I’ve run a few Track Shack races, but this was the first Track Shack 5K that I had the pleasure to join. I think originally this was a 5K/15K challenge race, but they’ve adjusted the offering and now it’s a 5K with a (I am assuming) amazing after party. Sadly, there was some serious thunderstorms that rolled in about 15 minutes after the gun went off, and when the race announcer told us to “find cover” we actually hopped into the car and left. I didn’t mind the rain during my final mile of the race, but Florida thunderstorms aren’t something I usually wait around in. However, I had an awesome time, and I’ve heard that the after party is usually one of the best in town.

The course starts and finished as Lake Nona Town Center, and it goes through a few neighborhoods around the area. The scenery is pretty unique in that Lake Nona itself is a very young community in the Orlando area. I can’t speak to the specifics, but I believe that they are developing it as a “green” community and I think that means for every acre of developed space, they have to create a certain amount of green space. Or something like that. In any event, the Lake Nona area seems to be all about staying active, so staging a race here was perfect.

The medal was super nice (especially for a 5K), and I love it when a race offers gender specific tech tees to the participants. This is seriously one of the first things I look for when I’m searching for a race. This year’s tee is totally comfortable, and I love the design. It’s all spacey and nighttime-ish.

The only real bummer here was the weather, but I realize that’s out of the race director’s hands.

The race direction at Track Shack races from beginning to end is an absolute professional job. They have been doing this since before I was born, and it shows. I’m sure they are the best in the state, and they would probably make the top five in the country (if you’ll allow a wide, sweeping proclamation). Honestly, they are total pros.

I don’t know that I’ll run this race again, but I sure had a great time this year.