What could be less appealing than running loops on a 0.411 mile paved course? I can't think of much. However, I was pleasantly surprised by this run advertised as "fat-assed … MORE
What could be less appealing than running loops on a 0.411 mile paved course? I can’t think of much. However, I was pleasantly surprised by this run advertised as “fat-assed style.” Even though it was supposed to be self-supported, which I had prepared for, the race organization provided quite a bit of support. They served pizza on Friday evening, and provided breakfast pizza on Saturday morning. They also had a table for sharing donated food with other runners, and water and an electrolyte drink for hydration. The race director and volunteers set up right near the start finish and cheered on the runners for almost the whole race. There were also two young girls dressed in rainbow unicorn costumes, who I think were the children of one of the runners, that walked the course in the opposite direction and high-fived everyone. The park where the run was had one stretch that was densely shaded most of the day, and the rest was surrounded by stately White Pine trees that provided shade in the morning and evening. There were no shirts provided for this race, but there were very nice homemade finisher awards made out of wood that were provided. Given the short loop, it was easy to meet new runners and chat with them for a while, so it seemed like a very friendly environment. The one downside was the heavy rain at the start, but there isn’t much that anyone can do about the weather. If you don’t mind running short loops, I highly recommend this race at a time of the year when it is a little harder to find a fixed-time race.
Exceeded my expectations!
What could be less appealing than running loops on a 0.411 mile paved course? I can't think of much. However, I was pleasantly surprised by this run advertised as "fat-assed … MORE
What could be less appealing than running loops on a 0.411 mile paved course? I can’t think of much. However, I was pleasantly surprised by this run advertised as “fat-assed style.” Even though it was supposed to be self-supported, which I had prepared for, the race organization provided quite a bit of support. They served pizza on Friday evening, and provided breakfast pizza on Saturday morning. They also had a table for sharing donated food with other runners, and water and an electrolyte drink for hydration. The race director and volunteers set up right near the start finish and cheered on the runners for almost the whole race. There were also two young girls dressed in rainbow unicorn costumes, who I think were the children of one of the runners, that walked the course in the opposite direction and high-fived everyone. The park where the run was had one stretch that was densely shaded most of the day, and the rest was surrounded by stately White Pine trees that provided shade in the morning and evening. There were no shirts provided for this race, but there were very nice homemade finisher awards made out of wood that were provided. Given the short loop, it was easy to meet new runners and chat with them for a while, so it seemed like a very friendly environment. The one downside was the heavy rain at the start, but there isn’t much that anyone can do about the weather. If you don’t mind running short loops, I highly recommend this race at a time of the year when it is a little harder to find a fixed-time race.