This is an all downhill 5K on Hollis, NH that takes place on a Thursday night in June. It is basically designed to PR and is a very popular race … MORE
This is an all downhill 5K on Hollis, NH that takes place on a Thursday night in June. It is basically designed to PR and is a very popular race for a weekday race in a smaller town. Hollis is in Southern NH and is just west of Nashua. I work in Nashua every other Thursday and this year it took place on a day I was working in Nashua so this was very convenient for me. There was good pre-race communication but they definitely overexaggerated how early you had to get to the race. There was packet pick-up earlier in the week but I couldn’t make it as I was not working near Hollis/Nashua those days so did race day packet pick-up. This is a point to point race and the parking and packet pick-up is near the finish line and you are shuttled to the start. The parking, shuttles and packet pick-up are at an event center in Hollis. They said you should arrive well before 5pm if doing race day packet pickup. You really only need to arrive around 5pm. I arrived around 4:20 and all I got was worse parking since they filled the further away parking lots first and I hung around for nearly an hour waiting for the shuttle doing nothing since there was minimal service and poor wifi as packet pick-up took just a couple minutes. Packet included bib and a nice, tech shirt. Nice shirt for a 5K but its the only swag item. Eventually a little after 5 we were shuttle to the start at a school. I took the first shuttle and we arrived around 5:30 and I then waited another hour for the race start but at least there was service here. There were also cups and pitchers or water since it was a hot evening. There was an announcer but he was hard to hear. I thought the start could be more organized. It is a ton of runners in a small town/venue so the start line was cramped and there was no signs of where to line up. While there are plenty of walkers and back of the packers this is definitely a race field that tends to attract a lot of very, very fast runners looking to PR so I stood near the back but not right at the back. This seems correct based on my finishing time but there were people of all paces around me and the race was very, very congested for about 1 mile. I’d suggest in the future perhaps having people go off in 3 or 4 waves a few minutes apart. Other than the congestion in the beginning and having to weave around people or be woven around this was an excellent course. It is all downhill but most is pretty gradual so it’s not a huge quad killer. The scenery is nice through quiet neighborhoods, farmland and wooded streets. There are also a ton of spectators for a small town 5K which made it very fun. There is an aid station in the middle with water. Another thing I loved is along with mile markers for the last mile they also had 1 mile to go, 3/4 mile to go, 1/2 mile to go, and 1/4 mile to go sign. This made the last mile go faster and would also help people looking to PR keep pace. While this is a very fast course, it was about 85 degrees and a bit humid out so I was not very fast. I also tend to be slower at evening races. I do think if I ran an average difficulty 5K in this weather in the evening I would have been 2-3 minutes slower. The finish area is nice and there are lots of people cheering and a table with water. There is no medal which is pretty standard for short races in New England. One annoying thing is the finish line is about 1/2 mile away from the venue with parking and packing pick-up so you have to walk a bit after you finish. There were post-race refreshments in the event center. They were just yogurt (including non-dairy smoothies and bananas). Normally this is fine for a 5K but with a later 5K I was hoping for something a little more substantial as I was starving since I have to eat a small lunch if I am doing a race in the evening. It also takes about 10-15 minutes to get out of the parking. Not a huge deal nor unexpected for a large race in a small venue but definitely account for the walk from the finish line and the time to get out of the parking lot when planning your evening. Overall this was a nice 5K that would be really fast in cooler weather. There were a few productions things that could be a bit better but for a smaller town 5K it was well done. I would do it again if I am working in Nashua the day of the race.
