GPX Great Harvest Bread 5K

Tough course! Started out on a hill and was up and down throughout the entire route. This was the first time this race has been part of the GPX series and the turnout reflected that change. Over 670 entrants logged their time for this event, while the race itself had over 800 registered. The course went through the Piper Glen subdivision and police officers were highly visible to ensure safety. Kudos to Charlotte Mecklenburg's finest!

The only disappointment at today's event was the lack of bottled water and/or Powerade/Gatorade at the finish line. Diamond Springs offered the water stands with lukewarm self-serve water which didn't quite hit the spot in today's heat. The last GPX race actually ran out of bottled water/power drinks long before the race ended. I can only trust that Run For Your Life can negotiate a strong show of support from some of our favorite sports drink vendors. It is appreciated!

Parking was the top concern for the new course and it turned out much better than anticipated. Runners had a choice of shuttle locations or two park & walk sites. As is almost always the case, many runners "improvised", myself being one of them. Some parked at Stonecrest, others at Calvary church and a couple dozen of us actually parked at the apartment complex next door to the shopping center which made for a very short walk. I did see the largest group of park & walk participants at the South Regional Library. Easy walk to the start line from there. The shuttle pick-up and drop-off location for the race site was inside Piper Glen just a few hundred yards past the start line. Again, an easy walk for those that utilized it. The only oddity was that buses began shuttling back to the parking areas while the race was still in motion. The group I was with actually ran between the buses and the rider tent before reaching the finish line. Police were present to manage the process so it was hassle free - just unusual to see runners getting their ride home while others had not yet reached the finish line.

Bravo once again to Run For Your Life for sponsoring another excellent race!


CHIP TIME: 48:11

GPX Twilight 5K

Always enjoy watching the police cadets run in cadence for this race. They were drilled into formation this time by two female leaders and they "sang" (military style) for the entire course. For those folks who somehow managed NOT to read their self explanatory shirts, many assumed that the army was running with us for this event. That in itself cracked me up! Oh how I love (NOT!) deliberate stupidity! Royal blue shorts, gray shirts with CMPD on the front... yeah, those guys!

Crowd turnout was, as usual, quite large. Lots of kids. Charlotte has had a 'Girls On The Run' program for years to encourage female youth. There is now a male youth equivalent named 'Let Me Run' and a large number of those energetic young men were present and accounted for. In listening to some of the adult coaches... I can see why there is a need for separate groupings by gender. The female coaches simply inspire and encourage, they understand not all young girls want to be athletes. They push when needed and allow for 'meltdowns' as applicable. The male coaches on the other hand... "he just wasn't willing to try hard enough" "no spirit in him" "plays too much, lacks the focus" etc, etc. The expectations are slightly different, something I find rather disappointing. In a generation where obesity is at an all time high and our youth are plagued with technological fascinations, wouldn't we be better suited to encourage the physical exercise to the best of one's ability as opposed to discouraging a young person from an activity that their generation has precious little of? My .02

This is the only event I attend where medals are typically given to all runners, partly because it is a designated youth event. I now have two medals and like many of my adult friends, proud to add it to my collection. This run supports youth at risk and encourages a sense of belonging and peer support that not only builds self-esteem but is a proven deterrent from gang activity and juvenile delinquency. RMFY club members are taught the importance of social tolerance through involvement with clubs consisting of culturally diverse students.

Great event and excellent program in need of support!

CHIP TIME: 45:35

Run Like a Girl 8K

My first visit to the US National Whitewater Center was a doozy! I had heard lots of good things about the running trails at USNWC but had never been before. I read posts from prior runners of this race and was a bit daunted as to what I should expect. As always, the runner posts were exactly correct but before I go there, let me brag on Run Like a Girl and their efforts overall.

The support staff before and after the race (even though there were less than 5 sponsors present) was fantastic. Lots of water, Powerade and bananas, and AWARDS in abundance. No one who stayed for the awards presentation left empty-handed. If nothing else, each girl got a free 'bandie' with the RLAG 8K logo while many others won prizes from random drawings as well as the age group prizes. Photos of all runners and winners were also part of the proceedings. They also added one water station at mile 2 on the course, great addition from last year.

Now... for the rest of the story...

The trails were not "easy" as indicated and the course itself was not well marked. Lots of wrong turns for several runners, meaning the 5K'ers ran longer and the 8K'ers ran shorter thus skewing overall times. This event is also set up on a manual timing system with runners starting in "waves" and if a bib number higher than 125 started out in the first or second group, they may have gotten a 2 or 4 minute break in their overall score. While this isn't a big deal to me (at this time) I realize it would be discouraging to some runners who sought a competitive time.

USNWC also let bikers out on the course at about 9:30am (race started at 9am) and we actually had to derail to allow them to pass us as the track is not wide enough to allow two of anything - biker or runner. The biggest caution though, other than misdirected signage was the lack of course monitors. There were one or two monitors over the first mile, but the remaining 4 miles had nothing or no one other than arrows, most of which were not much help at crucial turns (splits in the trail).

I would also mention that since the trail is narrow and largely in a wooded area, there are tree roots everywhere. Injury is a strong possibility if you're not familiar with wooded trail running and... there will be snakes. We saw one (newborn) that someone had stepped on and were careful to watch for others. Other than that though, the shade of the trees was a wonderful relief and mosquitoes were almost non-existent.

This is a race that I would run again, albeit, as a more prepared runner. This is a tough 5 miles and you will feel it after the race, especially if you haven't run something similar previously. The last leg is uphill to the finish so if you want to place be prepared to 'finish strong'. Great cause to support and really neat to run a women's only trail race. Looking forward to 2011!

TIME: 1:21:28