Race #466 — Yiasou Greek Festival 5k — Charlotte, NC — 08/24/19


With less than 100 feet of elevation gain in the entire race, this is one of Charlotte’s flattest road races, and also one of the fastest. It always brings out some of the area’s fastest runners and is also one of the largest 5k’s with over 1,000 finishers.
I really wanted to finish in under 23 minutes but didn’t quite make it; however, I still managed to win the 65-69 age group with a chip time of 23:05, and even better for me, it was the first race of the year that I managed to run without stopping to walk.
I should probably mention that I stayed away from this race for a number of years because the race website warned that parking is very limited in the area and they give some options for parking at other locations or recommend you carpool or take the light rail to the nearest stop. I’ve found over the past two or three years of running the race that parking is actually pretty easy to find nearby, especially if you arrive an hour before race time. I’ve been within around 200 yards of the start line each time and it seems everybody else I’ve talked to also has no problem parking.

Race Name: Yiasou Greek Festival 5k
Location: Charlotte, North Carolina
Date: August 24, 2019
Race Rating: 95
Top 10 (Male):

Top 10 (Female):

My Age Group (Top 10 of 19):

Course:

Elevation Per Mile:
Weather at Start:

My Stats:
Time: 23:05
Pace: 7:25
Age Group: 1 of 19 
Overall: 105 of 1044
Average Heart Rate: 160
Maximum Heart Rate: 169
Age Grade Percentage: 74.01%

  • RACE RATING *
RACE COURSE 
3 – Chip & Gun Timing: (3 points if yes)
2 – Water Stops: (0)none (2)normal (5)extras [Gu, sports drink, etc.]
1 – Course Marking: (0)bad (1)good
3 – Course Scenery: (0-5) 1=bad and 5=fantastic
2 – Mile Markers: (0)poor or none (1)normal (2)with clocks or time called out
2 – Volunteers: (0)too few (2)good
8 – Finish line: (0-9) 0=bad and 9=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!
0 – Race Day Registration: (0)no (3)yes
RESULTS 
2 – Posted online within 24 hours: (0)no (2)yes
1 – Easy to find results: (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; (1) first only; (2)top 3 or better
2 – Masters Category(40+): (0)no (2)yes
0 – Grand Masters Category (50+): (0)no (3)yes
0 – Senior Grand Masters Category: (0)no (5)yes
AWARDS 
2 – Overall Winner Awards: (0)none (2)yes (5)excellent
2 – Age Group Awards: (0)none (2)yes (5)excellent
0 – Door Prizes or Drawing: (0-9)
5 – Finisher Medals for All Finishers: (0)no (3)yes (5)really cool medals
POST RACE 
5 – Food for Race Participants: (0-10 with 5 being average)
7 – 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
3 – Design: (1-5)
2 – Material Quality: (1-3)
0 – Discount for no-shirt option: (0)no (2)yes
PHOTOGRAPHY 
5 – Professional Photography: (0)no (5)yes
1 – Prices: (1)expensive (3)reasonable (5)cheap
0 – Free Photographs (newspaper, etc.): (0)no (1-10)yes
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
0 – Swag (free socks, water bottles, etc.): (0)no (2)yes, some (5)excellent
2 – Part of race series or Grand Prix: (0)no (2)yes
2 – Kids Fun Run: (0)no (2)yes
x – Miscellaneous not covered above: (-10 to +10)
TOTAL: 95

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