I've never done a race this BIG. The competitive 5K had some 2000 runners in it, and I think most of them were newbies (according to a show of hands when the announcer asked at the start of the race), with no clue about race etiquette. The nontimed 5K run/walk started 20 minutes after and had 25,000 people in it. Many people who were BOP runners/walkers, or non-competitive participants, situated themselves at the front of the competitive race start rather than their expected pace, which resulted in a very slow walking start for everyone. The nontimed 5K didn't start for another 20 minutes, but there were nontimed participants milling around and getting in the way of our start. I started in the MOP, since that's usually my pace, and it took me a good minute for the course to get clear enough past the starting line to actually run. Things cleared up after about a half a mile, but there were still way too many people to really all out run. I kept getting boxed in. Still, I wanted to absolutely finish under 33 minutes (when they stopped timing), and I did that.


Situate myself closer to the FOP at the start of a mixed competitive/non-comp race like this. I'd also arrive earlier. I need to learn to pick a better line in a crowd, and not be afraid to weave through groups I guess. I should do more group runs.

None. The finish line chute was equally crowded, so we went from an all out sprint in the last 100 yards to a dead stop. Then we stood for 5 minutes until they took our bib tags. Again, newbies didn't realize that you need to wait in line. Time on clock is still pretty close to the time on my watch though.


Too many people. Not feeling well.


This was also a tough one for parking, and with 25,000 people there, it was really hard for Gene and the kids to find me at the finish. Overall, it was decent enough, but I don't think I'll run this one again. It's just too big and crazy.