Race #25 – Kelly Guffey Race to Remember 5k – Dallas NC – 03/28/09


This was the third annual race that memorializes the life of Kelly Guffey, a vibrant 32-year-old who lost her battle with carcinoid cancer in 2006, with proceeds going towards a nursing scholarship in her name.
I was excited about running this race. It was somewhat of a milestone for me, being my 25th race in the seven months since I began running, but also it was the first race Linda and I have run in Gaston County (where we live) and the first one any of our kids have attended. We were thrilled to have our son Joe, who lives in Tucson, and his fiance Natalie, currently living in Illinois, join us in running this 5k.
After about five straight days of rain and the Saturday afternoon forecast calling for 100% chance of rain, the morning weather was actually pretty nice with a race-time temperature of about 60 degrees and overcast skies but not a drop of rain.
It wasn’t the most scenic course by a longshot and a couple of times I thought I might have to resort to some dog-kicking (it wasn’t necessary after all), but the hills weren’t too bad and there were plenty of volunteers to keep you on course as well as calling out your split times at each mile.
The professional photography from Candid Captures Photography is spectacular. Be sure to check out the photos by clicking the link below.
The T-shirts were great and so were the medals given to the age group winners, which were actually inscribed on the back with the race information and what the award was for. By the way, Natalie, Linda, and I all placed in our age groups and I had my best 5k time ever at 23:28, my first time under 24 minutes!
The food wasn’t fancy but was adequate and there was plenty of it (bananas, oranges, bagels, cream cheese).
All in all, it was a lot of fun and this is a race I’ll plan on running every year.


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)
5 – 1-10 Awards Presentation (PA system, stating winning times, etc.) (1 to 10)
6 – 1-10 Food for Race Participants (1 to 10)
7 – 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)
5 – 0/5 Professional Photography (5=Yes and 0=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)
4 – 1-10 Course (1 to 10 with 5 being average)
6 – 1-10 Parking (1 to 10 with 5 being average)
5 – 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 – 0/5 Indoor Shelter from Elements (0 if none; 5 if provided)
7 – 1-10 Bathroom Facilities
0 – 1-10 Other
TOTAL – 88

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