This is a 3.14159265... mile race celebrating pi day. It worked out great that Pi day was on a Sunday this year. This race is located about 15 to 20 … MORE
This is a 3.14159265… mile race celebrating pi day. It worked out great that Pi day was on a Sunday this year. This race is located about 15 to 20 minutes outside Syracuse and is a little over an hour from Rochester. I was on call this weekend so happy to find a short live race to run. This was produced by Willow Running who produced a couple other races I’ve done last year (Turkey Chase and Ugly Sweater). I think their races are pretty good and they always have nice swag but I’ve seen a few hiccups in production and timing. This race was similar. This race started at a bar called Average Joe’s Beernasium which is definitely not a place I would normally go to. They had packet pick-up offered before the race or morning of race. Since it’s a bit of a drive, I got it the morning of the race in the bar. A complaint I’ve had before regarding their races is I wish packet pick-up was outdoors as it’s just safer but everyone was wearing masks and it was efficient. Swag included a nice mug, a collapsible water bottle and the best part your choice of a small apple, blueberry or cherry pie. You had to pay for a shirt but I thought the mug and the pie were more than enough for swag for a 5K. The race had waves every 15 minutes. I chose the earliest 9am wave in case I had to round in the hospital afterwards. This was not chipped time. The RD just used an airhorn to signal the start and we went. Course was pretty blah through a very generic suburb but it was a smart choice for an open course as it was safe and there was not a lot of traffic. Also I was surprised to see a number of people out in their lawns to cheer on the runners which was nice. The course was very well marked and there was a volunteer at any confusing turn. There was also a water stop you passed by twice. Course wasn’t too difficult. There was one kind of tough hill just after the first mile. Not tough compared to red rock but a little harder than expected for more of a fun run. The rest was mostly small inclines and declines. The end was at an incline which was a little annoying. At the finish line someone records your time and I had no issues with getting my time recorded this race but I prefer chipped timed races. I had a solid time. I ran 11 miles yesterday so wasn’t expecting a PR. Another complaint is the medals and post race refreshments aren’t at the finish line but you pass them walking back to the bar. Not a big deal but it made the finish line less a little less fun. Along with the medals which were very, very nice for a 5Kish race (although they didn’t have date and neither did mug) there were Monster energy drinks, water and some fruits. Pizza and chili was also available at the bar for runners. However the food wasn’t being served until 10am and as I finished at around 9:30 it wasn’t ready when I finished. I really don’t like being inside bars during the pandemic and didn’t stay for the food so I can’t comment but the pie I got at packet pick-up was absolutely delicious. This was a nice, fun race with good swag and delicious pie. I would do this one again if it fit in my schedule.
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Sweet Cherry Pi
This is a 3.14159265... mile race celebrating pi day. It worked out great that Pi day was on a Sunday this year. This race is located about 15 to 20 … MORE
This is a 3.14159265… mile race celebrating pi day. It worked out great that Pi day was on a Sunday this year. This race is located about 15 to 20 minutes outside Syracuse and is a little over an hour from Rochester. I was on call this weekend so happy to find a short live race to run. This was produced by Willow Running who produced a couple other races I’ve done last year (Turkey Chase and Ugly Sweater). I think their races are pretty good and they always have nice swag but I’ve seen a few hiccups in production and timing. This race was similar. This race started at a bar called Average Joe’s Beernasium which is definitely not a place I would normally go to. They had packet pick-up offered before the race or morning of race. Since it’s a bit of a drive, I got it the morning of the race in the bar. A complaint I’ve had before regarding their races is I wish packet pick-up was outdoors as it’s just safer but everyone was wearing masks and it was efficient. Swag included a nice mug, a collapsible water bottle and the best part your choice of a small apple, blueberry or cherry pie. You had to pay for a shirt but I thought the mug and the pie were more than enough for swag for a 5K. The race had waves every 15 minutes. I chose the earliest 9am wave in case I had to round in the hospital afterwards. This was not chipped time. The RD just used an airhorn to signal the start and we went. Course was pretty blah through a very generic suburb but it was a smart choice for an open course as it was safe and there was not a lot of traffic. Also I was surprised to see a number of people out in their lawns to cheer on the runners which was nice. The course was very well marked and there was a volunteer at any confusing turn. There was also a water stop you passed by twice. Course wasn’t too difficult. There was one kind of tough hill just after the first mile. Not tough compared to red rock but a little harder than expected for more of a fun run. The rest was mostly small inclines and declines. The end was at an incline which was a little annoying. At the finish line someone records your time and I had no issues with getting my time recorded this race but I prefer chipped timed races. I had a solid time. I ran 11 miles yesterday so wasn’t expecting a PR. Another complaint is the medals and post race refreshments aren’t at the finish line but you pass them walking back to the bar. Not a big deal but it made the finish line less a little less fun. Along with the medals which were very, very nice for a 5Kish race (although they didn’t have date and neither did mug) there were Monster energy drinks, water and some fruits. Pizza and chili was also available at the bar for runners. However the food wasn’t being served until 10am and as I finished at around 9:30 it wasn’t ready when I finished. I really don’t like being inside bars during the pandemic and didn’t stay for the food so I can’t comment but the pie I got at packet pick-up was absolutely delicious. This was a nice, fun race with good swag and delicious pie. I would do this one again if it fit in my schedule.