This is a 3-mile race in Bedford, NH which is about 25 minutes from where I live and is produced by Millennium Running. I did this race in 2021 but … MORE
This is a 3-mile race in Bedford, NH which is about 25 minutes from where I live and is produced by Millennium Running. I did this race in 2021 but it was a very different experience as it was during the pandemic and Millennium was doing time trial starts. It was also MLK weekend in 2021. I was glad they moved the race to the weekend before as I usually travel MLK weekend (this year is no exception) and there aren’t many race options in January in New England. However that did lead to a big problem of overcrowding with this race. Generally I am very impressed by Millennium’s production and while this was not a poorly produced race there was just too many people for the venue and course. This would have been an excellent 4-5 sneaker race with half the participants. There was 1500 participants which is a lot for a 5K in NH. There is good pre race communication and the website is well designed and easy to find any info you need. The race starts at 9:30am. I left so I would arrive a little before 8:30am and parking was a huge mess. There were very long lines and it took about 20 minutes to park. To be fair there were lots of volunteers directing where to park. There was just too many people and too many traffic lights and turns to get to the venue. I was glad I gave myself over an hour as I parked around 8:45 so I still had 45 minutes to get my packet, bring swag back to car and use port potty and warm up a bit. Packet pick-up was easy since you are assigned a number. Swag for this race is always a really nice sweat shirt. The start area seemed like it should be organized as there were signs to line up by pace. It was a bit cold and there are some hills on the course so my goal was under 36 minutes and I stood in the front of 11-12 minute/mile pace sign as that is where I expected to finish and where I did end up finishing. The start had announcements and anthem and then we went but we pretty much had to stop at the start line as there were so many walkers often walking in groups up front. I think since this was so soon after New Years a lot of people not used to racing decided to do this race to improve their fitness. While this is great I think this needed to be accounted for when planning the race as it means more people in the wrong corrals. The only other race I’ve done this crowded where I’ve had to navigate around so many groups of walkers was Disneyland. Also if you are a slower walker please go to the back especially if walking in groups. It’s not that you are not appreciate, it’s a safety issue. I also typically run-walk which was sometimes impossible and I just kind of had to go the pace of the crowd. At one point I fell behind my goal pace but the course is a bit wider at the end and I was able to speed up a bit. I really think they needed to space the runners out more. Next year at the very least they should do what they did for the Millennium Mile and have 2 waves or maybe start groups every few minutes or have a lower cap on the number of runners. Other than the crowded the race was well-produced and well-marked with most streets not entirely closed but coned off. The course is fine. It is a lollipop loop. The start/finish is along a main road and kind of boring but the loop is through some nice neighborhoods that were pretty as it snowed yesterday. There are moderate hills but none too crazy. Despite navigating the crowd I was happy to finish under 36 minutes. I probably could have finished under 35 minutes if less people to navigate around. There is no medal which is typical of 5K’s in New England and why swag is 4 sneakers despite a really nice sweatshirt. Post race snacks were fine with granola bars, yogurt (including non-dairy smoothies), and other basic snacks. There was also soup and beer. The soup line was really long since there were too many people so I skipped it. Getting out of the race was also a challenge and took 15-20 minutes. Overall this is a nice race but not with 1500 participants many of whom did not start in the correct locations. I think they should reconsider the venue to a place that is easier to get in and out of that can hold more people or consider a tighter cap for the race. Perhaps cap it at 1000 participants. If neither of these are possible and there are over 1000 participants at the very least it should be split into waves to help spread people out. As there are limited races this time of year and this race is close by I am not opposed to doing it again and most likely will if I am not working or traveling but I’m also not eager to sign up without some changes.
