It was a crisp, cool winter's day for a run but at least a bluebird one at that. The race start and finish were located at Eau Claire Market, which provided ample amount of parking for all racers.

I was able to pick up my race kit the morning of, which went pretty quickly and with lots of time to spare I was able to stretch and participate in MEC's little warmup routine before all runners were sent on their way.

The course:

The course actually differed from what was advertised but still kept the route along the pathways of the Bow River, which for the most part were nice and dry with a few icy patches here and there. Pretty great conditions, after all, it is January in Calgary. The course was flat and fast and it was neat that we got to run across (and back) over the Peace Bridge.

Overall:

This is a race series that you just can't beat if you're looking for a well priced, timed run. MEC offers usually multiple distances at each of their events, (5k, 10k, half, etc) and also has a series of trail running events. There was plenty of water, (at aid stations along the course as well) banana and Clif Bars available afterward for all finishers, which was really nice to have. A big thank you to MEC for putting on this event as it was a wonderful way to begin the 2017 race season.

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