• Montpelier,
    Vermont,
    United States
  • May
  • 3 miles/5K
  • Road Race
  • Event Website

Rachel Drew

Vermont, United States
28 24
2015
"Big Event, Big Crowds, No Race Etiquette"
Overall
T-Shirts/SWAG
Aid Stations
Course Scenery
Expo Quality
Elevation Difficulty
Parking/Access
Race Management
Rachel Drew's thoughts:

This is my second year in a row running this race, because I get free registration through work. Once again, traffic, parking, and potties were an issue. We were stuck in a long line of traffic coming off the highway and into Montpelier, and parking options were not at all clear. Some people had to park quite a distance away. Many intersections were gridlocked. Bib pickup was very easy and streamlined, but because it's only available the day of the race, and I waited until after the race to pick up my t-shirt (didn't want to run with it/in it), they only had large and XL shirts left. I waited in line for a potty for a solid 15 minutes before the race, and when I got in there, there was no hand sanitizer left.

The race has a walking option in addition to the running race, and walkers started after the runners. The starting line was a self-seeding, mass start situation, which was kind of a cluster. With so many people (4000 total registered participants), the start was really crowded. It took a long time to be able to actually run, and I spent the entire first mile feeling trapped by slower runners or people who were taking walk breaks. If you are faster than an 10 minute mile, I suggest starting closer to the front.

While the race is theoretically chip-timed, they only have a timing mat for the finish line, which meant that my time was off. The course is mostly flat, running through downtown and some neighborhoods. One incline right at the beginning of mile 2, and another right at the end of mile 3. One water stop at about the halfway point. There's really great community participation and spectators--one man actually was shouting warnings to runners that there was a huge pothole in the street, which is good because I was on course to run right into it. Lots of cheering, music, and horns. There was even a group of musicians playing folk music right at the three mile mark, which was awesome.

Post race food was decent--many different kinds of bagels, although I didn't see any cream cheese or other spreads, and just ate mine dry. There were also orange slices and cups of local apple cider. I saw some people walking around with mini packages of Cabot cheese, but never was able to find any for myself, which was a bummer.

Overall, this race is fun. It's just not at all the place to try to be competitive or beat your PR due to the crowds. Logistics (traffic, potties, parking) need a bit of work, which is odd considering that this race has been going on for 32 years. I suggest getting there much earlier than you'd think. I also wish they'd come up with a corral system or wave start to ease crowding issues.

Pros:
- Fun atmosphere--music, great spectators etc
- Great team-building event
- Mostly flat
- Easy, fast bib pick-up

Cons:
- Traffic is bad getting into town
- Parking is difficult
- Very crowded
- Cotton t-shirt

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