Matt Walker's Staging Area

This is a hometown race for me. I have ran the 5K several times, but this was my first 10K. The start line is in a downtown setting and can be quite crowded for the first mile. I like that there were several pre-race snacks to choose from. Packet pick-up is available on race day. The course is mostly flat and take you through neighborhoods and the zoo. There are several places where you intersect the half marathon course, so pay close attention to the blue arrows. The bathroom and water stations were great and well staffed. The finish line was well attended and the medals are always superior. The finish fest has a few really good food (pizza and chicken) options as well as drink options from a few local breweries that are included with your entry fee. Overall, this is a great small town race.

This race was very well put together. Packet pickup was easy enough. There were around 1500 that participated in the 5K. I feel like the wave sizes were adequate. The course had quite a few small hills in mile 1, with a long downhill, long up hill in miles 2 & 3. The race started and finished in the Mercedes Benz Dome area, so the scenery was nice. The course was well staffed with volunteers and police. There are several hotels that were walking distance, so we didn’t have to worry about parking. Looked like there were several good food truck options.

Overall, this race is a good one, but cold! Not terribly crowded, and parking was easy to find. The course has a few small hills and one bridge, but other than that it’s pretty flat. It is a down and back course through downtown, so the view is mostly buildings. The finish festival offered gumbo, jambalaya, 4 flavors of Abita beer, and live music. Pair this race with any Gulf Coast Marathon distance and you get the Beach to Bayou bonus medal.

First of all, don’t go in thinking this is a race. It is untimed. Pre-race production was top notch. SUPER crowded at the start line, so expect to have to walk the first few minutes. Once you get into the parks, it’s really cool! Several opportunities to take pictures with characters along the way. The shirt and medal were both great.

So many people! Definitely the largest race I’ve been to with over 9k participants. The streets are very wide and there are several corrals, so not crowded too bad. Lots of wind in certain areas! I loved having lots of spectators along the route. The beanie and medal were nice, but no other 5k swag available to purchase. The scenery was great while running through downtown.

This race was very well put together. The location was a wedding venue that was beautiful. The race is on the Longleaf Trace, which is completely paved, but somewhat narrow. The majority of it is flat with the exception of the last tenth of a mile that is uphill. The festival afterwards has a huge selection of food and drinks, all free. The medal is also the biggest one I’ve ever seen. Great event for a great cause!