This is an annual 5K in Rochester that raises money for local charities and is usually a sort of Oktoberfest celebration. This year was a little different with covid restrictions … MORE
This is an annual 5K in Rochester that raises money for local charities and is usually a sort of Oktoberfest celebration. This year was a little different with covid restrictions but I’m happy Yellow Jacket Racing was able to do this race as a live event this year. Packet pick-up easy the day before at the store or morning of the race. Packet included bib and you could pay an extra $10 for a shirt which was a cotton T-shirt with the race logo. Race had very detailed covid protocols and was flawlessly executed. There were waves of 40 runners every hour and you were assigned a wave based on when you registered i.e. the earlier you registered the earlier your wave. I was in wave 2 which started at 10am. Before the race you had your temp checked and each runner stood on a blue circle that was 6 feet apart in front of the start line. The course was very modified this year. Normally it is an all asphalt course along the Genesee River but this year it was a 2.5K loop course with half on grass half on asphalt that you ran twice so the race didn’t take up as much of the park since it was going on for many hours. The course was kind of mediocre and I don’t love running on grass but it was still a fun time. Also luckily the grass was very well-trimmed and there were no holes or anything in the dirt. There were some pretty parts of the park and some less pretty views as well. It was mostly flat but there were a couple bridges which had a short but kind of steep uphill and one again short and steep uphill from grass to asphalt but was generally a pretty easy course. It was beautiful weather but got a little hot on the unshaded grass. At the finish line you got your race goodies and medal. The medal wasn’t huge but had the race logo and doubled as a bottle opener which fit with the Oktoberfest theme. Nice medal for a small 5K. You also got a non-alcoholic beer from Athletic Brewing Co in the bag along with lots of snacks. I was happy about the non-alcoholic beer but not sure those who “run for beer” were. There were obviously no post race celebration this year and runners just left after. My time was solid especially since I’m not that fast on grass. While I thought it was a mediocre course, I’d definitely prefer a live race with a mediocre course than a virtual one and they did a good job making this as fun and safe as possible with all the restrictions. I think the real course would be a very nice 5K course based on the map I saw. Overall this is a nice, local 5K that I will continue to do as long as I am in town and it doesn’t conflict with another race.
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Oktoberfest in the ROC
This is an annual 5K in Rochester that raises money for local charities and is usually a sort of Oktoberfest celebration. This year was a little different with covid restrictions … MORE
This is an annual 5K in Rochester that raises money for local charities and is usually a sort of Oktoberfest celebration. This year was a little different with covid restrictions but I’m happy Yellow Jacket Racing was able to do this race as a live event this year. Packet pick-up easy the day before at the store or morning of the race. Packet included bib and you could pay an extra $10 for a shirt which was a cotton T-shirt with the race logo. Race had very detailed covid protocols and was flawlessly executed. There were waves of 40 runners every hour and you were assigned a wave based on when you registered i.e. the earlier you registered the earlier your wave. I was in wave 2 which started at 10am. Before the race you had your temp checked and each runner stood on a blue circle that was 6 feet apart in front of the start line. The course was very modified this year. Normally it is an all asphalt course along the Genesee River but this year it was a 2.5K loop course with half on grass half on asphalt that you ran twice so the race didn’t take up as much of the park since it was going on for many hours. The course was kind of mediocre and I don’t love running on grass but it was still a fun time. Also luckily the grass was very well-trimmed and there were no holes or anything in the dirt. There were some pretty parts of the park and some less pretty views as well. It was mostly flat but there were a couple bridges which had a short but kind of steep uphill and one again short and steep uphill from grass to asphalt but was generally a pretty easy course. It was beautiful weather but got a little hot on the unshaded grass. At the finish line you got your race goodies and medal. The medal wasn’t huge but had the race logo and doubled as a bottle opener which fit with the Oktoberfest theme. Nice medal for a small 5K. You also got a non-alcoholic beer from Athletic Brewing Co in the bag along with lots of snacks. I was happy about the non-alcoholic beer but not sure those who “run for beer” were. There were obviously no post race celebration this year and runners just left after. My time was solid especially since I’m not that fast on grass. While I thought it was a mediocre course, I’d definitely prefer a live race with a mediocre course than a virtual one and they did a good job making this as fun and safe as possible with all the restrictions. I think the real course would be a very nice 5K course based on the map I saw. Overall this is a nice, local 5K that I will continue to do as long as I am in town and it doesn’t conflict with another race.