Happy Independence Day to ALL!
I only had one goal for this race and honestly it was the only reason I signed up. I wanted to do 4 miles in under an hour (less than 15 min pace).
Mission accomplished.
I have ran this 4 times since 2008 and have always enjoyed it. I only missed 2009 due to a late arrival, the start time was earlier than I had planned so I showed up and had to forego the run. The course has been relocated since then and now starts at Memorial Stadium in uptown Charlotte.
My Garmin shows two major inclines with a total climb of 238 feet. Not a bad course at all. Runs thru the Elizabeth neighborhoods with lots of police protection present.
Water stop at Mile 2 manned by wonderful volunteers. For those of us that reached it after the 28 min mark, all cups were gone. I actually finished the whole course without water until post race. Glad I hydrated the night before. Lots more friendly volunteers were prepared for this at the finish line - water bottles were also gone (no Powerade or Gatorade for this race) - so several volunteers filled and refilled larger cups for those that crossed the finish line after the water stop had emptied out. Kudos to RFYL for the follow up. I suspect the turnout was greater than anticipated. Missing chips, missing results, water shortage, etc. - all fixable - proof that this race is a popular holiday event. It is also part of the RFYL Signature Series, brand new for 2013.
T-shirts were the Gildan Performance unisex style. They feel like a very soft cotton but are actually 100% polyester. Very comfortable for everyday wear.
I finished my run, hydrated, chatted with a fellow runner and headed out to other plans for the remainder of my day. I did notice a few vendors and a full band present for the festivities. Trusting all who stayed enjoyed themselves.
CHIPTIME: Missing results - registration notified
UPDATE: Gun time is the only option which is disappointing as this would have been a new PR for me. RFYL Store owner, Tim Rhodes, worked diligently to add in all missing results - much appreciated - I'll have to earn the new PR another time, nonetheless, I did accomplish the goal of finishing in less than an hour!
GUNTIME: 59:09
