The race is pretty small, around 1000 runners total between the 5k and 10k. Lots of my local running friends were there, so that was fun. I went to packet pickup the day before and it was super fast. It is not a problem to pick it up day of, either, it's just a longer walk back to your car.

This race is run in 35 cities in 23 countries all on the same day! It was fun to see posts from friends around the country who did the race in other cities. It's for a good cause, all about fighting hunger.

Parking was a piece of cake at phoenix municipal stadium. There were a handful of vendors Timing was provided by Startline racing, which always does a fantastic job.

The course runs along the Phoenix Zoo/Papago Park area with some rolling hills and pretty views. The last mile was out on the canal, then it was an out and back course, so we turned around and headed back to the start the same way. Tons of water stations. It was a hot day, although it felt nice right at the start, that changed quickly.

At the finish, we were treated to a hot grilled cheese sandwich from a food truck, for free! Plus the race was sponsored by Bimbo bakery, so we had tons of bread samples - I came away with a full 6 pack of bagels, Takis, and other snacks. Holy cow!

We also got a tech shirt, arm sleeve (only one though), a hat, and a medal!

I would love it if the organizers moved the start back to 6:30 just due to the heat.

I am delighted by this last minute race find, and will DEFINITELY be back next year!

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