See my review for the TC 10 to get info on the race management, swag, parking, expo, and more.

I decided to run the TC 5K the day before the TC 10 Mile as a fun warm-up. I didn't decide to try for a 5K PR until the morning of the race. I'd never run the TC 5K, or any other TC Marathon weekend race for that matter, so I wasn't quite sure what was in store for me.

The 5K starts on John Ireland near the Capitol, and heads up past the Cathedral and down Summit, turns around and comes back.

The hill leading up past the Capitol doesn't look like much, but for a race as short as a 5K, it's difficult to make up for time lost going up a hill of that size. It's a challenging hill. After you've conquered the hill, it's a series of small rolling hills up until the turnaround point. A short dash back to the Cathedral sets you up for a downhill sprint to the Capitol.

If you are looking for a fun 5K race to run with friends or family, this is absolutely that race. If you're looking to compete with hundreds of elite and competitive 5K runners, this isn't what you're looking for. Sure, there are a handful of elites (there are at nearly every race), but the vast majority of the race participants are average runners just having a good time, along with a good amount of walkers.

TCM puts on great events, and the TC 5K is no different.