I had done the half marathon in 2012 and loved it then as it was so organized for its first year, so I knew I had to do their race again, but this time I didn’t think I would be ready for a half, so I did the 10K. Plus, they gave alumni registrants a nice discount if you registered early, which I did. Registration was fast and easy as it was online.
The health and wellness expo was at the Lafayette Yard Hotel and Conference Center in Trenton. It was nice, it was a little bigger than last year, with some vendors but still pretty small. I didn’t stay long as I parked across the street which had meter parking and I didn’t put much in the meter. So, I just picked up my packet with my bib and long sleeve tech shirt and left. The long sleeve tech shirt is really nice. It’s a quarter zip and I love the colors. I have not been disappointed with the shirts they have given us.

Race day
They did a great job emailing us where to park, so we had no problems parking. We got there pretty early, so we hung out in the car a bit as it was pretty brisk out. As we saw more runners walking towards Arm & Hammer Park (baseball stadium) we headed out. The 10K was after the ½ marathon start, so we hung out for a bit. There were lots of port a potties, so when we got there, there wasn’t a wait at all. When the ½ marathoners started it was really neat to watch as there was a 5 year old running the race.

When it was our turn to start, I was excited and ready. I had not run a 10K before, so I was excited to run a new distance. The course was great, pretty flat, although a few hills but nothing that I could remember being horrible. The water stations were nicely placed. We got to run on two bridges, however I wasn’t keen on the grates on the bridge, so I ran on the sides, where it was a lot better than running on the grates (something I remembered from the previous year) but it was pretty cool that we got to run on the "Trenton makes the World Takes" bridge.

My favorite part of the run was at the end, when we end in Arm and Hammer Stadium. It’s awesome because we run along the outside of the outfield and then the finish is right at home plate. There are lots of people in the stands and I even heard them say my name called after I crossed. It was the best feeling. After I crossed the finish, they gave me my medal, and handed out water quickly which was great. I really enjoy the race these guys put on, they are well organized and seemed to have everyone’s concerns from the previous year taken into account. I’m excited to see how next year’s race will be as I’m definitely doing it again.