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Disclaimer: I received a free bib for the Run(317) Race Series in exchange for a review as part of being a BibRave Pro. Learn more about becoming a BibRave Pro (ambassador), and check out BibRave.com to review, find, and write race reviews!
Last month I mentioned that I would be running the Run(317) Race Series down in the Indy area, and this past Thursday was the first race! I headed into Broad Ripple (the location of the first race) about an hour and a half before the race because I didn’t know what parking would be like. I ended up finding a parking lot that was a flat $5 only about 0.25 miles from the packet pick up, so I snatched it and ran inside.
The packet pick up was well organized, especially for a small race, and volunteers were really friendly! They were directing traffic through the building and saying they hoped we had a great race. They also did ID checks right there and gave wristbands to those over 21 for our free beers that came with entry.
The race is $30, which is a great price for a 5k, and came with all these goodies (I received the zip pullover because I registered for all three races at once):
I love the pint glass! As I mentioned, along with the bib, each racer got 2 free beers. In my opinion, that’s a lot of great stuff for that $30 entry!
We lined up about 7 minutes before the race start, and the emcee entertained us with various chants about 317 (that’s the area code in Indy) and corralling the crowd. With the National Anthem sung, the gun went off and we started the race! They had suggested that slower runners and walkers start in the back, and people obeyed this better than some races I’ve done which was nice. Less weaving around for me!
It was a hot and humid evening (the race started at 7 pm so it had only slightly cooled) and I had done 2 miles before the race, so by the time the race started I was toasty and a bit drained. I brought my handheld with nuun (watermelon flavor) and drank that throughout the race.
The first thing I noticed during the first mile were the signs they had set up along the wheel giving facts and information for School On Wheels, which was the charity organization for this race. Those were nice to read and helped everyone focus on why we were really running.
The race wove through neighborhoods, and some of the neighbors were out cheering, which was nice- especially for a 5k where that rarely happens. The volunteers on the race course were fantastic and cheered loudly for us as they encouraged us onward in the heat. The (317) volunteers had smiles on their face throughout the whole course, which was especially nice with the heat.
Somewhere in mile 2 they had a water station set up (I didn’t stop since I had my handheld), and most people were taking advantage of that.
The race, while a 5k, is actually 3.17 miles long, and when we hit near the finish line, I could hear the crowd cheering. Again, especially because it was a 5k, it was nice to have people cheering there. It really felt like a REAL race, which I loved!
As soon as I coursed the line there were people to cut off our tracking tags, and then people were giving out water bottles and bags of pretzels (extra salt is so great after sweating during a race!). I grabbed a bag of pretzels and took off running for one more mile. I decided to use this race as the middle miles of my weekend long run of 6.25 miles.
Right outside the finish line area a local brewery had set up a little station, and like I mentioned earlier, each participant got two free beers. Because of this, people were hanging around talking and laughing, and there was music. The location was also right next to a river, so it was a lot of fun. It truly was just like a local street party!
Overall I thought the race was well organized and had a great value for what the cost of the race was! It was a fun night celebrating running in the 317!
Now it’s your turn to share! What’s your favorite thing about local races?
Sounds great and I love that pullover.
The emcee & DJ for this were guys I was an orientation leader with at BSU.
I love the pull over as well! What crazy connections! The DJ/emcee were great 🙂