Yes! It's Red White and Boom Time!

One of the many things that were great about the Twin City in Motion organization is that they really care about their runners. Using email notifications and their app, they continuously informed runners of upcoming race issues like storms or heat. They even warned us that there might be a possibility of the race being canceled.

So when the Hubs and I woke up in the morning and read the race was still happening but with a yellow flag warning (Less than ideal conditions) we were excited. I mean it’s July in the Midwest and it’s always hot!

We had already received our packet on the way up in St. Paul so all we had to do was walk to the start. We dressed in our lightest gear and walked to gear check to unload some extra clothes for later. It was a perfect over-cast day which meant no beating sun on us. 

Gear check was a breeze and we were ready to run after a quick bathroom break. By the way, there were tons of port-a-potties at the start of the race and near gear check.

There looked to be a little under 2000 runners and the corrals had plenty of room for everyone. The Half marathon and Relay started at 6:30 and the 5K started at 6:50.

One thing I noticed was it was eerily quiet at the starting line. There was no loud music or announcer. I’m sure it’s because it was early in the morning and we were right under a ton of apartment buildings. 

After a quiet National Anthem, we were off. It was a toasty run even with the overcast and I was so glad I wore my best wicking clothes today. Twin Cities in Motion knew it was going to be hot and they did a fantastic job with their water tables. 

They even added more tables of water between each planned table. Nice job Red White and Boom!!! There was even a water table right before mile one!

There were hills…

And nice distractions like question and answer signs throughout the course.

There were flat areas …

And tons of police and volunteers helping with traffic. I kind of felt bad for all the drivers who had to wait for us.

But my favorite part was when we were heading back into the city and we could start to see it again.

By the time I hit mile 9 the sun came out. The yellow flag turned to red (Potentially dangerous conditions) and everyone knew to be careful. The sun did heat up the course and volunteers were very generous with the water so you could drink one and dump another on your head.

By mile 10 it was fun to just take pictures, including a selfie with Minneapolis!

I passed by the Grain Belt Beer sign on the way out and I was so glad we were able to run by it again to get a pic.

And the race ended on Heritage Bridge covered in American flags. Our bibs have our names on them so people were cheering and calling our name as we finished in Father Hennepin Park. 

And my favorite part of the race was a red, white and blue Popsicle and hot dog.

We finished and definitely earned this medal!

I’m glad I brought dry clothes to change into because I was soaking wet. After a quick change we hit the beer tent for a Summit Beer Company beer.

The rest of the day consisted of a nap, lunch and fireworks over the Mississippi River.

It was a perfect ending for this trip. 

The Red White and Boom  was a great race with a clean, safe course. I would definitely recommend this race in July. What's better than running 13.1 miles for the 4th of July!?

Tips for this Race:

Download the Twin Cities in Motion app on your phone. It’s a great way to keep up with alerts and information.
Stay at a hotel that is close to the park so you can walk to it. Parking was scarce with a lot of "No Parking" signs up.
Gear-check some dry clothes to change into if you don’t like sitting in wet clothes.
Carry ID, because they check everyone before allowing you in the beer garden.
Bring a blanket or chairs to the Fireworks. It gets crowded so you’ll want to claim your spot.