You can read my post from yesterday which describes the hotel, the expo and the carb-loading dinner before the first day of races!
Today I’m going to recap the 5K and 10K races and the Dog Run!
The 5K started at 8 a.m. and since the hotel was relatively close to the start line, we woke up around 6:15 a.m. It was nice to have a semi-late wake up time. After a quick breakfast of oatmeal and water, we boarded the shuttle to the start line.
The weather was ‘brisk’. It was only around 40 degrees before the race started. Now I don’t mind running in the cold but it seemed like we skipped right over fall weather, straight into winter weather. Bag drop off only took a few minutes. It was very organized and the line was very short.
Last week, I talked my mom into doing the 5K race. After a little arm twisting, she agreed 🙂 We usually run the same 5K races throughout the year but never together, so we decided to stick together for this race. I let my mom pick the pace and she selected the 11:00/minute per mile pace. That sounded perfect to me. We also decided to take a pre-race selfie because we’re cool like that.
I’m not sure how many people ran the 5K but the corrals were spacious and I never felt “boxed in”. It was nice to have some room to move. At 8:00 a.m. we were off!
Runner’s World 5K Recap
Before I get started I wanted to say that the time limit for the 5K was 1 hour (20 minutes per mile) so this course is definitely walker friendly.
The 5K course starts at ArtsQuest at Steel Stacks (the same place that held the expo). During the run you get to see the North Side of Bethlehem. Quickly after the start the first small climb is onto the Phillip J. Fahy Memorial Bridge. The rest of the course is pretty flat with maybe 1 or 2 more rolling hills. Toward the end of the race, you run past the outside of the Sands Casino and this was how I knew we were almost near the finish.
Pros
- Well staffed and stocked water stations
- Crowd support – anytime I can high five a kid, it’s a good day.
- Finisher Medals – I wish more races gave out medals for the 5K distance. I think that all running should be celebrated and every race is an accomplishment!
- Post-race food – bagels, bananas, bottled water, Subway cookies and raisins
- Free race photos – The photos aren’t available yet but how awesome is it that they provide free race photos?! This almost never happens!
- Restrooms – There were REAL restrooms to use before and after the race and a good amount of port a potties on the course. I didn’t see any really long lines.
We were pretty silly after the race |
Runner’s World 10K Recap
After completing the 5K, I had about an hour to kill until the 10K race. I re-fueled with half a bagel and half a bottle of water. I didn’t want to eat anything too heavy because I knew I had to run 6.2 miles very soon. After a few photos and a quick chat with women I met from Black Girls Run chapters in Charlotte and Philadelphia, I went indoors to warm up. Pretty soon it was 9:20 a.m. and I went into my corral to get ready for the race. At 9:30 a.m. we were off!
During the start of the race we again crossed over the Fahy Bridge and then entered the downtown area of Bethlehem. This section had a good amount of crowd support. Then we hit a few climbs to enter the more residential areas of the city. We then headed downtown and back across the Fahy Bridge. The last 1.5-2 miles were exactly the same as the 5K.
When I think about the 10K course, I break it down into the first 3 miles and then the last 3.2 miles. The first 3 miles had some pretty decent hills/inclines. Around mile 3 my legs were pretty pissed at me and I was secretly wondering how in the hell I was going to run a half marathon the next day. The last half of the races was considerably better with a few more downhills.
Coming in towards the finish line |
Almost there! |
Races 1 and 2 – DONE! |
The pros and cons for the 10K are the same for the 5K. Overall both races were very well-organized and the 10K course was a little challenging but I appreciated the challenge! After the 10K race I went back to gear check to get my change of clothes. I knew I wouldn’t have time to go back to the hotel and change before the Dog Run so luckily I packed a few ShowerPill wipes – best decision ever! After changing, it was time to watch the Dog Run!
Dog Run
You guys…the Dog Run was so much fun to watch! I’m an animal lover and seeing all of these cute dogs made me smile from ear to ear. The race was 1-mile and the dogs even had their own bibs! Some of the dogs also dressed up in costume. Below is a video I took from the start line at the beginning of the race!
I took a TON of photos but I’ll only post a few below!
You can’t tell in this photo, but this dog was HUGE! |
It’s Bat-Dog! |
Superhero dogs! |
This little dog was the absolute cutest! |
This dog had on a Penn State fleece. As an alum, I must say he was my favorite 🙂 |
After the race, the dogs lined up for treats and food from the FreshPet van that was on the premises 🙂
Come back to the blog tomorrow so you can read my recap of the seminars and pasta dinner.
Hardlyagoddess says
HA! I love that the majority of the pics are from the DogRun! That is too cute! the other races look fun too though~lol!
kookyrunner says
LoL – you can obviously see my priorities 🙂
Wendy Rivard says
How fun that your mom ran the 5k with you!
kookyrunner says
Totally! We never run races together so it was a great experience!
KyannaSimone says
Your OUTFIT is super cute! OMG. I love that. Those colors are amazing! And those medals!! LOL!
kookyrunner says
Thanks so much! I was really feeling the bright colors that day. Capris are from Old Navy, top from Under armor and socks from pro compression