Let's break it down, shall we?
Pre-race:
For what you get, this race was really reasonably priced. I registered the week of the race and paid $35 which included the race fee, admission to the post race concert/brewfest, and a glass for unlimited tastings of beer. There were yogurt/bananas at the finish, but no other food was included.
There was plenty of parking across the street from the venue. It was about a 5-10 minute walk. The race did provide gear check so you didn't need to walk back to your car if you didn't want to. You could pay extra for VIP parking which I may do next time. Explanation on that later.
The race:
Registration was open day of the race, so it had not sold out. That being said, it was a good size race with about 1000 runners/walkers finishing.
The corrals had pace signs, although as is typical with local 5k's, many people either didn't know what pace they ran or just blatantly ignored the signs. This is one of my pet peeves and why I have been running fewer and fewer 5K's. But, I digress.
The race starts off downhill and then turns into a little neighborhood. This was the fun part of the race. Many families were out in their front yards playing country music and cheering. A few kids has hoses and squirt guns to cool off the runners. It was a loop around the neighborhood, so you passed the water stop on your way in and on the way out at approximately mile 1 and 2. Then, it was back out onto the main road to go back up the hill and into the athletic complex.
The best part of any race is having your name announced as you cross the finish. Andy Schachat of Announcers on the Run is the best of the best. I don't ever feel right crossing a finish line he's not announcing. So, of course, having his call my name at the finish is always a big thrill, no matter how many times it has happened.
Post-Race:
After the race, you are given a tiny tasting glass and head down a short path to a baseball field. There were several breweries and food trucks set up along the outfield. The band was playing and a pallets were stacked at home plate for the bonfire. Initially the lines were a little long for the beer samples, but as people started to wander off to get food and sit and listen to the band, the lines got shorter.
However, the band did stop to take a break right at what should have been the height of the after party, so it was a bit of a buzz kill. As mentioned before, if I do this race again, I may opt for VIP parking in order to have a chair or blanket to grab to sit on in the field. Overall, this was a fun, well run, reasonably priced event. I would certainly run this one with friends again.
However, the band did stop to take a break right at what should have been the height of the after party, so it was a bit of a buzz kill. As mentioned before, if I do this race again, I may opt for VIP parking in order to have a chair or blanket to grab to sit on in the field. Overall, this was a fun, well run, reasonably priced event. I would certainly run this one with friends again.
