I enjoyed the Running for Recovery 5-miler, held this year on Saturday, June 10, at the Wakefield Valley Golf Course (no longer a golf course) in Westminster, Maryland. The race benefits Rising Above Addiction. I created the listing for this event and although this race followed a path/trail, I put "Road Race" rather than "Trail Race" because the entire path was paved. However, it is not on actual roads — there were no cars on the course or road crossings.

According to the results, there were 80 finishers of the 5-mile course (there was also a 2.5-mile walk), and I was a little ahead of mid-pack. There were official times, but it was not a chip-timed race, which is fine with me. I am noting this because the start was a little bit narrow for anyone who didn't start near the front. I did start by the front, so I had no problems with getting an accurate time. I also didn't have any problems with crowding on the trail.

The 5-mile course was two 2.5-mile loops on the scenic property. I am from a flat area and was worried about hills, but the course only included some smaller rolling hills.

There was one water stop in the middle of the course. I requested two cups of water (which I often do), and I had to wait a second because they didn't have a bunch of water cups ready and I didn't want to take water meant for someone else (that runner ended up getting another cup). It wasn't a huge deal, but it's nice when there is plenty of water ready to go.

The swag was a light blue tech shirt (for women - the men's shirt was gray). I thought it was a nice shirt and I was actually expecting a T-shirt, so this was more than what I thought. There were women's and men's cuts. My mom picked up my packet for me since I live out of town. The packet pickup was held at a store about half an hour away from the race location, but it appeared that you could pick up your packet on race day (I am not sure; I would confirm with the race organizer).

After the race, there were coffee and bagels for participants. There was plenty of parking close to the race start, and I thought it was well-organized. The course was easy to follow, but I liked that there were volunteers at spots where people could have potentially taken a wrong turn. Things seemed to go smoothly and I enjoyed myself.

Also: In 2017, there was a $250 cash prize for the top male and female!

Check out my blog post here: https://sherunsbytheseashore.com/2017/06/18/running-for-recovery-a-fun-event-with-the-family/