This race was about an hour and a half drive for me and I decided I would stick with the 5k, since I had just finished a longer race about two months earlier. The idea of racing the trolley intrigued me as an opportunity to challenge myself a bit. I love running 5k’s because they are pretty quick and I don’t have to be in pain as long as a half-marathon.

The Course. I had never spent any time in Fort Collins, but have to say the course was beautiful and lined with trees. I typically like trail races because I can be out in nature but this course was perfect for a road race. The weather was about 60 degrees during packet pick-up and leading up to the 5k start. The course is lined with huge, leafy trees that provided great shade. It’s a quick out and back, but flat and fast. I actually surprised myself and got a PR beating my old record from 3 years ago by 19 seconds (my PR was from running at sea level).

The course was marked out very clearly and there was not a lot of confusion for me, and I have been known to take a wrong turn or two at races in the past.

I had in my mind this vision that I was going to beat the trolley and get an extra shirt, but I had no idea what kind of pace the trolley would be taking. As soon as we started the trolley left and I knew it was going to be quick, but that didn’t stop me. It pushed me to the end and helped me get that PR.

Registration. All online and a piece of cake. No issues.

Instructions. Instructions for race day were communicated via email and had all the details ironed out.

Parking. This part was a bit more confusing. I was able to find some good street parking, but after I had driven around a bit due to road construction near the race. This is probably my fault for not planning ahead or paying as close attention to the parking situation before I got up to Fort Collins.

Packet Pick Up. I chose race day pick-up and it was a piece of cake. Just walked right up, said my name and got my number and t-shirt. I do appreciate them not giving me a bag with a bunch of business cards and coupons of sponsors. I always throw those in the trash anyways and feel guilty for the wasted paper.

Expo. This was one of the larger expos I’ve seen. I typically like to run smaller races, which for some people, this was a smaller race, but there were many local businesses you see at a race (physical therapy, law firms, etc.) but also larger vendors like Altra. The expo was laid out well.

Race management. The race was very well managed. I was able to run into one of the owners of Green Events and chat for a brief moment. Super friendly. Many other runners mentioned they had been running this race for years.

Food. It was great to have Snooze there to provide food, but one pancake was not enough for this 6’5” 220 pound male who just ran a 5k PR. I could have eaten 10 pancakes (if not more). There was also a selection of fruit, where I tried to fill up more.

What do I wish they would have done differently? Not a whole lot, I’m pretty low maintenance when it comes to races. This race was pretty consistent with other smaller races I’ve done in Colorado over the past year and a half, but nothing out of the ordinary. The charm of the trolley was nice, but not worth the long drive for me. If this race was closer to me, I would put in on my annual race calendar.