Talk about a nearly totally flat course! There was about 16ft of elevation change the entire course which was mostly the bridge that connects the two parks. I usually don't run well on flat courses (I am weird and need those hills to switch things up), but I absolutely love this course. My favorite part is that it is all on the running paths so there is no vehicular traffic at all. The only "traffic" was a few individuals that were out walking dogs or going for a morning walk/run, but they were all aware of the race and gave runners the right of way which was very nice.
I am always looking for new races to run - or even "new to me" races. Well, it was just a few days before July 4th which means most runners are either out of town or prepping for those big July 4th races. After checking out various outlets for races in the area, nothing within a reasonable distance was happening this weekend...or so I thought. About two weeks before, my friend Jenn asked me if I was running Never Run/Walk Alone 5K. What was this all about? She sent me the link and I checked it out and it was a 5K happening at one of my favorite race courses from 2018 which is just about 15 minutes from home. Count me in! While I usually register for races around a month (or more) in advance, this was a little different as I registered about a week beforehand. Momma K and I arrived to Etowah River Park shortly after 7am which gave us almost an hour to eat our light breakfast, meet up with Jenn and Brendan, grab our bibs and get ready to run. There is plenty of parking in the park conveniently located near the indoor restrooms, bib pickup, and the start line. A few minutes before 8am everyone was directed to the start line area and given instructions on the race course. The course started in Etowah River Park and took the running path over to Heritage Park which you entered at the mile 1 mark. Then you did a loop of Heritage Park which is just shy of a mile then back over to Etowah River Park to the finish. Talk about a nearly totally flat course! There was about 16ft of elevation change the entire course which was mostly the bridge that connects the two parks. I usually don't run well on flat courses (I am weird and need those hills to switch things up), but I absolutely love this course. My favorite part is that it is all on the running paths so there is no vehicular traffic at all. The only "traffic" was a few individuals that were out walking dogs or going for a morning walk/run, but they were all aware of the race and gave runners the right of way which was very nice. After crossing the finish line I met up with Brendan and Jenn to do a short little cool down run with them since they needed an extra mile to get their four miles in for the day. Afterwards we headed back to the finish line to cheer on finishers and wait for the results. Well, I had quite a surprise when I found out that I came in third place in my age group! Since I ran considerably slower than normal due to the warmth and scaling back my pace the past few months, I was shocked but super excited to earn an adorable wooden age group medals. Considering I didn't even know this race existed until less than two weeks before, I have to say that I am definitely not letting this one slide by me again in the future. You better believe that when 2020 rolls around, I will be watching for this one to come up again.
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BrandiI love to run and most importantly I love to have FUN while I run....I am the "Funner Runner" Feedspot's Top 100 Running Blogs
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