This was the first time (2009) I have participated in this event. Having met several runners over the years at races who have mentioned it favorably, I thought it was worth a shot!
The race is very well organized and I loved the fact that they offered race kit pick up on Race day morning. Race directors offer runners a choice of registering for a 5km or 15km (which both start together) or a 2km fun run. Each runner received his/her kit in a reusable grocery bag which is a welcome change. The shirt is actually a cute little singlet (also a nice change from a standard shirt) with the Bread and Honey logo on the front and the Longo’s logo on the back. The race starts and finishes at a school and this affords runners somewhere warm and dry to wait for the race to start and a nice gymnasium for the post run refreshments and awards ceremony. I also liked the fact that the school had a track out the back and this was a great place to warm up.
Approximately 600 runners ran the 5km and just over 400 runners participated in the 15km. By about the 2nd KM, the field started to open up and, after that, you never really felt crowded. The race itself was a little more hilly than I had anticipated but overall, a nice course. There are two sections of ‘out and back’. The first one occurs within the first 5km and it was quite neat to see the ‘speedy’ runners whipping past, on their way home to some smokin’ 5km times. The second ‘out and back’ section happens roughly between 7 and 10km and wasn’t quite as neat! By then, I was starting to feel a bit tired and didn’t like how fresh the runners looked as they tore back towards home.
The water stations for the course were organized and well placed. The volunteers were very upbeat and did a good job of telling you where to pick up water (versus Gatorade). I did find a few of the KM markers to be quite off. I noticed that one of my KM splits was 7:13 and then the next was 3:10!! The traffic was well marshalled and the lanes reserved for runners were more than generous and never really felt jam packed.
Overall, I was pleased with my run. I had wanted to complete it in 1:19 and ended up 1:21:25 which I felt was a good indicator of my lack of hill training and gives me an idea of where I specifically need to focus in preparation for my fall races.
I will definitely run this race again!
Good Job Shelly!