I've volunteered quite a few times with Good Day for a Run and every time you do, you are awarded a free race entry for your efforts! When a dear friend of mine said she was going to be at this race with the Cancer to 5k program I put a couple of my entries to good use and registered my son and myself for the 5k. There was always a 10k option available.

There is always packet pickup before the races but doing it at the race is just as easy; that's what I opted to do. Race management is always very communicative leading up to the race and this was no exception. There was a snafu with the shirts for this event, 2017 was printed on the shirts instead of 2018. They were upfront about this immediately and handed out the 2017 shirts while promising that we'd be able to get the 2018 shirts once they were in. I just received an email regarding this today and they will have these shirts available at three different Running Co. locations in the South Jersey area for 14 days. I found that to be a great compromise and they definitely made the best of a tough situation!

Additionally, they offer quite a few options with the shirts: men's cut, woman's cut, and woman's tanks.

My son has been training more regularly with running so I knew that he'd probably want to take off nearly immediately. My friend was driving in from PA and she's dealing with a torn meniscus. I got a text from her about 20 minutes before the race saying that she was considering not taking part because she just wasn't feeling it. That's really not her style so I put on some pressure and told her to meet me and I'd stick with her throughout the course (I might have used slightly more colorful language!).

Sending my 13 year old son ahead might have made me uneasy at other races but not with Good Day for a Run. I knew the course would be well marked and there would be volunteers at all the turns. Additionally I had a few friends that were volunteering at the race so I asked that they look out for him and make sure he was doing okay.

This race benefited Ainsley's Angels and a large group of Athlete Riders and Angels took part in this race. They lined up first and off they went. After that group, the 5k racers toed the line, followed by the 10k racers. The first stretch of the race went through grass and vineyards. I was able to see my son ahead as we went through the first mile. My friend and I got a little nervous as we saw the 10k runners coming right up behind us, it was tight quarters for the first quarter mile or so within the vineyard. We hugged the right as much as possible to allow the 10k runners by but it was a little difficult to get everyone to follow suit.

The majority of the course was on the road and once we reached that point, the field spread out and everything was good.

There was a water station set up a little before mile 2 and the volunteers were my friends so I was able to get the update on my son. Soon after I got the text alert that he finished. Even though these races are shorter distances, they have runner tracking which is appreciated, especially in this circumstance!

The last stretch of the race was through the vineyards again. 3.1 therapeutic miles - it was so good to be with my friend and help her through this race. When we crossed the finish line we were awarded with our Run the Vineyards wine glasses, bottle of water, and KIND bars. Each bib has a wine ticket so you're able to enjoy a glass of wine right after the race.

The atmosphere after the races is always party-like. There was a food truck and we had chairs and picnics set up. When they began to announce the age group awards I was only half listening because, well, let's be honest - I never win any awards. That's why we nearly missed when my son's name was called for placing third in the M 14 and under age group! What an awesome surprise!

We got our photograph link emailed to us later on that day and this picture captures our experience to a T. Smiling, waving, and moving!

See more pictures here: http://www.scootadoot.org/2018/06/13/race-recap-run-the-vineyards-old-country-5k/