SWAG:
Saturday: 10K Medal and shirt; 5K Medal and shirt, one pair of gloves. The 10K medal and 5K medal are the same, which is different from years past, and seems pretty cheap to me. Like, oh, now I have two of this medal. WTF?
Sunday: 10 Mile medal and shirt. Pair of gloves. The shirt is neon. It's definitely one of the uglier shirts I've ever seen. Free beer at the finish for those over 21. This year there were vodka samples too, so that was on point.
Race Series: Vest for the series. Medal for the series. The vest is a pleasant surprise. It's a nice weight, zippered pockets, and even a secret inside zipper. The medal for the series is always one of the prettier medals I get every year.
Expo: Bus to/from West 7th, where I'd parked and met a friend for lunch.
Saturday: Bus/Green Line to the races and then Green Line to Dungeon Master's car to get home
Sunday: Bus to the start line; Green Line to a stop where I met Olive and we cheered for the marathon for a while before she took me home.
10K/5K uses a start line next to the finish. This year, no joke, there was a box truck parked on the course , 100ft past the start. It was fenced off and everything. They knew it was going to be staying there. Truck/fencing situation lead to a horrible bottle neck after the start. They should've just fenced off the course to that width from the start for both races. 10K and 5K races are a mass start. The 5K in particular should be a wave start. It is way too crowded with kids seeding themselves incorrectly.
10 Mile start line is in Minneapolis. This year there were 4 corrals, which meant I started around 7:25am. I was to the front of the corral, so I got to see the other corrals going off. That was fun. The 10 Mile start is fun because some of the marathon runners come and cheer at the start line and it's one big park.
10K: Same as it always has been. Out and back along Summit Ave with a fair amount of climbing.
5K: Reverted to the old (bad?) course after the fantastic changes they made in 2017. The 2017 course was a loop. The old (or current I guess?) course is an out and back with 2 way running along Summit Ave. It is waaay to narrow for the number of people on the course, and for kids who don't get the concept of 'two way traffic'. I watched kids and adults almost run into the elite runners coming 'back' because they were on the wrong side of the street. This is another reason they should do wave starts. It's just better for runner safety. (I do think kids belong in this race and it's a well done race for kids. There are some things the organizers could do to make it safer for all the competitors, especially kids who've never run a race before and don't know the etiquette.)
10 Mile: This course has been the same for a long time (as long as there's not a land slide in the way). The course has a lot of climbing, particularly in the middle. I find it challenging but super fun.
Pace Team:
10K, 5K: No pacers
10 Mile: Well, there's what the website says, and then there's what happened. There are pacers for this race. However, the corral/pacer situation was a total cluster. Last year I ran a 1:54 which put me in Corral D today. (I was 32021, and Corral D started at 32000, so I was close to getting into Corral C). Based on last year's time of 1:54, obviously a good goal would be 1:50 right? The 1:50 (11:00/mile) pacer was in Corral C, so I couldn't run with them. (Ok; sometimes that's how things break down.). Oh, by the way, the 2:00 pacer (12:00/mile) also started in Corral C. I think that person was straight up in the wrong place. I passed her in my last mile and NO ONE was with her. Because really, if you qualify for Corral C, you run faster than a 12:00/mile. A lot of people in Corral D run faster than that. For next year, if the corrals are split at the same paces, they should have a second 1:50 pacer in Corral D. And the 2:00 pacer also needs to start in Corral D where they belong.
10K, 5K: People do come out for this and stand on Summit. It's not a ton of people but there is some support. The chute into the finish is packed with people, so that's always a blast.
10 Mile: I thought there were more people out than last year. Or maybe I was just paying more attention this year? There's a ton of people downtown, and this year there were a few spots of people along the River Bottoms as well. SE Mpls and into St Paul there were lots of people, and Summit Ave is always crazy. I ran by the free beer at mile 8. I thought it'd just make me sick. Butif it's your cup of tea, it's there. Apparently I also ran by Whiskey shots. That doesn't sound like something I'd pass up.
5K/10K: Finish area is super family friendly and the 'chute' is pretty small. There's medals, water, bananas, and a couple other snacks.
10 Mile: The first part of the finisher chute is pretty standard. Bonus here because they usually have hot broth. Might as well be manna from heaven. Shortly after that things go haywire. The chute is crazy long and winding. It's just walking around, the only other thing there is in there is baggage. Outside the chute are a few other amenities. The changing tent and family reunion area were in a field that was unfortunately pretty soggy this year. In the changing tent a lot of runners stood on their mylar blankets to change and stay out of the mud. After I was warm and dry, there's a beer garden. There's also a PR bell that I couldn't find this year. At some point, I was done walking and looking for it, so that's partly on me.
Race Series: Is great for someone who wants to run a lot over the weekend, but not run the marathon. It's okay for slower/back of the pack runners but not walkers. You need to run a 10K comfortably in 1:25 or less. (Because the 5K starts 1:30 after the 10K.) For me, training for two back to back days of racing was a good challenge for my endurance and my strength.
10K: Fasties, first timers, race walkers, anyone who loves a big race, anyone who wants to try a well supported 10K. There are race walkers and walkers in this race, but not as many as in the 5K.
5K: Fasties, first timers, race walkers, walkers, and kids who are big enough to do a 3 mile race.
10 Miler: Fasties, first timers, race walkers (I have been passed by many race walkers here), anyone who's looking to go up in distance from a 5K or 10K, anyone who wants to increase their speed over a longer race, anyone who likes climbing or hilly races.
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