Red Shamrock Trail Race

Saturday April 11, 2015. Iowa City, IA. Sunny 55 degrees.

www.redshamrock.org

Registration: Available online starting around $20 and increasing until race day. Could register on race day for $30, t-shirts were not guaranteed. Included with registration, bib, timing chip, tech shirt (if registered early), post race snacks.

There was no packet pick up or expo. Grabbed your bib and shirt before the race. Small local race, maybe 150 entrants.

Pre-race: Check in, registration and packet pick up as runners milled about. Plenty of parking behind Regina High School. 2 port-o-potties available. Participants lined up behind the blue timing mats, a small chat about the red flags that marked the course. No National Anthem, just a loud “GO”

Race/Course: The race starts on the Regina High School track, which is in desperate need of resurfacing. After a partial lap the course winds to Hickory Hill Park. This park is within city limits, but consists of trail running. Roots, hills, mud, wash out, bridges, wood chips, rocks; all kinds of terrain. Paying attention was key. There were enough wide spots if you needed to pass. The race was also not advertised at a certain length, approx 3.5 miles. After running through the woods, the race looped back to the track where it started.

There were no mile markers, just followed red flags and green signs with arrows. There were volunteers stationed at the tight turns. No water or food stations. No medics. There was a volunteer on the course taking photos with a cell phone.

Post race: Finish was marked with a clock and the blue timing mats. Homemade treats, bananas, bagels, grapes, fruit snacks, Gatorade and water were displayed on a table for runners. There was a poster with raffle winners. The times were posted as the results came in. The food area was set up so you could cheer on the racers that were just finishing.

A small awards ceremony was held, and awards were given to the overall winners as well as the top AG finishers.

Overall: I will try to run this race if it fits into my calendar. We don’t have many trails to run, let alone trail races. The price is right and it supports a great cause.

Personal: I enjoy running in my hometown, no hotel fees, no travel fees. I just lace up my shoes and run to and from the race. I am a week out from my 3rd Blue Ridge Marathon, so this was a nice distance to log, it was also nice to add the terrain to my training. I also enjoy a marked course through Hickory Hill Park, as I would get lost.

My Garmin clocked 3.35 miles, and I had a time of 33:56. The official results had me finishing 8th in my AG of 30-39. Results