This race has two distances, 5k and 10k, plus a kids' race. The race is entirely staffed by volunteers from Clark Public Utilities, and the race entry fees go to Operation Warm Heart, a fund to help those experiencing economic hardship pay their utility bills. The fund specifically helps people who don't qualify for other programs, like government aid. Most heat in this area is electric, so having the power shut off in winter can be especially hard. One of the cool things about this race is that the entire race is run by Clark Public Utilities employees--there are no other volunteers--and 100% of the race entry fee goes to Operation Warmth. Everything else is donated by sponsors.

Registration is online or by mail. You can register online up until the day before the race, and on race day if you pay $10 more (regular entry for either 5k or 10k is $30). There are two pre-race packet pickups, but since I live in Portland and wanted to avoid the extra trip, I did day-of bib pickup. (This only works because many of the people who can pick up their bibs early do so and I am thankful they did!) In addition to the 5k, 10k, and kids' races, this race has adopted the highly successful Race for the Cure non-race option, "sleep in for warmth."

Parking is free and plentiful in the lots at Clark College, which is about two blocks away from the starting line at the Clark Public Utilities building. There was also parking at the library, and downtown street parking about three blocks away; you can also park at the public spaces on Fort Vancouver. The race is pretty low key (though I did see some obviously experienced and speedy runners) and access is really easy.

Both the 5k and 10k courses are a loop. The start/finish is in the parking lot in front of the Clark Public Utilities Building. The area had a bag/coat check, bib and shirt pickup, plentiful porta potties (including the nice ones that are a truck instead of a plastic shed), and booths for some of the race sponsors and local businesses. Post-race, this area had some snacks including grilled cheese sandwiches by Franz bakery, KIND bars, and peanut butter bagels. Since I don't live in Vancouver, I didn't check out the booths too carefully.

The kids race, which I did not see, takes place entirely in the area right around the Clark Public Utilities Building. The other courses use typical Vancouver race routes, with the 10k on an out-and-back across Fort Vancouver down to the river, running west to a turnaround point, and going back. There were two water stops on the 10k course (but you pass them twice, so it's 4 drinking opportunities). Most of the course was on sidewalks, though there were some street portions. There were plenty of volunteers at all turns and crossings, and the 5k/10k split was well-marked. (The bibs are all the same, not coded to 5k or 10k.) The 5k and 10k share the portion that crosses Fort Vancouver, at which time the 5k heads for a loop around downtown.

The field was a decent size, but not gigantic. The event was family-friendly, with participants of all ages, and kids in strollers. There were quite a few people with dogs despite the request that people leave their pets at home (this wasn't super obvious on the website, you had to click to the FAQ), but I didn't see people running with their dogs (and all of the dogs were very well-behaved). I started at the back of the 10k pack (walking with a friend who is on "no run" instructions from her PT) and found that people sorted themselves better than they do at larger races--strollers and dogs in the bag, fast people in the front. The 10k starts first, with a brief break before the 5k starts. The race is chip-timed with the type of chips that are metallic-looking and stuck to the back of the bibs.

While the race only has medals for the top finishers, I'm fine with that. (Hello, it's a charity race to help keep people warm in the winter. I don't need fancy stuff.) There were race shirts for all 5k and 10k participants; if your kid wanted a shirt, they had extras for sale for $10 (this is because the kids' race is free registration). Since I registered pretty late, I was offered one of last year's shirts (they had XS, S, XL, and XXL) which was fine with me since I like the design better. The first 1000 registrants also received a goody bag with stuff in it from the race sponsors. (No idea what all was in there, since I registered late, but I'm cool with that.)

The finisher party was across the street in the library parking lot, in two big tents. The first tent was a beer tent, with locally made beer called "Heart of the Couve." The second tent was the soup tent, sponsored by a farmer's market/produce market Chuck's something. There was a turkey soup and a vegetarian vegetable barley. I was happy for a warm bowl of soup at the end.

I would definitely run this race again. (Maybe even run next year.) It's a great cause, and the race was very well-organized and well-run.