I don't eat meat so this is an odd event for me to do but I did it because it was produced by Millennium Running who also produce great races … MORE
I don’t eat meat so this is an odd event for me to do but I did it because it was produced by Millennium Running who also produce great races and also have challenges and incentives to run as many of their races as possible. It was also the closest race to me on Sunday. The race is held as part of RibFest which is a food festival that takes place all weekend. While the production of the race was great. The actual race was not the best likely due to limitations around the festival. RibFest takes place at the Anheuser-Busch Brewery in Merrimack NH. The ribfest usually opens at 11am but the race starts at 9am and there is a special early 10am opening for runners. However 9am is a little late for a race in the summer but at least I got to sleep in after my early morning yesterday. For parking you can pay $20 for VIP parking and park right at the start or $10 for regular parking which is at least half a mile away. I wish I looked into this more as it is definitely worth it for the VIP parking which I didn’t get. There is either bib pick-up at the store the day before or race day morning. I got it race day morning. Along with bib you got a polyblend shirt and a drawstring bag. The shirt was a nice green-blue color this year. I didn’t have time to bring the swag back to my car but luckily this race had convenient and efficient bag check. The race start was smooth with signs of where to line up by pace. It was a nice sized race with about 750 participants. The course itself was not great especially for a hot summer day. The course is a lollipop loop and is basically a 2 mile stretch along an unshaded highway before a 1 mile loop through a neighborhood followed by 2 miles back on the unshaded highway. There is also a steep uphill at the start to get to the highway. It was pretty brutal to be honest and my lungs were still not 100% so I walked the majority of this race. While it wasn’t a great course I’m not really sure what other option there would be since the ribfest is located on the highway and there aren’t other streets to run on. The streets were closed down and there were 2 aid stations you passed twice. There was also a split mat at mile 3 and in the neighborhood there were some spectators some of who had lawn sprinklers on which felt great. While this was not a fast course in the heat there were a lot of back of packers and it was very walker friendly. The RD drove in front of the lead runner and cheered everyone on in the back and they called everyone’s name out at the end. No medal or additional swag for finishing. There was water, powerade and the usual post race snacks but a pretty nice selection for a shorter race with granola bars, chips, fruit, crackers and a few more things. You also got free entry to ribfest but had to pay for food there. I did look around. It is obviously not super vegan/vegetarian friendly but I got a snow cone and an iced coffee. Overall I did not think this was a great summer course. It started too late and was unshaded and just very hot but production was top notch. I wouldn’t plan my life around this race but as it is close by and convenient I’m sure I’ll do it again.
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No Ribs for Me
I don't eat meat so this is an odd event for me to do but I did it because it was produced by Millennium Running who also produce great races … MORE
I don’t eat meat so this is an odd event for me to do but I did it because it was produced by Millennium Running who also produce great races and also have challenges and incentives to run as many of their races as possible. It was also the closest race to me on Sunday. The race is held as part of RibFest which is a food festival that takes place all weekend. While the production of the race was great. The actual race was not the best likely due to limitations around the festival. RibFest takes place at the Anheuser-Busch Brewery in Merrimack NH. The ribfest usually opens at 11am but the race starts at 9am and there is a special early 10am opening for runners. However 9am is a little late for a race in the summer but at least I got to sleep in after my early morning yesterday. For parking you can pay $20 for VIP parking and park right at the start or $10 for regular parking which is at least half a mile away. I wish I looked into this more as it is definitely worth it for the VIP parking which I didn’t get. There is either bib pick-up at the store the day before or race day morning. I got it race day morning. Along with bib you got a polyblend shirt and a drawstring bag. The shirt was a nice green-blue color this year. I didn’t have time to bring the swag back to my car but luckily this race had convenient and efficient bag check. The race start was smooth with signs of where to line up by pace. It was a nice sized race with about 750 participants. The course itself was not great especially for a hot summer day. The course is a lollipop loop and is basically a 2 mile stretch along an unshaded highway before a 1 mile loop through a neighborhood followed by 2 miles back on the unshaded highway. There is also a steep uphill at the start to get to the highway. It was pretty brutal to be honest and my lungs were still not 100% so I walked the majority of this race. While it wasn’t a great course I’m not really sure what other option there would be since the ribfest is located on the highway and there aren’t other streets to run on. The streets were closed down and there were 2 aid stations you passed twice. There was also a split mat at mile 3 and in the neighborhood there were some spectators some of who had lawn sprinklers on which felt great. While this was not a fast course in the heat there were a lot of back of packers and it was very walker friendly. The RD drove in front of the lead runner and cheered everyone on in the back and they called everyone’s name out at the end. No medal or additional swag for finishing. There was water, powerade and the usual post race snacks but a pretty nice selection for a shorter race with granola bars, chips, fruit, crackers and a few more things. You also got free entry to ribfest but had to pay for food there. I did look around. It is obviously not super vegan/vegetarian friendly but I got a snow cone and an iced coffee. Overall I did not think this was a great summer course. It started too late and was unshaded and just very hot but production was top notch. I wouldn’t plan my life around this race but as it is close by and convenient I’m sure I’ll do it again.
