This is a 5K or 10K in Mendon Ponds Park during Shark week that raises money for Sharkbytes a nonprofit aimed at protecting sharks. I feel like this is a … MORE
This is a 5K or 10K in Mendon Ponds Park during Shark week that raises money for Sharkbytes a nonprofit aimed at protecting sharks. I feel like this is a kind of random charity for Rochester since it’s not like there are any sharks in Lake Ontario but I like helping out wild animals of all kinds so I’m in! Packet pick-up was either the day before at Medved Running store or you could get it the morning of. Packet included bib, T-shirt, a goody bag and the best part is they asked if you would like an adorable plush shark. Obviously I wanted that. You got a choice of a whale shark or great white shark. I chose the whale shark since that’s my favorite type of shark. The T-shirt is a little neon but it’s not bad. The goody bag also had some pamphlets on sharks, a rubber shark bracelet, a shark sticker and some shark fruit snacks. Between the plush shark, the T-shirt and the goody bag this was great swag for a race I only paid about $20 for. The day of the race was not the best weather. The forecast had rain all day. I woke up and it was pouring. Yikes not the best for a trail run. Luckily the rain cleared and it was a pleasant drizzle when the race started. This race is in Mendon Pond Parks and utilizes the South Meadow Trail which is probably the easiest and least technical trail in the park and is conveniently about exactly 5K. 10Kers did it twice. The start was a mass start but this was relatively small with about 100 participants. It was chipped time. They used scanners not a timing mat. It seemed to work. The beginning didn’t seem that organized. The race started 5 to 10 minutes late. There were some cones that said start and finish at the trail head. Eventually they made some pre-race announcements and told us to go and we went. The first mile of the course was very nice. As I said this is a pretty non-technical trail. Mostly well trimmed grass and mulch. Occasional roots but nothing crazy. I wore trail shoes because of the rain but you wouldn’t need them in good conditions. There are some small rolling hills but nothing too steep and about 150 feet of elevation gain total. My first mile was the pace I was aiming for. Then the sky opened up and it was a downpour. My race plan switched to just finish without injury so my last two miles were very slow but I remained uninjured. I felt like I was tromping through a swamp most of the last mile. There were two aid stations with very friendly volunteers. The finish line was the same as the start. I was glad to be finished with this race after 5K. Although in good weather, I would not be against running this twice for a 10K. At the finish are there was granola bars (yay!), banana’s and Shark’s ice cream which is a local ice cream shop. You had 4 flavors to choose from. I got peanut butter cup it was delicious. There is also normally a bounce house for the kids but that didn’t happen this year. There were a lot of cute kids at the race many dressed in shark costumes which was adorable. I wish the weather was good as it seems it would be a fun finish line for a small race but I just took my ice cream and left. Overall this is a fun and (under better weather conditions) relatively easy trail race though it was quite difficult today in the pouring rain and definitely more difficult than your average fun run 5K. I thought the swag was excellent even with no medal. This is a race I would consider doing again but I wouldn’t make plans around it.
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As Wet as a Shark!
This is a 5K or 10K in Mendon Ponds Park during Shark week that raises money for Sharkbytes a nonprofit aimed at protecting sharks. I feel like this is a … MORE
This is a 5K or 10K in Mendon Ponds Park during Shark week that raises money for Sharkbytes a nonprofit aimed at protecting sharks. I feel like this is a kind of random charity for Rochester since it’s not like there are any sharks in Lake Ontario but I like helping out wild animals of all kinds so I’m in! Packet pick-up was either the day before at Medved Running store or you could get it the morning of. Packet included bib, T-shirt, a goody bag and the best part is they asked if you would like an adorable plush shark. Obviously I wanted that. You got a choice of a whale shark or great white shark. I chose the whale shark since that’s my favorite type of shark. The T-shirt is a little neon but it’s not bad. The goody bag also had some pamphlets on sharks, a rubber shark bracelet, a shark sticker and some shark fruit snacks. Between the plush shark, the T-shirt and the goody bag this was great swag for a race I only paid about $20 for. The day of the race was not the best weather. The forecast had rain all day. I woke up and it was pouring. Yikes not the best for a trail run. Luckily the rain cleared and it was a pleasant drizzle when the race started. This race is in Mendon Pond Parks and utilizes the South Meadow Trail which is probably the easiest and least technical trail in the park and is conveniently about exactly 5K. 10Kers did it twice. The start was a mass start but this was relatively small with about 100 participants. It was chipped time. They used scanners not a timing mat. It seemed to work. The beginning didn’t seem that organized. The race started 5 to 10 minutes late. There were some cones that said start and finish at the trail head. Eventually they made some pre-race announcements and told us to go and we went. The first mile of the course was very nice. As I said this is a pretty non-technical trail. Mostly well trimmed grass and mulch. Occasional roots but nothing crazy. I wore trail shoes because of the rain but you wouldn’t need them in good conditions. There are some small rolling hills but nothing too steep and about 150 feet of elevation gain total. My first mile was the pace I was aiming for. Then the sky opened up and it was a downpour. My race plan switched to just finish without injury so my last two miles were very slow but I remained uninjured. I felt like I was tromping through a swamp most of the last mile. There were two aid stations with very friendly volunteers. The finish line was the same as the start. I was glad to be finished with this race after 5K. Although in good weather, I would not be against running this twice for a 10K. At the finish are there was granola bars (yay!), banana’s and Shark’s ice cream which is a local ice cream shop. You had 4 flavors to choose from. I got peanut butter cup it was delicious. There is also normally a bounce house for the kids but that didn’t happen this year. There were a lot of cute kids at the race many dressed in shark costumes which was adorable. I wish the weather was good as it seems it would be a fun finish line for a small race but I just took my ice cream and left. Overall this is a fun and (under better weather conditions) relatively easy trail race though it was quite difficult today in the pouring rain and definitely more difficult than your average fun run 5K. I thought the swag was excellent even with no medal. This is a race I would consider doing again but I wouldn’t make plans around it.