In September I ran the inaugural Run Medford 8K in Medford, MA! This race is organized by Dave McGillivray and his family as a way to give back to the community that they grew up in. There are three different distance options runners can choose from - 1 mile kids race, 5k, and 8k. I decided to opt for the 8k because of course I always go for the longest possible distance!

This race was truly a love letter to the community of Medford. There was a "Celebrity Mile" where local Medford celebrities competed, so many community members volunteered, and there were even neighbors out on their lawns cheering for all the runners! It was a particularly warm day in Medford, so some community members were even spraying their hoses for runners to run through which was MUCH appreciated! All of the volunteers were in such fantastic spirits from the moment I picked up my bib to the moment I crossed the finish line, and this of course made the experience so much better.

Bib pick-up was quick and painless. It was only a short walk from the starting area and where I parked for the afternoon. In your race packet, you received your bib and safety pins, a t-shirt, a rubber bracelet, and the race t-shirt. The t-shirt was a plain white t-shirt with a blue race logo on the front so it's not the most incredible swag in the world, but for an inaugural race to be able to offer anything with an entry is always a huge perk!

The race was actually held in the afternoon which was an interesting approach, especially on a Sunday in the fall when lots of folks like to spend it either with family or watching football. I kind of wish it was a morning run like most races as it felt like I had to plan my whole day around the race, but it was kind of cool to run a race at a different time of day for a change!

The course for the 8k was nearly a double-loop of the 5k, which I think was actually really fun. There were some rolling hills throughout the course but there were plenty of turns and on-course cheering to make it an enjoyable race. There was a water station roughly every 1.5-2 miles which was the perfect cadence as well. I don't remember seeing any port-a-potties on the course, so that's something to consider as well.

I was very pleasantly surprised to see that all finishers got a finisher's medal! It is a very simple medal with the Mustang race logo and a white and blue theme to represent the Medford colors. Being an inaugural race, I was very happy with the amount of effort they put into giving runners some mementos to take with them when they were done with the race. I can imagine that swag will continue to get better and better each year!

Ultimately this was an extremely enjoyable race, especially for it being the first time it has ever been run. I have a feeling this is going to turn into a POWERHOUSE of a local race, and I feel so grateful to be a part of it for its first year. Looking forward to joining in in the years to come!