Another year running the Samson Stomp n Romp 5K at the Milwaukee County Zoo after taking last year (2023) off due to injury. Another year of enjoying myself on a course that I love (who doesn't love running next to wild animals) and braving the quite frigid temps that existed this year. Of course, you know what cold as heck temperatures mean: I run faster and with more energy, ha ha! And the led to a second place age finish!! Woo hoo!!

Expo Quality: No expo or early packet pickup this year due to a snow storm that struck on Saturday morning during the time that had been allocated for it. So that meant packet pickup the morning of, something I typically despise but the volunteers were great at keeping the line moving along on race morning.

Parking/Access: The entirety of the zoo parking lot was available for parking and there were plenty of spaces and none of them too far from the front entrance.

Aid Stations: Two water stations but I didn't stop because it was too cold to even think about it, lol

Course Scenery: I alluded to this above but how can you not enjoy running near some wild animals? Granted, it was so cold that there weren't as many out as usual but the ones that were out were cool to see.

Elevation Difficulty: Only one real hill near the start point otherwise it's a relatively smooth course throughout. There is a downhill section you run twice so you do need to be mindful of that. Lastly, there is an uphill moment just prior to crossing the finish line where you get to slap a high five or fist bump to a gorilla.

Race Management: Perfect! Of course, there was constant emails as the race day got closer and then real overdrive in communication when the bad weather hit. I can't give enough credit to the zoo's maintenance staff for clearing the course from a nasty snow storm that hit the area the day before AND then also clearing everything before the temperatures dropped; the start of the race had a temperature of -4 with a wind chill of -25. Yes, you read that right. The fact the course was as clear as it was was simply amazing effort on their part!

T-shirts/Swag: Another year with a fun long-sleeved t-shirt. The rest of the entry fee goes to zoo conservation. At the post race gathering, you have the options of having granola bars, bananas, water, gatorade, and chocolate milk. Also, if you're fortunate enough to earn an age place award, you take home a nifty gorilla trophy!

Even though it was colder than cold, I enjoyed myself and I love running this race each year (when not injured, of course) and highly recommend you do it if you're ever in the Milwaukee area in the month of June. And you get admission to the zoo for free if you run which is pretty cool if you don't live in the area.