Happy Independence Day America!
610 people turned out to compete on this gorgeous holiday to run uphill in the heat for the 4th of July and the fifth race in the RFYL GPX Series. Gotta say I enjoyed this race - heat, hills and holiday! The event was previously known as the RFYL 4 Miler. It has a new name, new location and new course which begins and ends at Memorial Stadium. I have to brag a little here... not on my performance, per se, but on arriving 30 minutes before Start time. I was able to park AT the Start/Finish Line in a CPCC parking lot. How cool is that? Needless to say, it left me with a genuine appreciation of the new location.
Because the course runs through Briarcreek, over Randolph Rd and Caswell, etc, there was lots of Police presence (probably 3 dozen officers total) and an equal number of volunteers, many of which work for or volunteer for the newest race sponsor - The Ronald McDonald House. This promotes a very safe environment and keeps any and all runners from veering off course. A huge round of applause for CMPD and the Ronald McDonald Staff!
Today was also the first time I received my race results from RFYL in an email! Woot! Woot! Definitely a 5 Star amenity in my book! The email arrived in my inbox at 9:04 AM for a race that began at 7:30 AM. Way to go, RFYL!
I will note here for those that may contemplate this race in the future. It really isn't a course for walkers. While I did walk the majority of it, there were only four persons behind me. The final finisher had a pace of 16:23. Most events that promote walkers allow a maximum pace of 20:00. I'm not saying walkers aren't allowed or encouraged. Quite the opposite. I'm saying not too many showed up. There were only ten of us with a pace of 15:00 or greater. That speaks both to the distance and the challenge of the course. I would never ever discourage a walker or a moderate paced runner, I'm simply giving some a heads up that walkers will have a police trail car on their behind and a pace greater than 16:00 may be asked to finish on the sidewalks instead of the main roads. FYI Only.
The shirts for this race were navy blue unisex tech shirts. The race logo was on the front and the RFYL store logo was on the back. No sponsor info on the shirts. Definitely a keeper and another reason to participate in the GPX Series.
This is a great event and one I hope to see continue its growth in the Queen City.
PS: Picked up some new CRC gear at the race today! Hope to be sporting a new royal blue running shirt at the next event. Go CRC!!