It's always exciting to run a race that is being held for the first time, especially on an historic freedom-filled day like July 4. Thanks to the co-sponsors, Fleet Feet Nebraska and CHI Health for bringing this new race to the community. The race is held at Ak-Sar-Ben Village and it's a 3 loop course. (Ak-Sar-Ben is Nebraska spelled backwards. Did you know that?) Each loop is roughly more than a mile. The course measures 3.17 miles so your watch will show a little longer than that at the finish. Once arriving, I picked up my bib and looked around at the location. The elevation is very flat for this course (Garmin measured about 23' climb for the entire course). The humidity was a little bit of an issue. Heat was slightly up but really it was the humidity that was the toughest challenge of this race. There were plenty of opportunities to capture the moment with a special-event Snapchat geofilter for the race so I tested a few snaps with that for the blogpost and to remember. There were roughly 350 or so of us running the race from what we were told. I'm not sure if that included the miler competitors or not. Some people may have run the mile with their kids after the 5k. That is a possibility. At 8:30, the race began and we rotated clockwise in the first loop. The security was good for the event. Streets were blocked off and there was no car traffic coming near us during the race. Only racers, fans/volunteers, and some designated bikers were on the race course. One thing I would definitely recommend is to wear/bring a hat/visor because there is little shade on the course except where trees block the sun in a few locations. I was glad to have a good shade running hat with me. It is a chip race so your time is adjusted by the time you cross the chip mats. You cross the mats three times (once on each mile lap). I didn't really have a specific goal for the race, just decided to run as fast as possible. I didn't train for it specifically. I entered a little late but was still able to enter online easily. There were water stops about every 1/2 mile on the course (roughly 1/2 mile from the starting line). I was carrying water with me so I didn't need to stop for it. But I did take walk breaks during the race to drink water. I noticed some of the sponsors did move around the course a little to cheer different people on and maybe catch us twice on one lap possibly. That was good. I tried to make the first mile faster because it seemed like the heat/humidity were increasing. So the first mile was 6:43. Second mile was a little slower, adjusting to humidity/heat/very bright sunshine: 7:40. And the last mile was 7:59 with a little burst at the end. I was disappointed at the finish that someone sneaked up on me and surged past me at the finish line. Didn't see him coming. My Garmin said 24:08 official time but at the awards they announced my time as 24:06. 7:27 pace overall (slower than a wanted but adjusted for hot/humid day, not bad). I stayed to cheer on some 5k runners as they streamed in after me. After the last 5k runner, they prepared for the milers. There was a mile race afterwards and we were encouraged to support the milers (especially the kids). So we supported them too. After both races, awards for age groups were given (top 3 in each age group and top winners overall for male/female. I was happy to receive 2nd place in my age group with a $15 gift certificate to Fleet Feet Nebraska and a free entry to a 5k in August coupon (sponsored by someone else). I made a point of thanking the CHI Health volunteers after the race too. I was impressed that we all received medals (all finishers), that's rare for a 5k. There was social media integration with Facebook and Instagram and Fleet Feet asked us to share our pictures on all those platforms, tagging them to raise awareness. Well done. It was a good race, well-run and supported, high energy among the race sponsors, volunteers, and participants. Great location for it too. There were plentiful food/drinks after the race from bananas, bagels, protein bars, water, and CHI Health was giving a way free CHI-branded items too. Free massages for people that needed it after the race as well. It was a good, family-friendly, memorable experience and I highly recommend you try this race on for size. You'll enjoy it. Wear your red, white and blue and enjoy the Fourth of July holiday as a family and bring your friends too!