Aquesta 5K

This 5K race is staged in beautiful Robbins Preserve at Robbins Park in Cornelius, NC .  The course begins on a packed dirt access road and travels along a paved greenway path along McDowell Creek. The race is in honor of a prominent business person in the community who suffers from ALS. - Dennis Coogle - who was present to greet the runners at the START line this morning. The proceeds from the event will benefit ALS Research.

Awards were presented to the Top 1st Overall Male and Female, no other awards were given.

The course is an out-and-back lollipop that allows runners to circle the Birkdale movie theater at the halfway point before returning to the greenway.  Hills were rare and moderate, the dirt packed portion is actually about a quarter mile stretch of large gravel and dust so those not familiar with trail running should be advised.  The greenway portion was scenic as promised, complete with a large trailing creek with ducks and a residential wooden bridge that runners passed under during the event.  

Goodie bags contained 100% cotton t-shirts, coozies, ink pens and two runner snacks (trail bar, goo) as well as a brochure from the local sponsor, Aquesta Bank. Post race refreshments included bottled water, bagels (with cream cheese) and bananas.  This is a small but well managed race that I would recommend to anyone or any family - provided of course that you aren't expecting a timing award.  

Best of Luck to the Aquesta group in their fundraising efforts!

CHIPTIME:  47:23  (60 runners total - 44 F / 16 M)

Race for the Cure 5K

Fantastic day for an outdoor event.  Temps were in the low 60's, the sun was shining and this is Charlotte's largest 5K running event.  I personally made a last minute decision to enter this 5K with a friend.  It was her first 5K and she is more of a walker than a runner so we walked almost the entire course and truly enjoyed watching the tremendous outpouring of support for this cause.

We were both members of the Williams Warriors team and earned our black #34 jerseys by reaching individual donation goals.  This year's event did not have as many Williams Warriors showcasing as last year, nor did DiAngelo's team reach its fund-raising goal.  Something to be said for the late entry by his team and the economy we are currently facing.

I also noticed the long lines from previous year's events were not present.  Much less of a crowd after the run than last year.  Not sure if it was the temperature or the multiple sponsor areas or the multiple personalities with loudspeakers broadcasting from various blocks. Overall the event seemed much more disorganized and with lower attendance post race than in years prior. It is also interesting to note that this years competitive 5K had a start time of 7:15am.  That also makes a difference with a crowd this size and family involvement.

According to the Charlotte Observer:

A crowd of 16,000 showed one way to fight breast cancer in the early-morning chill along Tryon Street. Wearing pink wigs, pink tutus and a few pink sombreros, they ran or walked to raise $1.6million in pledges and other donations during the 14th annual race. That's up from last year's total of $1.2 million.

Seventy-five percent of the money stays in the Charlotte area to pay for early detection, education and treatment, said Gloria Scienski, executive director of the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Charlotte Affiliate, which serves Mecklenburg and eight surrounding counties. The other 25 percent goes to national breast cancer research.

Read more:  Article

For all the survivors, supporters and those participating "in memory of" this is a monumental event for a worthy cause.  Komen is highly recognized nationwide for its efforts in this field and more importantly for the percentage of donations that go directly to cancer treatment and research.  Congratulations of the Susan G. Komen Foundation for another successful year in Charlotte NC.

CHIPTIME:  47:12