Considering how I knew going into the race it would be small, I didn't have very high expectations for it. I was excited to do it though since there was a finisher medal involved and I'm a sucker for race swag! I also had never run in this part of North Carolina before, so I had no idea what to expect.
The race started at the Winston-Salem Fairgrounds. I had been there once before several years ago for the Dixie Classic Fair, but didn't remember much of it other than cake decorating competitions, looking at a lot of livestock, and being surprised that they had tractor pulls.
It was the perfect morning for a race. Kind of chilly, but not too much so (it was in the upper 40s when the race started) and standing in the sun was all you needed to feel comfortably warm before the race. I was wearing a light long-sleeved quarter zip jacket with a long sleeve shirt underneath, leggings and my usual Bondi Band headband. It was a little much, but felt nice to have the layers before and after the race since a 5k is quick enough that I can deal with being a little extra warm.
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| My outfit laid out the night before the race |
We got a great parking space close to the starting and finishing area, and right next to some nice, clean portajohns. (And there wasn't even a line!!) We scoped out the food area for when we finished,
The race course itself was really nice--it started out downhill, and then afterwards it had mostly rolling hills (except for when you had to come back up that initial hill.) I enjoyed seeing another part of Winston-Salem that I had never seen through running. There was one water stop on the course after the one mile marker and it was hard to see when it was coming up.
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| So proud of this medal! |
After finishing (my time was 31:17--even closer to the elusive sub-30 5k) volunteers handed out the medals and then I was super impressed with the post-race snacks! They had goldfish crackers, several kinds of pretzels, fruit snacks, cookies, water and a wide variety of soda as well so there was a little something for everybody. My only other complaint about this race would be the bananas--they were so green they were impossible to peel and I saw several people picking the peel away far longer than my own patience would allow.
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| Some of the snacks offered. I grabbed an extra fruit snack for my husband since they're his favorite! |
Overall I would recommend this race if you're looking for one in the area. It was well run and small enough that parking was great and there were plenty of portajohns for a pre or post race bathroom break. The shirt is a nice wicking material and the logo for the race is also pretty cute!
After the race driving back to the hotel I insisted we stop at a Krispy Kreme. I grew up about 10 minutes from one of the DC area factories, so whenever I see the "HOT DONUTS NOW" sign lit up I immediately start salivating. (And we were in the area where Krispy Kreme started, and home of the Krispy Kreme challenge!) I got my usual glazed and chocolate iced with sprinkles and I was SO happy for the treat.
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| Had to get the hat too. |
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