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Too Hot to be Fast
This is an all downhill 5K on Hollis, NH that takes place on a Thursday night in June. It is basically designed to PR and is a very popular race … MORE
This is an all downhill 5K on Hollis, NH that takes place on a Thursday night in June. It is basically designed to PR and is a very popular race for a weekday race in a smaller town. Hollis is in Southern NH and is just west of Nashua. I work in Nashua every other Thursday and this year it took place on a day I was working in Nashua so this was very convenient for me. There was good pre-race communication but they definitely overexaggerated how early you had to get to the race. There was packet pick-up earlier in the week but I couldn’t make it as I was not working near Hollis/Nashua those days so did race day packet pick-up. This is a point to point race and the parking and packet pick-up is near the finish line and you are shuttled to the start. The parking, shuttles and packet pick-up are at an event center in Hollis. They said you should arrive well before 5pm if doing race day packet pickup. You really only need to arrive around 5pm. I arrived around 4:20 and all I got was worse parking since they filled the further away parking lots first and I hung around for nearly an hour waiting for the shuttle doing nothing since there was minimal service and poor wifi as packet pick-up took just a couple minutes. Packet included bib and a nice, tech shirt. Nice shirt for a 5K but its the only swag item. Eventually a little after 5 we were shuttle to the start at a school. I took the first shuttle and we arrived around 5:30 and I then waited another hour for the race start but at least there was service here. There were also cups and pitchers or water since it was a hot evening. There was an announcer but he was hard to hear. I thought the start could be more organized. It is a ton of runners in a small town/venue so the start line was cramped and there was no signs of where to line up. While there are plenty of walkers and back of the packers this is definitely a race field that tends to attract a lot of very, very fast runners looking to PR so I stood near the back but not right at the back. This seems correct based on my finishing time but there were people of all paces around me and the race was very, very congested for about 1 mile. I’d suggest in the future perhaps having people go off in 3 or 4 waves a few minutes apart. Other than the congestion in the beginning and having to weave around people or be woven around this was an excellent course. It is all downhill but most is pretty gradual so it’s not a huge quad killer. The scenery is nice through quiet neighborhoods, farmland and wooded streets. There are also a ton of spectators for a small town 5K which made it very fun. There is an aid station in the middle with water. Another thing I loved is along with mile markers for the last mile they also had 1 mile to go, 3/4 mile to go, 1/2 mile to go, and 1/4 mile to go sign. This made the last mile go faster and would also help people looking to PR keep pace. While this is a very fast course, it was about 85 degrees and a bit humid out so I was not very fast. I also tend to be slower at evening races. I do think if I ran an average difficulty 5K in this weather in the evening I would have been 2-3 minutes slower. The finish area is nice and there are lots of people cheering and a table with water. There is no medal which is pretty standard for short races in New England. One annoying thing is the finish line is about 1/2 mile away from the venue with parking and packing pick-up so you have to walk a bit after you finish. There were post-race refreshments in the event center. They were just yogurt (including non-dairy smoothies and bananas). Normally this is fine for a 5K but with a later 5K I was hoping for something a little more substantial as I was starving since I have to eat a small lunch if I am doing a race in the evening. It also takes about 10-15 minutes to get out of the parking. Not a huge deal nor unexpected for a large race in a small venue but definitely account for the walk from the finish line and the time to get out of the parking lot when planning your evening. Overall this was a nice 5K that would be really fast in cooler weather. There were a few productions things that could be a bit better but for a smaller town 5K it was well done. I would do it again if I am working in Nashua the day of the race.
Fast isn’t just a hook…
Loosely organized local run with a great downhill course. Hard not to PR this one. Offsite (free) parking and shuttle service was fine, but the walk from the finish seemed … MORE
Loosely organized local run with a great downhill course. Hard not to PR this one. Offsite (free) parking and shuttle service was fine, but the walk from the finish seemed almost as long as the race.
Fast fast fast
Net downhill point to point race that seems to provide infinite momentum. While you can’t use it as a PR (with a clear conscience), it’s still a fun, fast, well … MORE
Net downhill point to point race that seems to provide infinite momentum. While you can’t use it as a PR (with a clear conscience), it’s still a fun, fast, well run race that will boost your confidence. Put it on your bucket list.