Ya gotta luv a run at the Beach !!
This 5K event was sponsored by the local community center in Wilmington NC and is only a few miles from Wrightsville Beach (yes, you know why I chose this run for the weekend... laugh!). Most of the route was over an inlet waterway, which has been industrialized, thus the view of the harbor was sporadic but the soft gentle salt water breeze was without a doubt well worth the labor through the heat and humidity on our state's coastline.
The expected turnout was about 150, the actual showing was closer to 75-80 and the age range was close to the races in Charlotte. Smallest crowd yet for any 5K I've participated in and no children this time. Youngest participant was still college age and the oldest was under 70. This race had less than 10 walkers and of the, shall we say, 8 walkers, I came 2nd in that group - - not that I'm stating an achievement - - please understand, the group behind me were walking their dog, strolling and dancing and basically in 'beach mode'.
As for the location, this is a coastal city, but not nearly as busy as say, Myrtle Beach SC, or Tampa FL. Its pace is much more relaxed with less combustion. Really nice area if you are wanting a beach vacation without the long lines and busy crowds. I stayed in a motel near the large retail area on Market Street. At 10:30 pm, no heavy traffic, no long lines at any restaurant or bar, and this was a Friday night in a college town. If you're family oriented or just wanting some relaxation, this area has a lot of attractions and a suitable level of non-congestion.
Back to the race... I'm headed to the water in a few minutes so you know where my mind is... Total beach mode for some participants at the race. A local group, the Wilmington Roadrunners, were the biggest group of participants. The remaining runners/walkers were mostly locals. They ran in flip flops, jesus sandals and panama jack hats - - yes, total beach mode. One of the dog walkers danced the last 100 yards with her dog to the tunes of ABBA blasting out from the sponsors speakers. Just good fun!! The Roadrunners were also the ones responsible for timing the event and distributing awards. The results are not yet posted nor was it an electronically timed (no chips) event, but they did have the digital timer running from start to finish. My personal time was 43:50 - an improvement but still with room to grow towards my goal. The posting may not reflect an accuracy by a difference of 5-15 seconds due to the manner in which they recorded results. A volunteer removes the tag on your shirt and gives it to the registrar seated in the back of a pickup truck who then posts your time to his laptop. It works. I simply noted start/stop times on the digital monitor and am using that. All in all, just a great day at the beach!!
If you're running, stay cool and ENJOY YOURSELF !!
The expected turnout was about 150, the actual showing was closer to 75-80 and the age range was close to the races in Charlotte. Smallest crowd yet for any 5K I've participated in and no children this time. Youngest participant was still college age and the oldest was under 70. This race had less than 10 walkers and of the, shall we say, 8 walkers, I came 2nd in that group - - not that I'm stating an achievement - - please understand, the group behind me were walking their dog, strolling and dancing and basically in 'beach mode'.
As for the location, this is a coastal city, but not nearly as busy as say, Myrtle Beach SC, or Tampa FL. Its pace is much more relaxed with less combustion. Really nice area if you are wanting a beach vacation without the long lines and busy crowds. I stayed in a motel near the large retail area on Market Street. At 10:30 pm, no heavy traffic, no long lines at any restaurant or bar, and this was a Friday night in a college town. If you're family oriented or just wanting some relaxation, this area has a lot of attractions and a suitable level of non-congestion.
Back to the race... I'm headed to the water in a few minutes so you know where my mind is... Total beach mode for some participants at the race. A local group, the Wilmington Roadrunners, were the biggest group of participants. The remaining runners/walkers were mostly locals. They ran in flip flops, jesus sandals and panama jack hats - - yes, total beach mode. One of the dog walkers danced the last 100 yards with her dog to the tunes of ABBA blasting out from the sponsors speakers. Just good fun!! The Roadrunners were also the ones responsible for timing the event and distributing awards. The results are not yet posted nor was it an electronically timed (no chips) event, but they did have the digital timer running from start to finish. My personal time was 43:50 - an improvement but still with room to grow towards my goal. The posting may not reflect an accuracy by a difference of 5-15 seconds due to the manner in which they recorded results. A volunteer removes the tag on your shirt and gives it to the registrar seated in the back of a pickup truck who then posts your time to his laptop. It works. I simply noted start/stop times on the digital monitor and am using that. All in all, just a great day at the beach!!
If you're running, stay cool and ENJOY YOURSELF !!
>>*..*<<
Results posted. 70 runners listed. I was 66th. Time was higher as I suspected, recorded at 44:05. Great Race!
Results posted. 70 runners listed. I was 66th
