This is a race produced by Willow Running that takes place right before the International Taste Festival in Syracuse at the NY state fairgrounds. There is the option for 5K … MORE
This is a race produced by Willow Running that takes place right before the International Taste Festival in Syracuse at the NY state fairgrounds. There is the option for 5K or 10K. I was on call and just did the 5K. The 10K starts at 10am and the 5K at 10:15 so the late start allows time to drive to Syracuse after rounding but luckily I didn’t have to go in the hospital today so I could have an easy morning. Really my only production complaint which may be out of the race company’s control is parking was confusing. There were multiple events going on and not many signs specific to the events. I kind of expected this as every time I’ve come to the fairgrounds parking is kind of annoying so I left early so I’d have time to figure it out and I eventually found my way following cars with running bumper stickers. The race has race day pick-up though there is the option for picking it up a few days before. I got it the day of. It was inside in the same building the taste fest is. Packet included bib and a really colorful (almost too colorful), good quality long sleeved tech shirt The inside location had real bathrooms and would be good if there was bad weather. Luckily weather was on our side. It was stormy in central NY today but the sun came out just for the race. The temp was perfect. Only issues was some winds. The race had the 10K first at 10 and 5K 15 minutes later. There were 100-200 5K participants. Everyone start at one and there was a start/finish arch with a timing mat. The course started right outside the taste fest building. The scenery on the course was pretty awful but it was convenient and an easy course to follow. The first about 1/2 mile is on a bridge that goes over the highway and you basically look at cars. Then there is a 2 mile circle. The first mile is next to the lake which is somewhat scenic and I was going to raise the scenery a sneaker but the next mile is literally just running along a road next to a parking lot. The 10K did a 3.1 mile out and back that diverged around the halfway point. Then back across the bridge with the cars and finish at taste fest. Difficulty was medium for a 5K. About 80 feet of elevation gain. Most in the first half mile which means the last half mile is downhill. While the scenery is terrible, it’s not really the point of the race and I understand there really aren’t many course options next to the taste fest and the course was easy to follow, had wide areas to run in which was great with the 2 distances as there was some intermixing of paces and also didn’t involve many road closures. There was also an aid station with water in the middle. At the finish you get your medal. The medal is very nice for a 5K/10K though not distance specific. My finish time wasn’t great but I had to check my pager a few times and at least finished under 40 mins. There is no post-race food at the finish but you get free entry to the taste fest. Though you do have to pay for the food. The taste fest had many vendors including small $2 samplers. Lots of vegetarian and a good amount of vegan options and was a fun event. Overall I’d recommend this race if you are interested in also going to the taste fest. It is not the greatest course but production is good and swag is great.
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Great food and swag
This is a race produced by Willow Running that takes place right before the International Taste Festival in Syracuse at the NY state fairgrounds. There is the option for 5K … MORE
This is a race produced by Willow Running that takes place right before the International Taste Festival in Syracuse at the NY state fairgrounds. There is the option for 5K or 10K. I was on call and just did the 5K. The 10K starts at 10am and the 5K at 10:15 so the late start allows time to drive to Syracuse after rounding but luckily I didn’t have to go in the hospital today so I could have an easy morning. Really my only production complaint which may be out of the race company’s control is parking was confusing. There were multiple events going on and not many signs specific to the events. I kind of expected this as every time I’ve come to the fairgrounds parking is kind of annoying so I left early so I’d have time to figure it out and I eventually found my way following cars with running bumper stickers. The race has race day pick-up though there is the option for picking it up a few days before. I got it the day of. It was inside in the same building the taste fest is. Packet included bib and a really colorful (almost too colorful), good quality long sleeved tech shirt The inside location had real bathrooms and would be good if there was bad weather. Luckily weather was on our side. It was stormy in central NY today but the sun came out just for the race. The temp was perfect. Only issues was some winds. The race had the 10K first at 10 and 5K 15 minutes later. There were 100-200 5K participants. Everyone start at one and there was a start/finish arch with a timing mat. The course started right outside the taste fest building. The scenery on the course was pretty awful but it was convenient and an easy course to follow. The first about 1/2 mile is on a bridge that goes over the highway and you basically look at cars. Then there is a 2 mile circle. The first mile is next to the lake which is somewhat scenic and I was going to raise the scenery a sneaker but the next mile is literally just running along a road next to a parking lot. The 10K did a 3.1 mile out and back that diverged around the halfway point. Then back across the bridge with the cars and finish at taste fest. Difficulty was medium for a 5K. About 80 feet of elevation gain. Most in the first half mile which means the last half mile is downhill. While the scenery is terrible, it’s not really the point of the race and I understand there really aren’t many course options next to the taste fest and the course was easy to follow, had wide areas to run in which was great with the 2 distances as there was some intermixing of paces and also didn’t involve many road closures. There was also an aid station with water in the middle. At the finish you get your medal. The medal is very nice for a 5K/10K though not distance specific. My finish time wasn’t great but I had to check my pager a few times and at least finished under 40 mins. There is no post-race food at the finish but you get free entry to the taste fest. Though you do have to pay for the food. The taste fest had many vendors including small $2 samplers. Lots of vegetarian and a good amount of vegan options and was a fun event. Overall I’d recommend this race if you are interested in also going to the taste fest. It is not the greatest course but production is good and swag is great.