5K Stadium Challenge

5K Stadium Challenge

5K Stadium Challenge

( 3 reviews )
100% of reviewers recommend this race
  • Jacksonville,
    Florida,
    United States
  • August
  • 3 miles/5K
  • Road Race
  • Event Website

Jenn

Jacksonville, Florida, United States
35 19
2015
"The NEW Stadium Challenge!"
Overall
T-Shirts/SWAG
Aid Stations
Course Scenery
Expo Quality
Elevation Difficulty
Parking/Access
Race Management
Jenn 's thoughts:

After taking 2014 off (due to scheduling I think), 1st Place Sports came back with a revamped version of the Stadium Challenge.

Maybe they read my previous review, or maybe Shad Khan decided to get involved, but the race was rebranded as the Jaguars 5K Stadium Challenge! Same course, same night start, but new swag. It's nice to be able to run on the practice fields and at the stadium without it being some kind of "secret" as to what team played there.

Here are the main points:

-Expo: Like most 1st Place Sports (1PS) races, you pick up your packet at the store. They have day-of registration also for slightly more.

-Parking: Each registrant got a parking pass for free parking at the stadium. Yay! There were a lot of people there, and it was nice to not fight anyone for a parking spot or have to stress over walking a mile to the start.

-Facilities: Again - the race is at the stadium. This means...REAL bathrooms.

-Swag: In previous years, you got a cotton t-shirt with the race logo. This year, it's a really nice tech shirt with the Jaguars logo on it. If you're like me and you don't own any Jags gear (I'm a Giants fan...ahem...), now you have something awesome to rock during the season. If you registered early, you got a nice bib with the logo on it also. The medal is also big, colorful, and way nicer than those from previous years!

-Course: This is not a PR course. I repeat - This. Is. Not. A. PR. Course. Well, unless you train on hills. You run around the stadium, practice fields, and then up and down the levels of the stadium. After a loop on EverBank's football field, where you see yourself on the HUGE video scoreboards, you finish up the tunnel. It's a tough course, but it keeps things interesting. Be ready for a lot of weaving - lots of people stop to walk (myself included this year) after about the 5th incline.

-Logistics: This is my only big complaint. Because there are so many runners, they offer several different start times (everything is chip timed, so awards are calculated correctly), with the "competitive" runners starting in the last wave. This prevents the awful bottleneck that happens in many races, and for the most part, all the waves started at the correct time (no standing around waiting). After I finished, I sat in the stadium with some friends to watch our other (speedy) friends finish. They had to weave in and out of the walkers, kids, and slower runners, which seemed a bit dangerous when you have runners going at a 5:30 pace. It seems like it would have been a lot better (and safer!) to have the faster runners start first, and the walkers/kids start last.

The OTHER big problem I noticed was at the first water stop. I carried my own water with me, and at around 1.2 miles I noticed a group of people who were just STOPPED. The water station hadn't refilled cups (probably from earlier runners) and people were crowded around trying to get a drink.

-Overall this is a really fun race that has been made even better by associating with the Jaguars. There were plenty of kids participating, and there's also a fun run option for the little ones.

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