2019 was the first year that I have ran the Red, White & Boom 5K! Often times we travel a lot around the 4th of July. So being in town this year, it worked out perfect to head to Minneapolis bright and early and get in a quick run before the house was even awake!

Right off the bat, the race proves to be a fun way to start off any 4th of July celebrations!! There is something for everyone in the family on race day! A variety of distances, games, great food, music, beer, cool treats and awesome swag!

I wish all packet pick-ups were held at a brewery. That was honestly one of my favorite parts. Heading to Summit Brewing Co. picking race bib, tshirt, additional gear for sale and enjoying a beer at the same time! Kind of genius! Its not always about beer, but its summer and Summit beer is fantastic!

Speaking of summer. I greatly appreciate the early start time to the races as well. Here in MN, the weather is quite unpredictable. And this year the heat and humidity came full force. So being able to start the races before 7am was for sure a plus.

Its safe to say parking in Minneapolis is always a bit of a challenge. And while there are plenty of spaces in the near by ramps to park. Actually getting into them really is time consuming. If you plan to park in a ramp, leave plenty of time to do so. And I'm talking a minimum of a half hour to sit in line to get into ramp. I found a spot a few blocks away on the street for free, that was much easier to get to and didnt involve sitting in line. So if you do not mind walking an extra 3+ blocks, I highly suggest street parking.

The course is great. One steep incline going over the bridge but for the most part its fairly flat. The scenery is great and many parts were shaded. The final part of the race takes you across the Stone Arch Bridge that was lined with American Flags! So fun. And such an iconic feature to that part of Minneapolis. I love when race courses cross that bridge!

While the aid stations were well stocked with water and gatorade. I do wish knowing the temps were high 70’s and very very high humidity that morning, that additional items were considered, (And possibly they were for the half marathon) like ice or sponges. While I realize it was only a 5K. It would have helped immensely to have an additional way to cool off while running. Even setting up a sprinkler near the 1 aid station during the race would have been awesome!

Post-Race:
Can you really ask for any better way to celebrate America’s Birthday?? Beer, hot dogs, burgers, All-American pops, and a donut eating contest!? Woot woot!
As a vegetarian, it was even great to see the option of a veggie dog as well! I had heard many people did not see that was an option. So possibly better signage or volunteers ensuring all finishers know the options before leaving the food area would be helpful. As you could not reenter once you left. You dont want anyone to miss out! There really are not alot of races that offer vegetarian options so this really should be highlighted! It made alot of runners happy!

Between the games, the misting stations, the cool treats and beer tent. It was such a fun way to spend some time after the race with other friends and family and enjoy the weather and holiday!

The only real negative I must state is the decision to not place porta pottys in the beer tent area. No one was allowed to take beer out of the flagged off area. So having to find someone hold your beer and/or food to use the restroom wasnt fun. Especially if you happened to be there by yourself. It just made sense to place at least one or two porta pottys within the area you could drink so no one had to leave angthing unattended or possibly leave early as they drank what they had and needed to use the restroom and decided to just head out.

But all in all, this was such a fun race! The medal was perfect, the weather while so so hot still made for a great summer day. I would absolutely run this again!!