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Way Too Crowded
This is a 3-mile race in Bedford, NH which is about 25 minutes from where I live and is produced by Millennium Running. I did this race in 2021 but … MORE
This is a 3-mile race in Bedford, NH which is about 25 minutes from where I live and is produced by Millennium Running. I did this race in 2021 but it was a very different experience as it was during the pandemic and Millennium was doing time trial starts. It was also MLK weekend in 2021. I was glad they moved the race to the weekend before as I usually travel MLK weekend (this year is no exception) and there aren’t many race options in January in New England. However that did lead to a big problem of overcrowding with this race. Generally I am very impressed by Millennium’s production and while this was not a poorly produced race there was just too many people for the venue and course. This would have been an excellent 4-5 sneaker race with half the participants. There was 1500 participants which is a lot for a 5K in NH. There is good pre race communication and the website is well designed and easy to find any info you need. The race starts at 9:30am. I left so I would arrive a little before 8:30am and parking was a huge mess. There were very long lines and it took about 20 minutes to park. To be fair there were lots of volunteers directing where to park. There was just too many people and too many traffic lights and turns to get to the venue. I was glad I gave myself over an hour as I parked around 8:45 so I still had 45 minutes to get my packet, bring swag back to car and use port potty and warm up a bit. Packet pick-up was easy since you are assigned a number. Swag for this race is always a really nice sweat shirt. The start area seemed like it should be organized as there were signs to line up by pace. It was a bit cold and there are some hills on the course so my goal was under 36 minutes and I stood in the front of 11-12 minute/mile pace sign as that is where I expected to finish and where I did end up finishing. The start had announcements and anthem and then we went but we pretty much had to stop at the start line as there were so many walkers often walking in groups up front. I think since this was so soon after New Years a lot of people not used to racing decided to do this race to improve their fitness. While this is great I think this needed to be accounted for when planning the race as it means more people in the wrong corrals. The only other race I’ve done this crowded where I’ve had to navigate around so many groups of walkers was Disneyland. Also if you are a slower walker please go to the back especially if walking in groups. It’s not that you are not appreciate, it’s a safety issue. I also typically run-walk which was sometimes impossible and I just kind of had to go the pace of the crowd. At one point I fell behind my goal pace but the course is a bit wider at the end and I was able to speed up a bit. I really think they needed to space the runners out more. Next year at the very least they should do what they did for the Millennium Mile and have 2 waves or maybe start groups every few minutes or have a lower cap on the number of runners. Other than the crowded the race was well-produced and well-marked with most streets not entirely closed but coned off. The course is fine. It is a lollipop loop. The start/finish is along a main road and kind of boring but the loop is through some nice neighborhoods that were pretty as it snowed yesterday. There are moderate hills but none too crazy. Despite navigating the crowd I was happy to finish under 36 minutes. I probably could have finished under 35 minutes if less people to navigate around. There is no medal which is typical of 5K’s in New England and why swag is 4 sneakers despite a really nice sweatshirt. Post race snacks were fine with granola bars, yogurt (including non-dairy smoothies), and other basic snacks. There was also soup and beer. The soup line was really long since there were too many people so I skipped it. Getting out of the race was also a challenge and took 15-20 minutes. Overall this is a nice race but not with 1500 participants many of whom did not start in the correct locations. I think they should reconsider the venue to a place that is easier to get in and out of that can hold more people or consider a tighter cap for the race. Perhaps cap it at 1000 participants. If neither of these are possible and there are over 1000 participants at the very least it should be split into waves to help spread people out. As there are limited races this time of year and this race is close by I am not opposed to doing it again and most likely will if I am not working or traveling but I’m also not eager to sign up without some changes.
More like the Windy Shuffle
My racing plans for this weekend got canceled so I decided to go visit my parents in New Hampshire and run another Millenium Running event instead. Like all Millenium Running … MORE
My racing plans for this weekend got canceled so I decided to go visit my parents in New Hampshire and run another Millenium Running event instead. Like all Millenium Running events this was a very well produced covid race with the same protocols as the previous ones with the time trial start. My dad also ran this race. Parking super easy in a big lot. We picked up our packets the morning of the race. For your swag item you get a nicely designed sweatshirt and could choose between 2 designs. Very nice swag item for a short race. The start was the same as their other events. This race was very popular this year with over 1000 runners and my start time was slightly delayed and I started about 10 minutes later than my assigned time. With all the protocols still felt safe despite the large number of runners. The weather this morning was not too cold and there was not much snow on the ground but there was a strong wind which made running a little difficult. The course was changed this year. The first part was okay along the side of a main road. The next part was nicer and was a loop through a very nice, pretty neighborhood with some fancy houses. Then you go back on the sidewalks of the main road to the finish line near the parking lot. The course was moderately difficult for a 3 miler with lots of rolling hills but nothing too difficult and most of the uphill in the first mile so I had negative splits. My biggest complaint about the course was the end was very congested on the sidewalk and it was very narrow and tricky to pass people. I saved energy for a last minute push to try to run this under 30 minutes but there was too much weaving around people to pick up as much speed as I needed to. I didn’t get a sub-30 time but still had a very good time given the hills and wind. The course was changed this year due to covid. I don’t know what the usual course is like but pretty much any course in Bedford will consist of rolling hills and fancy houses so I imagine the usual course isn’t much different but assume the end is less congested. At the end you got a millenium running mask and there were some refreshments. I was disappointed in the snack selection just some fruit cups with nothing to eat them with and all the bananas left were green but they had a great selection of post race drinks including my new favorite Maple Water. Overall this is a nice, well produced 3 mile race. I plan to take a trip somewhere warm for a race most MLK weekends that I am not working so doubt I will do this again as long as travel returns to normal but would recommend for locals and would do again if I found myself in NH on MLK weekend.