Overall: "This popular race honors one of the most famous Zoo residents, Samson, the silverback gorilla (1950-1981). Money raised from the event supports all of the animals in the Zoo’s collection." And this is why I love it. This was the race that made me want to get into running. Mind you, it wasn't my first ever race, because of a variety of reasons/excuses but it is the one that made me want to try out a 5K. Who wouldn't want to run through a zoo before it officially opens and the animals are a little more relaxed and adventurous at that time. Of course this year's race has the honor of being the COLDEST race I have ever run. The start time provided a temp of -2 and when running through the open parking lot section of the course, it jumped down to -15 with the wind chill, which was definitely present at the moment. Otherwise, the race was great, like always. The body adjusted to the cold (as best it could) and there was minimal wind within the trees of the zoo. And the best part: getting to watch the animals as you race past them. This is the 5th time I've run this, I believe, and it never gets old. Maybe it's because I am a lover of nature and animals but seeing the dall sheep and polar bear, along with the penguins and harbor seal just excites me on a run like this. There were fewer animals out this year than in year's past but I totally understand. Only us insane humans would run in weather like that.

T-shirts/Swag: the one item that they give out each year is a long sleeved shirt. This year's shirt trumps the previous couple of years easily. A nice Kelly green with a nice log on the front and it matches with other clothing. And I am perfectly fine with just a shirt for this race because the rest of the money goes into making the zoo better.

Aid stations: Usually they have a few water stations; this year I don't even recall seeing any. I assumed this was because of the weather and the water/Gatorade probably would have frozen in the cups.

Course Scenery: Already explained above; views of wildlife makes it great.

Expo Quality: There is none, per se. Packet pickup is the morning of and you just need to get there and get your gear and be ready to run. The post race gathering included bottles of Gatorade and water, two different kinds of Chewy granola bars, and this year they had Mo's Irish Pub handing out small samples of a rich tomato soup, which was delicious. I will also admit to having, for the first time ever post race, a cup of coffee because I needed to thaw out. That was provided by Corner Street Bakery.

Elevation Difficulty: There is one steep downward hill that you traverse twice and one steady upward climb that you have to do near the beginning but that is pretty much all. The end and beginning of the race also puts you in a upward/downward trek which can be grueling for the race finish. Other than that, there are small ups and downs here and there but nothing to fret about.

Parking Access: Easy. Your registration gets you free parking at the zoo and there is plenty of that.

Race Management: Great. They email frequently and they connect you repeatedly to the site page in each email so you can look over stuff yourself.

Run this race if you can. Yeah, it's just a 5K but it is a challenging one due to the time of year it takes place. And this year was a hell of a challenge. You won't be disappointed. And if you're good enough to get a top 3 spot within your age group (sniff sniff, I was not) you get an awesome trophy. No medals but it gives you something to strive for.