Race #11 – Santa Scramble 5k – Concord NC – 11/22/08


What a great race this was: a 5k that preceded the Concord, North Carolina, Christmas parade, with about 15-20,000 onlookers as the racers ran the parade route. With a record low temperature of 13 degrees last night we were happy that the race started at 2:15 in the afternoon so the weather had warmed up to the low 40s, but that’s still cold for North Carolina this time of year. For the most part the spectators were waiting for the parade to begin so I can’t say they were exactly cheering but there was a smattering of applause and words of encouragement. At one point right in the middle of the city I was between two groups maybe 50 yards apart and as I ran through by myself I heard quite a few cheers, which was nice — definitely better than what I usually hear while I’m running down the street, whether racing or not.
Click Here for Race Results


Linda and I both got 2nd place in our age division (55-59) and I ran my fastest time yet — 24:05 with negative splits for each mile (Mile 1 – 8:01; Mile 2 – 7:50; and Mile 3 – 7:34). I heard several other people say they had set a personal record for their best 5k time on this course (lots of downhill and not much uphill). Unlike most courses where you end approximately where you started, for this race the registration area was the same place where the race ended, but the starting line was 3 miles away on the other side of town, so they transferred us in buses to the starting line and we raced back to where our cars were parked at the registration area.
I didn’t take any race photos this time, partly because of the logistics of carrying a camera and partly hoping that somebody else would do it and I can just link to those pics. If I find some I’ll add a link here.
  • 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)
  • 6 – 1-10 Awards Presentation (PA system, stating winning times, etc.) (1 to 10)
  • 4 – 1-10 Food for Race Participants (1 to 10)
  • 5 – 1-10 T-Shirts (1 to 10 with 5 being average)
  • 4 – 4/6 Part of Race Series (Grand Prix, etc.) (6=Yes and 4=No)
  • 6 – 4/6 Online Registration (6=Yes and 4=No)
  • 6 – 4/6 Chip Timing (6=Yes and 4=No)
  • 3 – 3/7 Certified Course (by USA Track & Field) (7=Yes and 3=No)
  • 10-1-10 Course (1 to 10 with 5 being average)
  • 4 – 1-10 Parking (1 to 10 with 5 being average)
  • 8 – 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)
  • 5 – 1-10 Bathroom Facilities
  • 5 – 1-10 Other (added 5 points for the 20,000 extra spectators)
TOTAL – 87

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