost you can get by running with your peers during our Saturday practices.
Our coaches are vigilant and watch for all our runners. While we can’t keep an eye on every single runner, we do assign a sweeper to ensure no one is falling behind. On Saturdays, we always have a coach as a designated sweeper, and every runner will check in at the aid stations to ensure no one has deviated from the course or fallen behind.
If ever there is a community safety alert, we will alter practices as necessary to ensure the safety of all our participants.
If your runner shows up to a Saturday practice without a watch, water bottle, or appropriate running shoes, they will be sent home. On race days, failure to arrive with the appropriate gear and uniform (appropriate race shirt, black shorts or leggings, water bottle, and proper running shoes) will result in your runner not being able to participate in the race. On weekday practices, your kids will be allowed to stay at practice. However, they will receive a strike. Three strikes can result in sitting out at the next event.
We do not offer a trial period. The history and successes of the program speak for themselves.
WeROCK has been training student-athletes for 15+ years, and parents and coaches have seen their amazing transformation and accomplishments. This is a fantastic program, and your child/student/runner will have a unique and life-changing experience!
WeROCK has doctors and medical professionals on our Board of Directors who oversee and support our training schedule and goals. The non-competitive nature of our program means we see much lower injury rates than many team sports, and our program is designed to not push our kids beyond their capabilities before they’re ready. All our coaches train our runners to go at their own pace and do their best. If severe pains or injuries do occur, we will alter the training program as necessary to cater to individual needs once they have received proper medical diagnosis and treatment and have recovered appropriately. The minimum requirement of a 16-minute per mile pace means kids are not required to push themselves any harder than they are capable.
No, If your runner has already completed a physical exam with a physician within the last 12 months, we only require a signed and stamped form from the physician’s office for the current year. You cannot reuse last season’s Physical form, even if it is within the 12-month period before the next Physical Exam is scheduled.
We do! The WeROCK Summer Trail program meets 3x a week with no Saturday runs. The Summer program lasts about 8 weeks between June and August and will run two races, a 5K and 10K. The summer program runs entirely on dirt trails typically in Mission Viejo (with creek crossings), Aliso Wood Canyon, and Ladera Ranch.
The OC Marathon requires all runners to finish in 7 hours or less. A 7-hour marathon breaks down to 16 minutes per mile.
26.2 Miles!
If our registration window is open, you can find our registration forms HERE
- Create a TeamSnap Account
- Fill Out the Registration Forms
- Wait for a confirmation email from WeROCK confirming we have received everything and have added you to the Roster for your selected Campus
- Login to TeamSnap
- Fill out registration form
- Accept Waivers
- Submit Registration
- Receive Invoice
- Pay Invoice
- Get Physical
- Turn in Physical and EKG form prior to first practice
- Enjoy the experience of a lifetime!
Check out our walkthrough video on our YouTube page HERE
