Honestly, I was a little nervous signing up for this race, as it was to start at 7 pm on a hot summer day- not the best running weather. We got to the race a little over an hour before it started, as we had no idea what the packet pick up situation would be. We didn’t have to wait in line at all, and it was all really smooth; it probably took about 4 minutes total. The packet came with a t-shirt (cotton, didn't fit well, and was UGLY UGLY UGLY), some nutrition information, and a Hammer electrolyte sample tablet. Then we sat and people watched for about 45 minutes, and it was fascinating. Almost no one looked happy to be there, which was interesting. I’m not sure what it was, because normally before races people are excited and smiling. Not this race though- so strange.
We headed to the port-a-potties before the race, which I really really dislike using, but at least the line went quickly. They were clean, the line moved quickly, and they had nicely also brought in one of those portable sinks so I could wash my hands- a big plus! Because it was a small race, we lined up right before the race start, and we were off.

Suddenly it seemed like every single person was sprinting past us, which I’ve never really experienced at a race before. I couldn’t help but laugh really hard for a few minutes, because it was pretty clear that people were going out far too quickly.

This race can be quickly summarized as the “3 H’s”- heat, humidity, and hills.
I should mention the weather- it was 85 with humidity in the 60’s percent. It was HOT, even just standing in the shade before the race. I knew the race wasn’t going to be fantastic just because of my tired legs from my training run the day before and the heat. Yikes.
It was clear pretty quickly that I was going to have a hard time breathing most of the race. The air was really thick, and people around us were breathing really deeply- more like gasping at times. The course also had a few bigger hills in it, but it was manageable. People walked when needed, and many of them even went over to the curb to walk, which made it nice so I wasn't weaving constantly.
I was thankful for the moments of shade along the way, but most of the course was on the open road with sun shining down. Like I said, it was hot and we were sweating like crazy. There were two water stops along the way, but they both had pretty warm water, which was just not good since it was hot. I had brought my hand held water bottle (I put nuun in mine), and I was happy to have it.
There were a few people out on the course cheering, and overall the race seemed to go by pretty quickly.

Immediately after crossing the finish line I went to get the gatorade they had sitting out. It was cold and was exactly what I wanted. They also had bananas, granola bars, and cookies sitting out. We quickly grabbed stuff and immediately went back to the car to try to get into the air conditioning.

I would certainly do the race again, although I wish that the race either started a bit later to avoid the heat of the day, or it would be moved to early on Labor Day morning. The $20 fee for the race was ideal, so I hope they do it again next year! Honestly, for $20 they wouldn't need to give anything, so the fact that they had as much post race food as they had, plus a timing mat, was pretty great in my mind!