Irish Run results and race review

Good morning and happy Monday!!

Ok, wanted to post up my results from the race yesterday and give a quick review of the event. I'll do another post with pictures and my race recap/thoughts....I've got plenty!

Alright, results......

I'm saving my thoughs on this for the next post :)

Race reciew:

This was my second year doing this race, and my first time racing the 8k.  This race is, for a lot of MN runners, the kick off to racing season.  There are always a lot of really good, fast runners that do the 8k, so its pretty competative, but it's also a race for you to gauge where you are at at the end of winter running.  There are also a lot of running teams at this race as well. Run N Fun, Mill City Running, Twin Cities Track Club, and probably a couple others that I'm forgetting.  This is also one of the races in the team circuts so a lot of people run it for that reason too.

Even though this race has been around for a LONG time, it's still very low key and casual.  Nothing super facny, but it's a very well-run race.  The race started and finished from Ramsey Middle School, so they opened the gym to hang out in before and after the race.  Since the weather was cold, this was a nice option. 

The start/finish were just outside the school so it literally took 5 seconds to line up.  For the most part there was plenty of room, but at the start it did get a little crowded, nothing bad, and it opened up right away.  The race couse was well marked, and there were plenty of police officers blocking roads so it felt really secure.  They did a good job of marking corners that were icy as well, which I appreciated.

Crowd support was pretty good, lots of people cheering at the end, and quite a few out on the course.  The course is really spectator-friendly with lots of places to watch.

The only gripe I have (and its not even a "gripe) but since the location is near a busy neighborhood, there arent a lot of options for parking, especially if you are running the 8k, since that is the last race, most of the closer spots are taken.  Jake and I parked about 3 blocks away from the school, which isn't bad, just something to note if you decide to run, you'll want to leave some time for finding a parking spot and walking a little bit.  Also, in the finishers chute, they were giving away bottles of Propel.  I hate this stuff.  I think its super syrupy and not something I want to drink right after a race.  I think it would have been better to give normal water at the finish, and have the Propel/sports drink inside with the rest of the post-race food.  Plus it was frozen.  It was already 20 degrees out, the last thing I wanted was a frozen bottle of water.  But really, if those are the two main issues, I would say this race is pretty well run.

Another thing I appreciated about this race was that they collected any worn (but not worn out) shoes to be donated.  I rounded up three pairs of old shoes to donate.  Cleared room in my closet and went to people in need - win win.

All in all, I think this is a just a good old fashioned fun race to kick off the season.  They have a 5k, kids races, and the 8k, so there really is something for everyone. 

Ok, enough from me.  I'll be back with pictures and my recap later :)