Overall: I plan on doing this race again in 2017 because, quite frankly, I hate the hustle and bustle of Thanksgiving Day races, but I do enjoy Turkey Trots. :) Five Star runs a variety of races from larger races to smaller, no-frills races. This is one of those no-frills races. The entry fee was $17. If I wanted to purchase a finisher's medal that was an additional 5 or 7. Want a T-shirt? That's extra. You do receive a small goodie bag when you pick up your registration. I purchased the shirt and medal for my eldest son. I was banking on hitting podium to EARN a medal! :)

Course: The course itself is out-and-back. It is RELATIVELY flat, but there are some inclines. It can get particularly windy going across the bridge.

Aid Stations/Bathrooms: The aid station was minimal, but for a 5k/10k, you can't ask for much more. It provided the basics, which is all you need. The finish-line station did have bananas, cookies, and sodas. There was an ice-cream truck there where you could purchase an ice-cream; however, seeing as it was in the 20s, I had no desire for ice cream! O.O

As far as bathrooms go, they had several porta-potties by the start area, and the wait time was minimal, approximately 3 or so.

Management: Overall, I would rate the management a 3 out of 5. The race was supposed to start at 8; however, it started over 30 minutes later! Their management of bathroom needs was excellent! Aid station? normal fare. Course design/labeling of turns? Good, except for the finish shoot. The 5kers do the out-and-back 1x. The 10kers have to do it twice. The issue is that there was some confusion at the separation of the finish shoot area that splits the 10kers and routes them back out again and the 5kers, who are finished. I ended up running a very small amount extra, due to the confusion. They also had issues with timing, and results did not display properly. Those issues were due to the program not the people. Unfortunately, it ended with results not reading properly for quite a number of people. If you were an age groupers or overall winner, they documented that when you crossed. I came in 1st overall for the female division, so even with the timing issue, I'm cool. :) More importantly, I wanted to run a Turkey Trot without the crowd, and this was the perfect race to do it!

My recommendations for next year include providing warming areas for runners after the race, some hot tea/hot chocolate at the finish, and please adhere to start times. I pre-fuel, and my fuel had already exited my body by the time the race started.

So why did I rate the race at an overall 4? Primarily because this is a low-cost alternative for people, who are tired of spending a fortune on 5k/10k races. Realize though that with low-cost races, you won't receive the perks that are typical for larger, more expensive races. Again, this race is on my calendar for 2017. It's relatively flat, right before Thanksgiving, and I can get away with only paying $17!