I love the Atlantic City Race Series races. I usually participate in at least one race during their spring and fall series and I enjoyed doing their inaugural Bungalow Beach Run this year too.

I originally registered for the Atlantic City 10k back in 2017, right after registration opened. The 10k distance is one that I love and I got my personal best at this race in 2016 so I was looking forward to returning again. However after my 13 year old son decided that he wanted to run the 5k, I decided to switch distances.

The price for the 5k and 10k is the same so it's really just a matter of which distance you'd rather do. We'd opted for race morning pick up and were quickly able to switch distances and get our shirts, bags, and bibs.

Parking at the casinos in Atlantic City can be pricey, especially on weekends. Thankfully the race includes a parking voucher, making the cost on $5.

Atlantic City races don't have corrals so lining up beforehand is always a crap-shoot. I looked for people who looked like they'd run around the same pace as my son and sent him up ahead. I asked the people I was standing near what pace they expected to keep to find my spot. The 5k and 10k runners start together. After the singing of the National Anthem, we were off.

The out and back was comfortable for me because I've done so many training runs along this boardwalk. My time was a consistent 12 minute mile, not my best or worst.

My son looked strong when I saw him while I was on the out and he was on the back but he said that he got a cramp soon after we saw each other. He still finished strong and sprinted to the finish.

We joined the finisher's party and grabbed the most delicious bagels (holy moly, they were so good!), snacks, goodies from vendors, and a free beer at 10am.

Well, I grabbed beer at 10am. Kiddo got Gatorade. He missed placing in his age group by one spot but I reminded him it's all about who shows up. There's always next time and this is a race we'll be returning to again!