Hot Dash 10 Miler

Twin Cities in Motion, Hot Dash 5k & 10 miler. Saturday, March 7, 2015. Sunny, high 30’s windy. Minneapolis, MN. 9:00am

Registration: Available online, started at $35 and increased as race day approached. However the race sold out, so registration closed, and could not register at packet pick up. Included in registration bib with timing chip, long sleeve tech pullover, beer at post race, hot dish at post race.

It was nice to get a non t-shirt option, but the pullover is not the best color, and very lightweight

Expo / Packet Pick/up: There was no true expo as packet pick up was held at the running store. I had a friend (Kate) grab my bib and pullover as she lives in MPLS and could stop by one of the Thursday or Friday early pick up dates. You could also grab your stuff on race day starting at 7:30. Emails were sent with bib numbers to assist in picking up materials.

I was reading another runner’s recap of the 5k, and she noted that when she picked up her number at the store, it was crazy, the line stretched out the door. This reminded me of the packet pick up for the B1G 10k in Chicago. While pick ups at the running store are a great idea, they are usually not in the best location for a mass of people to visit at once.

Pre-race: Parking, where do I begin, there was on street parking if you were lucky enough and familiar enough with the area to find it. Otherwise there was a ramp and an open air lot you could pay to park in. The line to get into the ramp was long, the line to pay in the open air lot was long. Planning ahead would have made this an easier process. Parking was also close to the finish line, not the start line. Port-o-potties near the finish. Announcements could be heard on the loud speaker.

I was running the race with Laura, and Kate & Anna who were running their first 10 milers. Kate had forgotten her bib at home, so it made for an interesting race start. She hightailed it back to grab the bibs, Anna stood in the pay line, Laura and I stood in our parking spot. Anna had just paid, a minute later Kate pulled into the spot, it was 8:55. We threw the parking ticket on the dash, and Laura and I ran the 3 extra blocks, to the start. The 5k started just after the 10 miler, so we had to weave through some people. We made it to the start with 30 seconds to spare. (I don’t remember if the National Anthem was played)

Race / Course: The race was run on the streets near the Mississippi river. We went north then turned around came back a ways, crossed the river, then crossed the river back again.

• Lots of potholes, but it’s the midwest just after a harsh winter, this is normal. Cobblestones at the end
• water & powerade in different paper cups
• no photographers on the course, but some near the end
• each mile marked with a flag
• flat course, incline / decline on bridge crossings
• Volunteers at intersections and along the course, as the streets were still open. (If you are driving next to a race course, or humans on the street, SLOW DOWN!)
• A few spectators
• Scenic in spots, once near the river, otherwise running on city streets
• Port-o-potties on the course

Finish / Post Race: The finish was marked with some flags and the clock. The announcer was informing everyone of who was finishing. Once crossed the timing mat, there were bottles of water, bananas, a raisin bread treat, chips and a Pearson Nut Goodie. No medals. The post race festivities were a short walk from the actual finish. Once you were in the post race area, there was canned Finnegan’s Blonde Ale, Hot Dish (which was cold, and very tiny), fire pits, hot chocolate, food for purchase and a photo booth.

There was also a post race awards ceremony, but it was held before the last racer finished. Also held before the end of the race was the best dressed lumberjack and best beard contest.

Overall: Good price for the distance, not a bucket list race, but a good race for the time of year. The parking was the biggest hassle for us.

Personal: As I mentioned I was running with Laura, we were one week from our first 50k. We had a decent finishing time of 1:39:41, with a Garmin measurement of 10.11. We probably should have taken this more as a training run, but it was a race, we couldn’t help ourselves.

This was also Kate’s first 10 mile race ever, she had been training with Anna (who has run a half before) They finished with smiles on their faces, and talks of longer distance races in their future. CONGRATS TO THEM!!

I was disappointed in the post race, it was a short walk to get there and with the wind it was cold. The food that was free wasn’t anything to write home about. The photo booth was fun and the fire pits were a great touch.

As always you can check out my review at bibrave.com. Add yours too!