This was the first year for Run For Warriors, and it benefits the Wounded Warrior Project, which is obviously a great cause. Since Fremont isn't a huge city, most of the race routes tend to be on roughly the same course, so this was nice in that it ran a completely different route.

This is a flat and fast course with no annoying 180 degree turns. It is very open in spots, so if it's windy (which it was yesterday), you will absolutely feel it.

The registration process was very easy. It was $35 for the 5k, and you get a long-sleeved technical shirt. Even if they didn't have your size, they would order more. It's great to see a race go above and beyond like that.

The parking lot was blocked off, so it was a .1-.3 mile walk from parking access to the race site. I don't mind that, as it allows for me to warm-up, but for others who aren't there to "race", I can see how this could be a nuisance.

Within the large parking lot of the church, they had a huge platform trailer that was equpped with a podium, and a large bucket truck to hoist a huge American flag. The trailer/podium was used to set the tone for the race, and talk about those who serve. Also on the platform was a bagpipe player who played Amazing Grace, which was really cool. It was very windy, so even with the PA system, it was hard to hear what they were saying, so I'm not sure how much race specific information they gave, if any.

There were plenty of facilities inside, so you didn't have to stand out in the cold if you didn't want to. I stretched inside after my warm-up and then saw people heading to the start/finish line at about 2:45 (the race start was scheduled for 3 pm). I made my way outside to find everyone lined up. There was no timing mat, but they did have a digital clock at the start/finish line, so I knew that it wouldn't be chip-timed.

There was a man at the line who was talking to some of the runners and said we were going to get going. It was still not even 2:50 - a solid 10 minutes before the official listed time. This was really strange. Most runners are usually at a race well in advance, but many (myself included) have often rushed to the bathroom shortly before a race, so I could see this create some issues.

The gun went off and there was a motorcycle leading the pack. The road was closed and they had plenty of volunteers there to make sure that traffic wasn't an issue. This was really great to see.

The course, as I mentioned, is fast and flat. They had volunteers at every intersection to ensure runner safety, and I saw no oncoming traffic trying to rush through the crowd. There were lots of active duty participants, and they all ran in their PT gear, which was cool to see. You could easily identify who was military.

Upon finishing, there was no one there to collect times or places, so I assumed that there was no official timing of the race. This likely means that there would be no final results posted, or awards given. I don't necessarily recall seeing anything about awards, which is fine, but overall results (in a hand-timed race) is easy and free.

There was plenty of food and drink afterwards, but there was this awkward period of "is there anything more happening afterwards" that many runners seemed to have, myself included. Eventually, I just left assuming that was it.

Overall, it was a good route and a great cause. Any issues are easily fixable and I hope they put this on again next year. Even if they don't officially time it or do awards, it's still a good fast course to run a time trial.