Finish at the 50

So, on July 3rd there was a 5k/10k road race at Gillette stadium. This is a yearly event, average price for a road race, free parking, real close to reg, and the start line. This thing has a huge turnout! I ran the 5k, and planned to do the 10k after, but to say I was under prepared is an understatement. I pulled a trick out of a friends book, due to scheduling, I was unsure that I could make it, so I did not buy my ticket before the event. And I made up my mind to run in the race about 2 hours before it started, and did not hydrate, or fuel properly at all (I still managed a 25 min 5k, but it felt horrible I ran it all wrong). So I got to the venue about 45 min before it started, and reg'd about 30 min before the start, but I made it! The course went around part of the parking lot, around the stadium, then through the stadium, back out the other side, and around back in. My gps said it was about 2.75 miles, but they had you run up the ramps, from go around level to the top, and that could have easily messed with my entry level gps watch. It was really cool, running up the ramps to the top level, it really separated the people that were use to running, and you could tell the people that did not gauge right with the ramps, those things were hard! The big mistake that I made was misjudging the finish line. About a half mile from there finish line you see people crossing the line on the field. Now I am not familiar with the stadium enough to realize that i was not close enough to an entrance to the field. So what i thought was about 20 yards from the finish, was actually about a half mile from the finish. So I really gassed myself far from the finish. I did not hydrate enough, again, poor planning on my part, but the important thing? This is a really cool race, for a decent price, and you get to run through Gillette stadium! The shirts are pretty cool as well, not just a cotton T shirt, It is a dual blend, soft shirt. The Sponsors were great, there were plenty of good drink options, ocean spray was great, I am sorry, I forget the actual name, but it was tasty, and I think probably a sports drink, they had like 4 flavors, and they were all awesome. They had bags of chips that were also good, and several kinds of KIND bars, also pretty tasty. All this on top of the regular post race water and bananas, so the post race was great, and you were on the turf of the stadium, such a cool environment. As you get onto the field, you run through the Patriots helmet, and onto the field were you are on the big screen, always a plus! The spectators were watching from the stands which was also pretty cool. They had medics all over the place, watching, and cheering everybody on, and they had several wheel chairs with medics on course just in case. One of the few negatives that i can say is that as a racer who finished the 5k, I wanted to cheer on my friends running the 10k. The problem? after leaving the field I could not go back. That may not seem like a big deal, but when i wanted to  join my friends as they cross the finish line, I was unable to, so i had to wait for them to leave the field. So for me, and my friend, we both wanted to take pictures closer to the finish, we both had run, still had our bibs on and everything, but there was no re-admittance, that was kind of annoying.

Photo Courtesy of Henry Marte

One of the other cool things that happened was that Foxborough had their fireworks that night, so me and the rest of Team RWB (from the Boston, RI, and a CT chapter) enjoyed some tailgating, and several other groups did the same in the parking lot. If you did not want to do something like that, they had a food truck, and all the restaurants, and bars that are in the plaza, so you had options!

Photo Courtesy of Henry Marte

One thing to beware of though, it is Gillette stadium, and the parking can be tricky, getting in was not too bad, but leaving is a NIGHTMARE!!! It was after 9pm, and people were just parked in their cars waiting to leave the parking lot, CRAZY!! But also normal for Foxborough, when their is a game. Keep in mind that the 5k started at 6pm, and the 10k started at 7pm. You could do both, I know several people that did, but for anybody doing that, or the 10k, good luck getting home, unless you were fast, and left immediately. But none of this takes away from the race.

Also note, that the 10k did not run through the stadium that much, they took you out route 1, and it was rolling hills from what I was told.

So the things to take away from this race? Fun times in Gillette stadium, the 5k was hard with the ramps, they were real long. It is best to make a night of it, as the parking lot can be difficult to leave, good thing they have plenty of things to pass the time there with all the shops and restaurants. Go with friends, I loved seeing two of my running groups, Both very awesome, New England Spahtens, and Team RWB with several chapters present. All at about $30 for early pricing, up to $45 for race day price. Oh yeah, and make sure to plan your day right, a night run can be more challenging than a morning race where it is easier to fuel, and hydrate first thing in the morning, rather than trying to keep it in mind all day, where you have more time to make mistakes, so stay vigilant with your fuel.

I hope that everybody had a wonderful holiday weekend

Until Next time
Keep active
Stephen