For some illogical reasons I have pre-race jitters. I try to combat them, but sometimes things get unnecessarily aggravated. When we arrived at the venue it was still dark. Our … MORE
For some illogical reasons I have pre-race jitters. I try to combat them, but sometimes things get unnecessarily aggravated. When we arrived at the venue it was still dark. Our first destination was the gear check, but that turned out to be easier said than done. We and a few other people were running around trying to find the gear check place, but initially to no avail. We were asking around and we were asked a number of times and eventually somehow we found the building where we could drop off our bag. Then, we made it to the start line – or so we thought. As it turned out the place with a large sign that read “start” was not our start line. There were a few events there and as we found out later, this was the start line for the 2-miler and not our 10-miler. The announcer was telling people to go to the start line and we were just standing around not knowing in which direction to turn for the 10 mile run. Since there were no signs, we just followed a group of people who obviously had been to this event before. We walked through some field and there it finally was – the CORRECT start line. I could relax, watch the knights duel and after a few minutes the race began. The route was nice and easy, but then the weather demon decided to attack. This was the second running event in a row during which we got totally soaked. After finally crossing the finish line we got a beautiful medal in the shape of a castle with little “diamonds”. After a run, I do not feel like eating, so I cannot comment on the post-race food. We are vegetarian and my husband was not super excited over the selection of meat-free food. He had a bagel and I had a smoothie which was really good. There were also nice little sets, like thrones for a king and queen, dragon, stocks and the Excalibur stuck in a rock. I was really impressed with the brave volunteers who were dressed in medieval costumes which was very challenging when the skies opened up. I tried to thank as many of them as I could. Their support was greatly appreciated. In general, despite the initial nervousness I am pleased with this running event and am considering participating in it again next year.
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Time Travel to Medieval Times
For some illogical reasons I have pre-race jitters. I try to combat them, but sometimes things get unnecessarily aggravated. When we arrived at the venue it was still dark. Our … MORE
For some illogical reasons I have pre-race jitters. I try to combat them, but sometimes things get unnecessarily aggravated. When we arrived at the venue it was still dark. Our first destination was the gear check, but that turned out to be easier said than done. We and a few other people were running around trying to find the gear check place, but initially to no avail. We were asking around and we were asked a number of times and eventually somehow we found the building where we could drop off our bag. Then, we made it to the start line – or so we thought. As it turned out the place with a large sign that read “start” was not our start line. There were a few events there and as we found out later, this was the start line for the 2-miler and not our 10-miler. The announcer was telling people to go to the start line and we were just standing around not knowing in which direction to turn for the 10 mile run. Since there were no signs, we just followed a group of people who obviously had been to this event before. We walked through some field and there it finally was – the CORRECT start line. I could relax, watch the knights duel and after a few minutes the race began. The route was nice and easy, but then the weather demon decided to attack. This was the second running event in a row during which we got totally soaked. After finally crossing the finish line we got a beautiful medal in the shape of a castle with little “diamonds”. After a run, I do not feel like eating, so I cannot comment on the post-race food. We are vegetarian and my husband was not super excited over the selection of meat-free food. He had a bagel and I had a smoothie which was really good. There were also nice little sets, like thrones for a king and queen, dragon, stocks and the Excalibur stuck in a rock. I was really impressed with the brave volunteers who were dressed in medieval costumes which was very challenging when the skies opened up. I tried to thank as many of them as I could. Their support was greatly appreciated. In general, despite the initial nervousness I am pleased with this running event and am considering participating in it again next year.
Nice Venue
This was a very nice event, but some aspects were not quite up to the standards that I've grown accustomed to from The Running Zone. First the great stuff! The … MORE
This was a very nice event, but some aspects were not quite up to the standards that I’ve grown accustomed to from The Running Zone. First the great stuff! The venue was fantastic. Mostly flat (except for a short, killer, heartbreak hill very near the end), nice scenery all along the way. A wide path for the most part, and a nice, 2+ mile stretch on dirt/gravel. Great support along the route!! There were frequent water/Gatorade stations well-staffed with cheerful folks (it was pouring rain for much of the race so a lot of kudos to these folks!!!) There were many turns, and there was always a volunteer/staff member there to make sure you didn’t miss it…lots of kudos to them as well as they were dressed in costumes and getting soaked in the rain!!! The awards ceremony was VERY efficient and they got through the age groups very fast. Nice entertainment with costumed knights sword fighting. Great picture opportunities with various themed sets. FREE race pictures for everyone. Lots of timely pre-race info, but “plenty of parking” turned into a long traffic jam and then a mad search for a place to park and a sprint to the event. No signs for gear check. Looked around with several others for quite a while. Finally, found it inside a building. There, we were told to go to the start line. Went to the start flags, and after standing around for a while, with other folks, we were told that we were at the “wrong” start line and that it was in a field about a quarter mile away. So, we got a nice warmup jog to the start line. After-race refreshments were lacking. Water was warm, the offerings were some kind of mystery stew, bagels, pizza, and smoothies. There was also a beer truck. No fruit, no pastries. My wife and I are vegetarian and don’t drink alcoholic bevs., so we ate nothing and drank the warm water, but did try a smoothie which was OK. (Fortunately, there was a Starbucks on the way home, which just happened to be filled to overflowing with race runners). This is a super event for local folks. No pressure for the runners/walkers to meet tight timelines, and there were even some furry, four-legged friends on the course.
Flat and Fast
I really like the 10 mile distance and this course was completely flat, so that was also a plus. The scenery wasn't much to write home about, but they did … MORE
I really like the 10 mile distance and this course was completely flat, so that was also a plus. The scenery wasn’t much to write home about, but they did have jousting before the start of the race, which was pretty cool. Also, the age group prizes were swords!