Welcome back to The Sunstone Way.
Are you a runner? I’m more of a jogger myself, although I can pick up the pace when necessary.
Taking it Seriously
My partner and Sunstone’s Chief Investment Officer, Mike Stone, takes running pretty seriously. He trained for months in order to run in the recent Los Angeles Marathon with his daughter.
We’re talking 26.2 miles here. That’s a challenge for anyone – I guess that’s why marathon means a strenuous challenge that goes on for a long time.
As Mike tells it, there was a bit of starting and stopping, some stretching and worrying. But he and his daughter made it to the finish line. They accomplished their goal. We celebrate them for that.
A Bit Shorter
I work out a lot, and fitness is important to me. But I confine my running to distances considerably shorter than marathons. Finishing a 5K is a fine accomplishment.
That’s not the primary reason the Irvine Dream Run is a 5K, then a fun family 3K, but it makes me happy that I can reasonably expect to finish the run.
Notice I said run, not race. The Dream Run is open not only to runners and joggers, but also to walkers and strollers. It’s a good Saturday morning in the park.
Some History
We launched the Irvine Dream Run last spring as part of Irvine Tech Week. By “we” I mean Sunstone Management, American Lending Center and the Sunstone Community Fund. Our founder John Chen came up with the concept both as a fun way to network and as a fundraiser for our nonprofit donor-advised fund, the Sunstone Community Fund.
Our team, led by Economic Development Officer Jayro Sandoval and Marketing and Communications Manager Jennifer Huang, work for months to put the inaugural Irvine Dream Run together.
Nearly 400 runners and 75 volunteers gathered at Mike Ward Community Park in Irvine on a beautiful Saturday April morning. After the 5K, a 3K First Gen Color Run celebrated the many first-generation immigrants who have successfully settled in and around Irvine to pursue the American Dream.
The goal of raising $50,000 was met, allowing SCF to continue supporting a network of universities, nonprofit organizations, and public-private partnerships which help innovative entrepreneurs and startups.
Bigger, Better This Year
Our second annual Dream Run – this year on Saturday, April 26 – has all the components to be a bigger, better and more diverse event this year. We have moved the run to the Irvine Great Park, next to the trademark giant orange helium balloon. After the runs, there will be a post-race expo complete with a bouncy house, live music, food trucks, booths from our vendors, and more.
The 5K is now simply the Irvine Dream Run – Irvine Tech Week has moved to another part of the year. The 3K Family Fun Run has been dubbed the Unicorn Run to celebrate the fanciful mythical creature. Costumes are invited!
The more ambitious of us can take on both runs – I tried that last year. Definitely doable. For details and to sign up, click here. There are still some spots for sponsors, too. Email Jayro at Jayro.Sandoval@sunstonecities.com if you are interested.
Time To Get Together
While you are signing up, get your family and friends to sign up too. Sure, you can run by yourself, but it’s more fun when you have someone, or a lot of someones, running with you.
Ask Mike. It’s important to have a teammate to encourage you, to help maintain your pace – and it’s just as important that you have someone to encourage.
Running, just like working, can be a solitary endeavor. But doing it with a team is not only more productive and easier, it’s more fun!
That’s why we talk so much about our team, and why partnership is such a key to success at Sunstone. You might be able to go fast alone, but you can go far together. That’s the Sunstone Way.
Remember, always be a Sunstone! See you at the Dream Run.
John Keisler
CEO & Managing Partner
Sunstone Management, Inc.
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©Sunstone Management, Inc. 2025