It was like a blast from the past. I was fortunate enough to have won a race entry into the 5 Peaks Running Series through the Running Free lottery. I chose the Terra Cotta Conservation event on August 7, 2010. It had been almost 30 years since I had run a trail race. Back in my high school and college years, it was called cross country. It brought back fond memories of running in the forest up and down the hills.
It is obvious that this racing series is very popular and I can understand the attraction to it. You could register for one of two races: the 6 km Sport or the 12 km Enduro. I chose to run the 12 km Enduro. It was two loops of the 6 km Sport course. Both races left the start line at the same time. I liked the coral starting line with pace marker times so runners could place themselves accordingly.
The course was a mixture of grass, dirt pathways with tree roots, gravel roads and paved roads. The course also contains a fair amount of hill elevations. The first time I completed the 6 km loop I found it required a mix of speed and concentration while navigating the tree roots. By the time I did the second loop, I knew what to expect so I could pace myself accordingly. The course itself was very well marked and well marshaled. The finish line gave you enough distance to battle it out at the end for the extra finishing place. The competition at the race was very good with a good turn out in numbers. There were 208 finishers for the 6 km Sport race and 220 finishers for the 12 km Enduro race.
Having Solomon there at the race was also a very nice touch. I was able to try out a pair of trail shoes during the race at no cost and they did make a difference on the course.
The website for the 5 Peaks Running Series is extremely informative. It describes what type of course to expect at each particular venue. The written directions for the Terra Cotta Race did have an error in them. The directions said to exit the 401 at Winston Churchill Blvd and proceed 9 km. However, it did not tell you whether or not to go north or south and you actually had to go 19 km, not 9 km.
Overall, it was a very well organized race with a terrific course. I would highly recommend this race to anyone wishing to run a trail race. I will definitely run this one next year and perhaps try one of their other 5 Peaks races as well.
