Drizzly, quiet Sunday in Charlotte. Nice turnout for Kasey Kahne's NASCAR Hall of Fame 5K today. This is the only Sunday race in the Run For Your Life GPX Series and as such, the crowd was enthusiastic and slightly varied in that lots of participants weren't necessarily runners as much as they were NASCAR fans.
The first place runner finished in 14:20 and the last runner crossed the finish line at 55:59. 526 participants, most in running gear, most sober but some in jeans and casual clothing and some slightly inebriated, albeit harmless. One enthusiastic walker belched every half mile.. not the polite-pardon-me type but the mega-fog-horn blast. Hard to miss, entertaining himself while he finished.
The course finished on an incline. Splits for this race will be erratic, just as the hills and declines are random. I overheard many say the course was the same as the previous year. Kasey introduced himself just before the start gun went off and thanked the runners for supporting a good cause, making mention of enjoying the increased turnout this year.
Only one race left in the GPX series and I am pleased to say that RFYL was taking extra measures today to ensure that chips were working, times were accurate and that EVERYONE got proper credit for their Finish Time. The Event Management Group was actually standing at the Finish Line, reading bib numbers and watching the computer screen simultaneously to make sure that the chip registered properly. If a bib, as in my case, was not visible they immediately notified you "BIB! BIB!" so that it could be checked before you left the Finish Line area.
This action is very much appreciated. After several consistent timing errors (since early July) I'm hoping this is a permanent fix for the situation. I also learned, at a different event last weekend, that many of the former GPX supporters (runners) have switched over to the Signature Series and are enjoying the more challenging, longer distance races. Hope to see newer runners embrace GPX next year and very glad the two series are separated by skill / challenge levels.
See ya at the races!
Results: Click Here
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