Leawood Rotary Labor Day 5K
Leawood, KS
- 5K
- Road (Paved)
- Official race website
Join this Labor Day for the Leawood Rotary Labor Day 5K, Leawood Rotary’s annual charity fund-raiser. All net proceeds go to local and international charities. The race will start & finish at the American Academy of Family Physicians and feature a flat and fast course. Participants will receive an event … MORE
Local Historical Weather (Sep 07):
| 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | |
| H (°F) | 78 | 74 | 86 | 85 | 89 |
| L (°F) | 54 | 54 | 61 | 66 | 69 |
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Great for a stroll or run
A complete disclosure, I walked this route with a friend coming back from a break from races due to health reasons. It was a wonderfully pleasant surprise when I saw … MORE
A complete disclosure, I walked this route with a friend coming back from a break from races due to health reasons. It was a wonderfully pleasant surprise when I saw her at the race, and I honestly would not have had this race go any other way. Nonetheless, this is why I will not reference my time, pace or effort. This “welcome back” race was about something greater. This race was about being there for a friend.
This is a repeat route of the Midnight 5k Run from July. I usually hate driving further for a 5k than it would take me to run it, but the unique course route makes it worth the drive. If I remember correctly, this out and back course is only used for the Midnight 5k and Labor Day 5k. For those driving a little further, there is a quick and easy alternate route into the park/trail that can easily be used for pre- or post- miles on a race. My racing buddy and I did just that and easily able to complete a pre-5k.
The course itself is pretty straightforward. We start at the water/aquarium center, turn left for a gradually uphill and then turn back. The road is closed off, volunteers directing traffic and one water station at the turnaround, which is pretty standard.
The race is a fundraiser for the local Rotary Club, and they do a nice job of making every runner feel welcome. In addition to the soft cotton t-shirt free with registration, participants also received a cooling towel as part of the swag. I love getting the unexpected addition item, so kudos to them. The medal is an added bonus. Yes, the medal was expected and advertised, but for a 5k, it was on par with those of a 10k and, in some cases, better than a half marathon. The medal is heavy-weight, well-designed, with the Rotary Club logo predominantly featured, and full of color.
This was the first year I participated in this particular race, and second time on this course. I am looking forward to doing it again next year. I can see it being a course that I want to improve over time or even take advantage the 1-2 times a year that it is used. I hope they keep this course, because even for an easy stroll it gave some challenging elements to make me want to do it again.
New Route New Fun New PR?
This is the first year of a new course. I have in my notes that the last one was fun - a loop with a double out and back and … MORE
This is the first year of a new course. I have in my notes that the last one was fun – a loop with a double out and back and the last half mile a gradual uphill on a very flat course with 34ft elevation gain. We may not have the same definition of fun. That said, the fact is this was a unique route and a unique shape which you’re going to see as either “quirky” or “confusingly planned” or something less kind. Honestly, I had to pull up a Strava flyover to figure out where it was, and it is a pretty unremarkable area. The new course? Well, I PR’ed here a couple weeks ago in far muggier weather on a midnight race and were it not for a (hopefully) minor couple of injuries I’m currently nursing and my unwillingness to risk getting benched for the two big races next weekend, I think I could have pushed to another one here today.
This new course feels like a dogleg left single out and back, but it’s actually far more like a horseshoe with a 90degree left about halfway through. This is due to the gradual left turn the second part of the course has which apparently curved more than I thought it did. From the 90degree left to the turn around (just past the aid station) you’re going gradually uphill. It’s honestly not bad and to anyone used to running local it’s not a hill you’ll bother yourself with, but flatlanders may find it persists beyond where you’d prefer. It does help on the way back down, as it’s not steep enough to be a quad burner and you can more than make up for the slight loss on the way up. It was honestly very hard to not kick it up a notch and just float down the “hill” which I think is honestly a generous term here. Hang a right at the giant fiberoptic mushroom (IYKYK) and the last leg is the same as the first, with a meandering road back up to one more small hill then a gradual left turn a little over a block inside the park to the finish line. For a race borne out of necessity (they said the old route is down for construction), this one is one I hope will stick around. In the height of summer, I may disagree with that, but even summer nights make for a nice performance here. This course is very much a PR-able course. One of my dear friends who made her return to racing after some protracted medical issues came out in full force and made a great overall time on the race. May she serve as motivation and inspiration to anyone considering this race.
The medal was heavy and nicely designed for a 5k and the color scheme is well integrated into the ribbon. The shirt felt like a soft cotton but I honestly have no idea what the weight of it is, as it’s still in my car. There’ve been a lot of miles this weekend between 3 races, warm-up 5ks and cooldown miles afterwards, a lot of elevation, and honestly, I just got home and passed out. I can usually pick out a trash shirt pretty quickly though, and this wasn’t that. Props for the live singing of the National Anthem here, especially since the last race at this venue couldn’t even be bothered to play a recording.
Do I miss the old course? Yeah, a part of me does, but I’ll probably just go out there sometime and give it a run for old times’ sake. I’d like them both to exist in the Leawood race circuit, but if this to be a successor course, it is a very fun one.
My only gripe was there was some confusion about parking, with attendants flagging cars into full lots while empty spots sat in primo locations. Get there early and bypass all the shenanigans, and say hi when you pass me on the course.
Additional bonus because I love dogs, and this is a pet friendly race, one in which everyone seemed to have appropriate leash control of their furry family members. Can’t wait for next year, when hopefully I can show up with all gears available.
Great flatish 5k
So aside from a small one rounding the block at the start, there are no main hills on this race. The out and back is along both sides of a … MORE
So aside from a small one rounding the block at the start, there are no main hills on this race. The out and back is along both sides of a divided road (2 lanes each direction) that is slightly elevated, so expect large sections of uphill and large sections of downhill. Very slight grade though, so it’s just a slog when it’s hot and something you barely notice when it isn’t.
The medal is always nice heavy and could pass for a 10k in quality easily. There’s coffee and snacks at the start and finish, with a local coffee supplier setting up shop to make lattes and whatnot on request. I just got a black sample of their coffee, not sure if the more complicated drinks you had to pay for or not. Pretty good cotton tshirt with a big race logo on the front to match the medal. I wouldn’t call this a PR course by any stretch, but I did end up finishing slightly faster than yesterday’s race.
Nice flat double out and back w/ a loop
This was my first time on this closed off road track. Honestly, I think I would have placed difficulty lower, but for the fact that it was the hottest on … MORE
This was my first time on this closed off road track. Honestly, I think I would have placed difficulty lower, but for the fact that it was the hottest on race day that it’d been in the past 5 years and I was seriously underhydrated for this event. There is sun and shade along the way and it’s not a horrible track to look at as far as office park 5ks go, but wow was I miserable in that muggy heat that moved in early that day. Nice medal, the tshirt I honestly don’t remember because my race notes for that day got messed up, but if next summer is more forgiving I’ll be out there again for sure. Say hi when you pass me.