Race #8 – Dowd Y Run – Charlotte NC – 11/01/08

For some reason the Dowd Y Run didn’t seem like it would be too exciting but I didn’t find anything else close by we headed over there. I was completely wrong as usual. It was cold at race time but there was all kinds of excitement floating around. The races started with the Autobell Half Marathon and 700 runners, followed about 15 minutes later by the 5k race, which had 319 finishers. The 5k race went through the historic Dilworth section of Charlotte and the free food after the race was some of the best we’ve seen at any of the races yet, provided by several different Charlotte Restaurants.
The T-shirts were the best we’ve seen yet — high quality long-sleeved black shirts with the design on the front showing the Charlotte skyline. It’s the same one on this blog entry and on the official race page here…
My chip time was 25:33, which was only 2 seconds off my fastest 5k time yet. I didn’t place but was happy with the results since I had forgotten my Garmin Forerunner 305 at home and thought I’d be lost without it. It was good to know I didn’t actually need it to run although maybe I should be concerned that I’m stuck in one speed.
Race Rating:
6 — 4/6 Number of Participants (4 for less than 100; 6 for 100 or more)
8 — 1-10 Awards (Quality of medals, trophies, etc.) (1 to 10)
8 — 1-10 Awards Presentation (PA system, stating winning times, etc.) (1 to 10)
9 — 1-10 Food for Race Participants (1 to 10)
9 — 1-10 T-Shirts (1 to 10 with 5 being average)
4 — 4/6 Race part of “Run for Your Life Grand Prix Series” (6=Yes and 4=No)
4 — 4/6 Online Registration (6=Yes and 4=No)
6 — 4/6 Chip Timing (6=Yes and 4=No)
7 — 3/7 Certified Course (by USA Track & Field) (7=Yes and 3=No)
6 — 1-10 Course (1 to 10 with 5 being average)
7 — 1-10 Parking (1 to 10 with 5 being average)
7 — 1-10 Entertainment (1 to 10 with 5 being average)
7 — 3/7 Age Groups (7 if 5-year groups; 3 if 10-year groups)
4 — 1-10 Bathroom Facilities
0 — 1-10 Other
TOTAL – 92

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