Race #253 - Beach Blast 5k - Albemarle, NC - -05/10/14

Pros:

  • RRCA State Championship 5k road race.
  • Hundreds of free photos (many professional quality) from "Vac and Dash" and "On the Mark Sports."
  • Big downhill in the last mile makes for a fast finish.
  • Great post-race party.
  • One of the best awards ceremonies for any race.
  • This is one of Albemarle's premier races, and Albemarle is arguably the greatest running community in the state (maybe the whole U.S.), with more runners per capita than any other city thanks to the outstanding Vac and Dash running programs.

Cons:

  • There's nothing bad I can really say about this race.


Additional Comments:

  • For me personally, I was hoping to win the North Carolina Senior Grandmasters 5k championship but I finished 25 seconds behind speedy Will Morrell, who also beat me at last year's 10k championship. I actually felt okay about my time though, which was 21:08. Hoping to get back under 21:00 before long but at the age of 62 I feel fortunate that I haven't slowed down any more than I have to this point.
  • This is one of the few races where I've actually had negative splits (6:54, 6:52, and 6:40) thanks to the fast last mile.

Will Morrell and me during the awards ceremony.


Click Here for Race Results


My Stats:

Time:   21:08
Pace:   6:49
Age Group:  2 of  7
Overall:  21 of  522 (4%)
Average Heart Rate:  164
Maximum Heart Race:  174
Age Graded Equivalent Time:  16:42 (77.25%)

A couple of extras you don't usually see in races are the unique
hand-carved gourd awards for the overall winners and the fresh
baked 5k cookies from a local bakery.


***************
* RACE RATING *
***************

RACE COURSE
3 - Chip Timing: (3 points if yes)
0 - Starting Mat: (2 points if yes)
2 - Water Stops: (0)none  (2)normal  (5)extras [Gu, sports drink, etc.]
1 - Course Marking:  (0)bad  (1)good
2 - Course Scenery:  (0)bad  (2)pleasant  (5)extraordinary
2 - Mile Markers: (0)poor or none  (1)normal  (2)with clocks or time called out
2 - Volunteers:  (0)too few  (2)good
5 - Finish line: (0)mediocre  (2)not bad  (5)very good  (7)spectacular!
2 - Certified Course: (0)no  (2) yes
2 - Correct Distance: (0)no  (2)yes
1 - Partly or fully on unpaved roads:  (0)yes  (1)no

REGISTRATION
2 - Cost:  (0)expensive  (2)reasonable  (5)cheap!
3 - Race Day Registration:  (0)no  (3)yes

RESULTS
2 - Posted promptly online:  (0)no  (2)yes
1 - Clear link on website:  (0)no  (1)yes

AGE GROUPS
2 - 3 deep awards: (2)yes (0 for anything less)
5 - 5-year age groups (5 points) (0 for anything less)
1 - 14 and under group (1)
1 - 65+ group (1)
1 - 70+ group (1)
2 - Top Overall M/F:  (0)none or first only  (2)top 3 or better
2 - Masters Category(40+): (0)no  (2)yes
3 - Grand Masters Category (50+):  (0)no  (3)yes  (*RRCA Championship)
5 - Senior Grand Masters Category: (0)no  (5)yes  (*RRCA Championship)

AWARDS
5 - Overall Winner Awards: (0)none  (2)yes  (5)excellent
2 - Age Group Awards: (0)none  (2)yes  (5)excellent
0 - Door Prizes or Drawing: (0)no  (2)yes   (5-9)fabulous door prizes!
0 - Finisher Medals for All Finishers: (0)no  (3)yes  (5)really cool medals

POST RACE
7 - Food for Race Participants: (0-10 with 5 being average)
9 - Entertainment:  (0)no  (1-9)yes
2 - Finisher times posted after race:  (0)no  (2)yes

REST ROOMS
1 - Porta Potties:  (0)no  (1)limited, long lines  (2)plentiful
1 - Indoor Restrooms: (0)no  (1)limited, long lines  (2)plentiful

T-SHIRTS
2 - T-Shirts: (0)no  (2)yes
2 - Design: (0)not good  (1)not bad  (2)nice  (5)beautiful!
2 - Material: (0)cotton  (2)technical fabric
0 - Discount for no-shirt option:  (0)no (2)yes

PHOTOGRAPHY
5 - Professional Photography: (0)no  (5)yes
5 - Prices: (0)expensive  (2)reasonable  (5)cheap!  (*FREE actually)
5 - Free Photographs (newspaper, etc.):  (0)no  (2)yes  (5)lots of free pics!

PARKING
2 - Close to Start:  (2)yes  (0)no
2 - Close to Finish:  (2)yes  (0)no
2 - Plenty of spaces:  (2)yes  (0)no
2 - Free Parking:  (2)yes  (0)no

OTHER
0 - Shelter from Inclement Weather (needed or not): (0)no  (2)yes
2 - Swag (free socks, water bottles, etc.): (0)no  (2)yes, some  (5)excellent
0 - Part of race series or Grand Prix:  (0)no  (2)yes


TOTAL:  110

One of the Vac and Dash goals for this event is to get at least one photo of everybody in the race. 


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