This is a 3K (slightly under 2 miles) race produced by Millennium Running. I did this race last year but it was a very different race as it changed venues. … MORE
This is a 3K (slightly under 2 miles) race produced by Millennium Running. I did this race last year but it was a very different race as it changed venues. Last year it was in downtown Manchester but this year it moved to a brewery in the suburbs. I liked the new venue better as I get sick of running in downtown Manchester and the brewery was about 5 minutes closer to where I live. There is good pre race communication and production is great as expected for Millennium Running. The race starts at 11am so I got to sleep in. There is a children’s Halloween festival and some kids races before the 3K. You can either get your packet the day before at the Millennium Running store or race day. I just got it race day. Parking was easy and there were volunteers that told you right where to park. This year the swag item was gloves. I preferred the shirt we got last year but at the same time I kind of liked getting a different swag item. The course was very different as it was an out and back in the suburbs. There was a lot of fall foliage and it was a nicer course than last year. There were also less turns so it could be faster. However the first half has a pretty good hill to go up so it still wasn’t a fast course but at least the second half is downhill. I was 1 minute faster than last year although I didn’t push myself too hard because I wanted to save energy for my half the next day. The finish line is nice with an announcer but no medal which is the usual for shorter races in New England. There was a good selection of post race food such a granola bars, chips, yogurt (including non-dairy smoothies) and some non-alcoholic beer and you could redeem you bib for an alcoholic beer at the brewery. Overall this is a solid little race. It’s not my favorite distance as it’s too short to get in the zone but too far to just got all out like a mile race but I’d do it if in town and not looking for a long race. I also liked the new venue better than last year.
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New Venue This Year
This is a 3K (slightly under 2 miles) race produced by Millennium Running. I did this race last year but it was a very different race as it changed venues. … MORE
This is a 3K (slightly under 2 miles) race produced by Millennium Running. I did this race last year but it was a very different race as it changed venues. Last year it was in downtown Manchester but this year it moved to a brewery in the suburbs. I liked the new venue better as I get sick of running in downtown Manchester and the brewery was about 5 minutes closer to where I live. There is good pre race communication and production is great as expected for Millennium Running. The race starts at 11am so I got to sleep in. There is a children’s Halloween festival and some kids races before the 3K. You can either get your packet the day before at the Millennium Running store or race day. I just got it race day. Parking was easy and there were volunteers that told you right where to park. This year the swag item was gloves. I preferred the shirt we got last year but at the same time I kind of liked getting a different swag item. The course was very different as it was an out and back in the suburbs. There was a lot of fall foliage and it was a nicer course than last year. There were also less turns so it could be faster. However the first half has a pretty good hill to go up so it still wasn’t a fast course but at least the second half is downhill. I was 1 minute faster than last year although I didn’t push myself too hard because I wanted to save energy for my half the next day. The finish line is nice with an announcer but no medal which is the usual for shorter races in New England. There was a good selection of post race food such a granola bars, chips, yogurt (including non-dairy smoothies) and some non-alcoholic beer and you could redeem you bib for an alcoholic beer at the brewery. Overall this is a solid little race. It’s not my favorite distance as it’s too short to get in the zone but too far to just got all out like a mile race but I’d do it if in town and not looking for a long race. I also liked the new venue better than last year.
Fun, Family Event
This is a Halloween themed race produced by Millennium Running. It is only a 3K and is a fun event for the family. The race starts at 11 and before … MORE
This is a Halloween themed race produced by Millennium Running. It is only a 3K and is a fun event for the family. The race starts at 11 and before the race there are a lot of Halloween festivities including a petting zoo so I got to see some cute and creepy animals. There is good pre-race communication and it is easy to park by the race. There is the option to get the packet the day before or race-day. I got it race day and packet included bib and a nice tech shirt. As I said the course starts at 11am. Most days in late October I’d appreciate the late start as an excuse to sleep in but today it was unseasonably hot and was close to 80 degrees. Luckily it cooled down for my half the next day but it was miserable running weather at 11am. Race was well organized. The start corrals are always a hot mess in races like this with a lot of families and participants who aren’t regular runners but the announcer did their best to remind everyone to line up where they were supposed to. Of course not everyone listened but it was better than the Howl-o-ween where people where walking in lines of 4 up front in the corral. I didn’t really like the course very much. I was hoping for such a short course that it would be very fast but it was a hilly course through downtown Manchester with lots of turns and not much scenery. There was over 100 feet of elevation gain which is a lot for the distance. It didn’t help that is was really hot. I mean it’s just 1.86 miles on road so it’s not hard but it just wasn’t as easy as I’d expect. Despite the lackluster course it was still a very fun environment with a ton of participants in costume. My finishing time was slower than my initial goal which was to push myself to try to run under 20 minutes but with the heat and hills my finishing time was fine. Participants get their names called out as they cross the finish line. There is no medal which is fine for a race this short. There is basic race snack and a food truck which seemed a little meat heavy and I had to get home right away so I skipped it. Overall I thought this was a fun event. I didn’t love the course but it was a nice way to get a shake out run done before a Sunday half marathon. As this is a very close race for me that I don’t need to wake up early to run it I would do it again if I didn’t have other race plans.