Saturday, August 28, 2010

GPX Greek Festival 5K


900 Runners crossed the Finish Line early this morning before the timers logged off and once again the Greek Festival 5K proved to be one of Charlotte's best races - the flattest and fastest - which is evidenced by the top scores; M 15:20, F 16:35.

The actual Greek Festival will be two weeks from now with fabulous food and lots of activities.

CHIPTIME: 43:55

Saturday, August 21, 2010

Soldier's Reunion 5K


Newton, North Carolina is a small town off of Hwy 16, southwest of Hickory NC. The 2000 Census recorded a population of 12,560 and it is the county seat of Catawba County. The city has a total area of 13.0 square miles. Yep. Drive slow or you'll miss it completely. Newton NC is also the birthplace of NASCAR driver Dale Jarrett. It's an old mill town for those of you familiar with the phrase.

What is astounding about this small community is that it hosts an annual Soldiers Reunion Event that celebrated its 121st year. This is a 10 day long activity that includes; Gospel Concert, Parade, Bike (motorcycle) Ride, Cruisin' & Car Show, Beach Music, Baby Parade (decorated wagons), Softball Game, 5K, crafts, food, and many other fun things to do for all ages. It began in 1892 as a tribute to veterans of the Civil War and has expanded to include veterans of all wars. The American Legion hosts a free fish fry for all local veterans during the event.

The 5K celebrated its 20th Annual run this year with a record-breaking 407 runners participating and I can say without hesitation it was managed with the best of the best. All amenities were present - water, bananas, oranges, cantaloupe, watermelon, door prizes, restrooms, actual trophies for winners and several large groups of teams present to show their support.

I was privileged to run with a group of friends that live in this area and we truly enjoyed ourselves. Temps were high 70's followed by an even higher humidity and a most welcome breeze. The course ran through downtown Newton and was for the most part quite flat. Several local school track teams showed up to participate and it made for a great run all around.

T-shirts/packets were given out the morning of the race; cotton, top quality, great logo. Packet included coupons and a water bottle. Amazingly, this race's entry fee was only $15 which is a great value all things considered.

I hope to run this route again in the future as I firmly believe our Soldiers deserve our Support!

God Bless Our Troops

GUNTIME: 44:14

Saturday, August 14, 2010

Rock 'N Run 5K


This was a STELLAR event!!

Anyone that reads my blog regularly knows I don't dish out hefty compliments without justifiable cause. I am practical, plain spoken and will give very honest feedback regarding racing events in the Charlotte area. I can say without hesitation that this race was spectacular in all aspects, especially given it was the inaugural race! It was humid today, temps were in the 70's , a wonderful overcast breezy morning which made for a perfect run.

Parking was ample/good fit, directions were easy to understand, cones lined the way to the registration/parking/event areas, Charlotte Mecklenburg Police were on top of their game in full force (at least a dozen present at intervals throughout the course), signage/cones gave excellent markers/route designations, post race amenities were perfect (bananas, oranges, crackers, Dunkin Donuts doughnuts/coffee), Dasani Water and Powerade at Finish Line (more than enough for crowd), ample volunteers (SUPERSTARS of the event!), post race games and freebies (cups, t-shirts, water bottles, frisbees, stress balls, pens, etc), a live band in sponsor area, a marching band at start line and halfway mark, approximately 10 booth sponsors post race, very family oriented!

Most importantly - for those from the Charlotte area - this was a SAFE and FRIENDLY environment!

Regardless of any past preconceptions about the North End, I was in no way or by no means alarmed to be running in this area. Half of the course ran through the local subdivisions off of Dalton Ave. The locals woke up to the sound of the Marching Band and came out to cheer us on. Some of the friendliest spectators you'll ever meet as they sat on their porches or out in their front yards watching the running community breeze by their respective homes. The subdivisions are well kept and our course was an out-and-back through the neighborhoods.

The sections of our route that covered the industrial areas were clean, well directed and police monitors were posted throughout. I can honestly say I would recommend this race, hands down, no questions, to anyone young or old.

Run For Your Life did the timing and digital apparatus (chip timed) and as usual put forth their best effort. This particular event though did not lack for sponsor involvement. Many races are managed by the timing companies which is why we give so much praise when a job is well done (lots of hard work from a small crew of people), but in this case, the timing company was simply one of many actively involved parties that made this an enjoyable experience in every aspect, and that in and of itself is both unusual and gratifying!

If you plan your race calendar in advance for 2011 - you most definitely want to add this race to your late summer runs!

GUNTIME: 45:26