This event is both a nice shakeout for the half marathon/marathon/marathon-relay and a sweet little race in its own right.

Expo
Technically the expo wasn't open yet--but there was an expo associated with marathon weekend. Instead, runners picked up their bibs and shirts starting at 6:30 on race day. Since most runners either drove or stayed within a few blocks of the start, it was not a big deal. When I walked in there was no waiting, and plenty of boxes of safety pins (for attaching your bib).

Shirts/Swag
Tech shirts with a design specific to the 5k event (not "Buffalo Marathon weekend" but "John Beishline Memorial 5k") and NO sponsors ads on them. Since the races are over Memorial Day weekend, the colors are red, white, and blue for all the shirts, but each shirt has a different color as the main color (and the marathon and half marathon are long-sleeved). The 5k shirt this year was red, and I will wear it again. The 5k medal is a bronze bison with the race name and "Finisher" on it. The medal's ribbon is a half-as-wide version of the fat colorful ribbons currently popular with races right now.

Course/Scenery
The race started at 8:30 on an unusually warm day. Most of us were sweating within the first few steps! Everyone running the next day was glad the marathon races were set to start at 6:30. For those familiar with Buffalo, the course started on the Pearl Street side of the Convention Center, eventually crossed to Franklin Street, went to Barker St., and turned down Delaware, eventually cutting through Niagara Square and finishing on the Franklin Street side of the Convention Center. There were plenty of people out cheering, and a crowd of volunteers directing traffic and doing the usual race day things. The course runs by a bunch of the beautiful buildings in Buffalo, the kind that make you look at the architecture and think, "Wow, they do not build buildings like this anymore." The trees are lush and green, too!

There was very little elevation. Basically there was a low-grade up-hill on the way out, and a low-grade downhill on the way back. The course was suitable for even the most non-technical runner, and there were plenty of kids running as well (from high school ages all the way down to kids who I'd guess were first graders).

Parking near the convention center is plentiful.

Overall, this was a pretty sweet 5k. I'd love to see it double in size next year. It would be a great kick-off to a Memorial Day weekend trip even for non-runners.