In short, this races gives you A LOT for your money, a nice course with great views, okay shirts, sweet "medals", and a chance to meet professional baseball players. I have run this race every year for a reason. More details below.

I have run either the 5k or the 10k every year for this event. First off, this is a great race organized by the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum. This was the second year of the race being held in May, in conjunction with the Hall of Fame's Classic Weekend.

SWAG: the shirts are cotton with the Hall of Fame Classic logo on the front and the race logo on the back. The shirts were far nicer the first two years. However, what the race misses with the shirt, is made up for with door prizes given our randomly by the race staff, a ticket to see the Hall of Fame Classic, and a ticket to the Hall of Fame. Entry to the Hall of fame is almost the price of the race, so its a huge value and thus the swag score jumps. Also, the door prizes are quality items. I won a shirt retailing at the Hall of Fame for $25. BASE Race hits a home run with the swag.

Course: The course is relatively flat with one decent hill. I was recovering from my first marathon a week earlier and struggled on it, but have also run it fairly easily in years prior. However, having quotes from baseball greats posted along the route helped to motivate my spirit when my body wasn't willing. Starting and ending at Doubleday field, the mythical birthplace of baseball, is a huge bonus. Any baseball fan has to appreciate the beauty of the brick stadium. Also, you get nice views of Otsego Lake and the rolling hills around Cooperstown. My biggest complaint about this race is that the 10K has had 3 routes in 4 years. I was assured by the Race Director that this is the set route, so this shouldn't be a concern any longer. Overall, it was a great course.

Others: Awards - overall winners get full sized bats and age group winners get mini bats instead of medals. This is a really cool idea and the bats are beautiful - see attached photo.
Baseball Players - players who are playing in the Hall of Fame Classic later that day come out to support runners. I got a high five from two former major leaguers as I crossed the finish line.