The 49th Annual Mission Inn Foundation Run arrives this year alongside another milestone: the 150th anniversary of the Mission Inn Hotel & Spa. Runners, walkers and their dogs will take to the streets of Riverside on October 18, with proceeds benefiting the Mission Inn Foundation and Museum.
"There is something particularly special about celebrating the 49th Annual Mission Inn Foundation Run during the Mission Inn Hotel & Spa's 150th anniversary year," Mindy Griffith, executive director of the Mission Inn Foundation and Museum, told the Raincross Gazette. "The Run has always been closely tied to Riverside's history and the Mission Inn Hotel & Spa's place within our community, so the timing gives us another opportunity to celebrate that remarkable legacy."
Griffith said this year's race also sets up next year's 50th anniversary event. "We're honoring an extraordinary milestone for the Mission Inn Hotel & Spa this year while looking ahead to a major milestone of our own in 2027," Griffith said.
Proceeds fund the foundation's ongoing work, including collection preservation, exhibits, educational programming and historical research, rather than one specific restoration project. Griffith called the run the foundation's largest annual fundraiser, saying its success has "a very real impact" on that work throughout the year.
White Park will serve as the hub for race weekend this year, hosting bib and packet pickup, the Health & Wellness Expo and post-race festivities. As part of Walk & Wag, organizers also held a Call for Artists competition, inviting the local arts community to design the official 2026 dog bandana. The winning design will be featured on the bandana given to four-legged participants, bringing together "two things Riverside has an incredible amount of enthusiasm for: its arts community and its dogs," Griffith said.
Organizers are also expanding partnerships with community groups, including the Blue Zones Project Training Moai, Run Riverside, Citrus Run, Road Runners and Mariposa Miles.
The training moai is hosting a 10-week program ahead of race day, meeting every Thursday at 6 p.m. at Fairmount Park near Stewart's Boathouse through Oct. 15. The free sessions are open to all paces and welcome walkers, joggers and runners preparing for the Mission Inn Foundation Run or simply looking to stay active.
The term "moai" comes from Okinawa, Japan, one of the original Blue Zones, and centers on building a strong social circle around a shared interest, Blue Zones Project Riverside told the Raincross Gazette. The Riverside program has grown from a staff-led effort in 2025 to a nearly self-sustaining model now run by community members and local organizations such as Run Riverside, according to Blue Zones Project Riverside. After three successful 10-week running moais and nearly 150 participants, two 2025 participants, Jesus Lopez and Michael Ruiz, will lead the 2026 Mission Inn Run Training Moai.
Blue Zones Project Riverside said groups tend to stay connected well after race day, with participants exchanging numbers and continuing to meet. Two new runners from a previous training moai, Nancy and Michelle, kept training together after the program ended and went on to run the OC Marathon together.
A typical Thursday session opens with a stretch and a route review before participants set off at their own pace, with walkers and runners both accommodated, Blue Zones Project Riverside said. The group reconvenes afterward to rehydrate and share experiences, along with a discussion of the Power 9, the set of lifestyle principles associated with the Blue Zones model.
Blue Zones Project Riverside said the training moai supports the city's broader goal of becoming a certified Blue Zones Community by 2030, tying into annual Gallup Well-Being Index survey data tracking residents' exercise habits and overall well-being.
Jesus Lopez, one of the two 2026 training moai leaders, joined the program at a difficult point in his life, according to Blue Zones Project Riverside. After the loss of his husband, Lopez was searching for a way to move forward, and the training moai gave him more than a place to run. Blue Zones Project Riverside said Lopez ran in his late husband's shoes throughout the program, carrying his memory session after session, and found lasting friendships along the way. At the end of each training session, Lopez would often notice a heart-shaped mark left by his sweat, a detail he came to see as fitting, according to Blue Zones Project Riverside. He now meets regularly with those he met through his first moai and is preparing to lead his second, hoping to give others the same sense of connection and support he found.
Michael Ruiz, the moai's other 2026 leader, has been a volunteer and advocate for Blue Zones Project Riverside since the organization's kickoff event, according to Blue Zones Project Riverside. He has since co-led numerous moais, including hiking groups and the Wine & Unwind Moai, inspired by the Blue Zones "Wine at 5" principle, and takes part in Purpose Workshops and community outreach. Blue Zones Project Riverside said Ruiz has grown more confident speaking with others and sharing his experiences through the program, and that he met his girlfriend at a hiking moai he was attending.
Griffith said the event has become part of Riverside's collective memory over its nearly 50-year history, with generations of families running, volunteering and cheering along the course. "There are certainly bigger races, but there aren't many where you get to experience a course surrounded by this much local history while supporting an organization dedicated to preserving it," Griffith said.
For first-time participants unfamiliar with the Mission Inn, Griffith said the race offers an entry point to something larger than a single event. "They're helping preserve stories," Griffith said, adding that every runner, volunteer and sponsor becomes part of that preservation effort.
More information: The 49th Annual Mission Inn Foundation Run takes place Oct. 18, 2026. Registration and race details are available at missioninnrun.org. The Blue Zones Project Riverside Mission Inn Run Training Moai meets every Thursday at 6 p.m. at Fairmount Park, near Stewart's Boathouse, from August 13 through Oct. 15. RSVP at MissionInnRunMoai26.Eventbrite.com or call (951) 344-1384. For training updates, follow Blue Zones Project Riverside on Instagram.
