Swag
The 5K’s main sponsor was Harbin clinic so the swag was their usual items: pens, cups, Band-Aid packs, and Chap Stick. The shirt is a nice design and although it is a heavy cotton Gildan t-shirt, it feels softer. Post race there was plenty of muffins, bananas, and water to snack on before the medal ceremony.
Course
The course is entirely on the roads throughout the city. The first mile is pretty flat and allow you to get a great starting pace. The next two miles consist of gradual up hills, but nothing too bad. My second mile was around 16 seconds slower, but there are a few down hills to catch backup up on mile three. Unfortunately, the finish line is 10 yards past the top of the final up hill.
Verdict
The weather was perfect for the race and the course is very fast making this a race you can achieve a PR at. I did this race last year, six days after running the La Jolla half so I was a little tired then. I felt much better going into it this year and had an actual training plan. Last year I remember it being a struggle after making it to the half way point, this year was the exact opposite. The race does not use electronic tracking, so it pays to be up towards the front when the race is about to start. This seems like a negative, but they were so well organized that they had the award ceremony quickly after everyone has finished and a 1K fun run as well, which participants also were able to qualify for a medal in their age group. I would recommend this race to runners of all levels, especially if you’ve never run a 5K before.
Race Day Gear:
Headphones: Aftershockz
https://aftershokz.com/collections/wireless/products/trekz-titanium
Shirt: Nike Zonal Cooling
https://www.nike.com/t/zonal-cooling-mens-training-top-KK3M7l
Shorts: Rabbit "Quadzilla" shorts
https://www.runinrabbit.com/collections/mens/products/quadzilla-dressblues
Socks: Rabbit Swiftwick
https://www.runinrabbit.com/collections/goodies/products/rabbit-x-swiftwick-ankle-socks-ink-puffins
Arm Sleeve: 2XU
Leg Sleeves: 2XU
Shoes: Brooks Ghost 10