Race #42 – Mill Grove Cancer Awareness 5k & 3k – Matthews NC – 06/27/09



Thanks to GPS technology, we didn’t have any trouble finding the Mill Grove 5k race that I think was somewhere between Matthews and Mint Hill. The race took place in the lovely Shannamara neighborhood, which is adjoining The Divide Golf Course. It was an out-and-back course so it was nice to be able to finish by running down the long hill we ran to run up at the beginning of the race.
It was a hot morning, probably somewhere around 80 to 85 degrees at race time, and there was some type of a logistical problem that caused the 5k to be delayed for about 30 minutes, until the 3k race, which had started earlier, was finishing. I’m not quite sure of the details, but it probably did affect race times a little bit since 30 more minutes of midsummer sunshine can heat things up pretty quickly.
The hot temperatures did allow me to once and for all test out my X-Bionic shirt, which, according to the recent segment on the Fox Sports Network show called “Sports Science,” is supposed to keep your core body temperature lower when running in extreme heat. I’ll post a more complete review of my results under the original blog message, but to make a long story short, there are no magic shirts that will make you run faster, at least not for me. Guess I’ll have to do it the old fashioned way if I want to get faster.
The post-race food was good, and the awards for the overall winners (top 3 male and top 3 female) were exceptionally nice. I didn’t see everything but noticed they received a really nice running backpack along with some other stuff. All of the age-group 1st place winners received a medal in both the 5k and 3k races, but it was a little disappointing that there was nothing given to 2nd and 3rd place.
I took some photos of some of the runners as they were finishing, and as usual, you can download the large original photos (3000 x 4000 pixels) for free by clicking on the slideshow and downloading them from my Picasa photos page.
Race Rating
4 – 1-10 Website (Informaton, results, registration, photo links, etc.)
7 – 1-10 Awards (Quality of medals, trophies, etc.) (1 to 10)
5 – 1-10 Awards Presentation (PA system, winning times, etc.) (1 to 10)
7 – 1-10 Food for Race Participants (1 to 10)
6 – 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)
0 – 0/5 Professional Photography (5=Yes and 0=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)
6 – 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)
3 – 1-10 Bathroom Facilities
0 – 0-10 Other
TOTAL – 69

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