I’d like to sum this race up in three words as I’m wont to do: geese, poop, humidity. We’ll get to that in a sec.

I know it’s nearly a month later, so I first want to apologize for not writing a race review for the Fallen Heroes 5K from May 24, 2018 until now! To say that work has been crazy is an understatement, and I kind of lost my mojo there for a bit. Oh, and we were at Walt Disney World for a week. That’ll take the oomph right outta ya.

Anyway, last year’s race seemed very similar to this year’s race. It was hot and humid, with the potential for rain showers. Since this is an evening race, I was rushing to get hubs and myself out the door, pick up the Almost Angry Kinder (AAK), and head about 45 minutes to New Castle, DE, for the race. Despite my nagging to speed walk to the start line, we arrived with plenty of time. For some reason my anxiety was sky-high, so I apologize to hubs for cattle prodding him and the AAK around. We said hi to our Uncle Paul (DJ at American Pie Entertainment) who was announcer/DJ for the race, and I tried to encourage the AAK to do the kids’ fun run, but she seemed too shy. She rocked the Thin Mint 5K kids’ run previously, so I thought she’d be excited for this one. I don’t know why it hurt my heart a little, but obviously I had to let it go, because I don’t want to push her in any direction that she doesn’t want to follow.

I brought my new Orange Mud handheld bottle with me, and I was also nervous about carrying it during my race, since I’ve never used a handheld before. Overall, I love it, but I did have to switch hands periodically because they got too hot/sweaty. Does that happen to anyone else?

It was nice not to have to stop at the water stop though. Normally I don’t really drink water for a 5K, but it was wicked humid out, and I knew my body needed the hydration. I of course drank some nuun during the day on race day as well to stay hydrated.

I’m very familiar with the race course itself, having run the race previously, but also having in-laws who live in New Castle, so I’ve been there many a time. The course brings you from St. Peter Church, down local side streets, through The Strand (a ritzy part of “Old New Castle”), and out to Battery Park and the walking path there. The path is narrow, but it has just enough room to fit two people across. I love looking at the scenery and water there. The only thing I don’t enjoy is dodging geese poop all along the waterfront. Ew!

The course had one water stop just before the turnaround point, since this was an out-and-back course. I didn’t notice any porta-potties along the course, but I’ve never had a need for one during a 5K.

New Castle does an excellent job of making sure that runners are safe and not in harm’s way in traffic. The volunteers, police, EMTs, Good Will Fire Company, and so on were all very helpful and pleasant.

It turns out that this race is TINY. It had 220 participants overall. Oh, that may have been why I won an age-group award (second in my age group) for running a 30:19. There were only 13 women in my age group—hah! I was supposed to receive a medal, but they were apparently lost, so I was told I’d receive one in the mail. I just sent a follow-up message today, so we’ll see!

I think this race is run very well, there were plenty of bathroom options before the race, and the post-race food was excellent! They had pizza, wings, sports drink, water, and more. The only thing I did not see were soft pretzels, which made my tummy sad.

Overall, I'd highly recommend this race, and I'll be coming back next year!