Imagine my surprise when I realized there is a run in Sacramento that I haven't run?! I am currently training for a 5k at the end of July and this race (on July 1st) was perfect timing for a tune up run. The race was in beautiful William Land Park and is nice and flat. So if you're looking for a race to PR this could be a good one, HOWEVER, they do their timing a little differently. They do "age graded results" which you can read all about on their website.

What I loved about this race: I love the course! William Land Park is super green, full of trees and is a beautiful neighborhood to run in. The aid stations were good; there was only one, which I think was sufficient. The race was smaller this year (perhaps because it was the weekend before July 4th, I believe in the past this race has been in May). If the race was bigger 2 aid stations would probably be best. You got a cotton shirt when you register, if you wanted a tech tee you could upgrade for a small fee. Personally, I like the cotton. I wear them to bed or casually when I don't feel like dressing like a normal person. They had race clocks at each mile, which was great! It helped me pace myself. Finally, race management is great. I believe I have mentioned Capital Road Race Management in previous race reviews, they really are the best. Very organized. Plenty of post race snacks.

What I didn't love about this race: I really don't like that it starts at 8:35am. I am a morning runner, and while 8:35am isn't that big of a deal, it can be in the Summer. Race day was actually pretty nice in the morning but when you're running it gets hot. I think that is the only thing I didn't like!

I didn't mind the date of the race, but I do think a lot of people didn't run this year because of other July 4th plans. There were less then 400 runners. If the race stays in July I do hope it starts at 7:30am, or even 8:00am wold be better. The age graded awards are a lot of fun too, it gives everyone a fair chance at placing in their age group.