Legend of the Fall 2015

Thursday, November 26, 2015. Rainy, 45-50 degrees cloudy. Iowa City, IA. 8 am.

This race is approximately 4 miles on trail, in Hickory Hill park. About a week before the race we had almost 9 inches of snow, it had melted before the race due to the one plus inch of rain we had received.

Pre Race / Packet Pick up: Parking was available at Regina high school, but first come, first serve. Registration was accessible online, by submitting a form, or registering at packet pickup. Race day pickup without a shirt was $25. Packet pick up was held in the cafeteria, organized by last name. Long sleeve cotton t-shirt (if registered early), bibs and chips were included with entry. Bathrooms available in the school.

Being this is only 2 miles from my house, I always run to and from this race, so race day parking is never a problem for me. The only problem I had was it was raining, I registered on the same day of the race so I had a problem filling out my registration form as I was wet.

Race & Course: Race starts on the track at Regina High School. There were no announcements, due to the fact the race was delayed for 15 minutes for lightning. After that, the race was off, a 300 yard trip around the track, and off into the Hickory Hill Park woods.

• The terrain was tough, wash out, tree roots, steep inclines, LOTS OF MUD, trail!
• No water stops
• no mile markers.
• Course marked with small yellow flags.
• Difficult to pass.
• Did not see the short cut this year
• Hills, ravines, not flat

Finish: was back on the track, after another partial loop, was marked with a clock and blue timing mat. The finish was crowded and a little close to the runners coming into the track, had to be careful and stay out of their way.

Chips were removed by the runners in the school. The volunteer didn’t want to get their hands dirty?!?!

I had a fun time running the muddy trails. It was a slippery mess. There were the parts of packed down mud, but then the parts of weeds/grass and which were just a hot mess. I even fell once, didn’t even put a hole in my sparkle skirt. I contemplated just sliding down a hill on my butt as I thought that would be easier. I definitely earned my Thanksgiving meal.

Post Race: Lots of baked goods available in the cafeteria; bars, cookies, breads, etc. There was blue electrolyte drink and water.  The age group winners were awarded pie. Results were laid out on a cafeteria table top.

I placed 13th in my AG. My watch had a time of 44:06 and 3.67 miles.

Overall: This is my area’s Turkey trot, why it’s not your average “get the family out, and get moving” activity. This race will make you earn your Thanksgiving pie.  I will always try to run this race if it fits into my schedule.

I have added my review to Bibrave.com You can do the same