Tuesday nights belong to the Iredell County Fall Race Series hosted by McLelland Racing Team (MRT). The Series began October 1st and will end on November 28th with a Thanksgiving Day 10K and each race is only $10 with an option to buy a series shirt for $15 if interested.
At present I have 4 shirts: Spring Series (gray tech SS), Summer Series (neon yellow tech SS, men's & women's), Breast Cancer Awareness (neon pink tech LS). I'm working on a fifth shirt for fall. All races support a community cause, each unique to the race itself. MRT supports local charities and resources so it's money well spent.
Each race takes place in beautiful Iredell County at various community sites. Locations are listed on the Fall Flyer (Facebook) or in the race listing (RacesOnline). This race location was the LKN High School (Lake Norman) in Mooresville, just outside the Charlotte city limits.
The course began and ended on the school track, all terrain was paved and results were manually timed. I managed to be back at the High School before it was fully dark and stayed for the awards ceremony. I purchased a reflective vest on my way home (Home Depot, $9.97) to keep it safe going forward.
This was my best time yet on an MRT course. The Tuesday night runs are doing me good in working towards my goal of a sub 30:00 5K (no walking) and personal overall fitness. My running buddy placed 2nd in her age group, being ousted only by a few seconds. She will be back and hopes to set a new PR (sub 25:00) in the very near future. She'll have to if she wants to pass her age group winner.
Small races. Serious competition.
At present I belong to two other running clubs (NC, FL) and am considering joining this one as it is by far my favorite for support and a strong running commitment. MRT rallies for all participants regardless of speed, performance or expertise. The group is also very family oriented, lots of regular runners under 18 as well as seniors. This is a critical component for new runners or for runners whose pace is not "Olympic status" or "elite".
All clubs operate with general strengths and focus. My FL group is very social; running complements it's activity calendar and thus members tend to be close knit and very active in group events. My NC group is highly competitive and the majority are within a specific age range and demographic. All members are welcome but events and recognition lean towards results and age group preferences.
The MRT Tuesday night runs meet the basic needs for a 5K and are inexpensive. Door prizes and age group awards are included. Looking forward to next week!
Official Time: 41:27
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