Hilly and Hot
PRODUCTION: I chose the VIP parking. There was plenty of signage and enough lot attendants to make parking quick and easy. I was able to park just steps from the … MORE
PRODUCTION: I chose the VIP parking. There was plenty of signage and enough lot attendants to make parking quick and easy. I was able to park just steps from the starting/finishing area, which was very convenient. They had a few tents from services/products giving free samples plus a Millennium Running Store tent at the start. The start line had pace markers, so it was easy to self-seed without worrying if I was too far ahead or behind. They had an official timer at the 3-mile mark as well as the finish line. At the finish line area, you could check your overall results on a computer screen as long as you waited for your bib number to pop up. Division winners received a large lunchbox-sized Ribfest 5-Miler canvas cooler. The finish line “festival area” had water, Poweraid, bananas, oranges, chips, pretzels, other snacks, and free samples from Stonyfield, Olivia’s Organics, and a few other tents. The water and PowerAid were unfortunately warm. I assume my photos/video will be posted/emailed in a few days. Smooth, easy production.
COURSE: Loop course which starts on a big uphill, then continues mostly uphill on highway blacktop for the first two miles. Then you get about one mile through a neighborhood with a little tree shade. Many residents faced sprinklers toward the road and/or cheered as we ran past, which was nice. It was a relief that on the last two miles we were able to run down the hills we’d run up earlier! There were four water stations with local volunteers handing out the cups.
SWAG: Aside from the free samples, we just got a tech shirt. It says “Flipping Awesome” with a spatula graphic on the front, which I find very cute, but the shirt a very bright orange, so I don’t think I’ll wear it too often. It is quite soft, though. No XS option.
AFTER-PARTY: The Great American Ribfest was the after-party (in addition to the mini finish line festival described above). There were several options for the free beer. (I got a Land Shark Lager.) $19 for 3 ribs, coleslaw, beans, and a roll was the cheapest option to get “award-winning” ribs from at least one place. Delicious, but I was hoping to be able to buy small plates from multiple places instead of one big plate from one place. For me, this was less of a “Rib Festival” than a food truck festival with 3 expensive options for rib dinners. You can see the list of food vendors on the Ribfest’s website if you’re curious about what else was there. It was fun, but overall was a letdown for me, perhaps because I didn’t have accurate expectations.
OVERALL/SUMMARY: I’ve only done a couple of these races and this was my first 5-miler, so I don’t have much basis for comparison. I had a good time and would consider running this race again. The main drawback for me was I found the RibFest itself disappointing.
First time...last time
VERY well run show but I just felt like it was very little bang for the buck. You run and you get a free beer (if you drink beer) and … MORE
VERY well run show but I just felt like it was very little bang for the buck. You run and you get a free beer (if you drink beer) and that’s it. Anything else was at a cost including your choices of parking (on sight $20 or a 10 minute walk away for $10). Lots of volunteers and run well but I just felt like I was being nickeled and dimed to death.