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Coastal Run/Walk for Foster Youth 2016 Race Review
For the last 5 years, I've gone on a weekend morning run only to realize there's a race going on blocks away from my house. On every occasion, I have vowed to participate in one of these races "next year" and have promptly failed to do so due to scheduling issues or simply forgetting.
This past weekend, the wife and I decided to give it a try and we signed up for the Coastal Run/Walk for Foster Youth put on by Pepperdine University's Graduate School of Education and Psychology.
We actually signed up late...like the morning of the race. We got up early, rode our bikes down to register and then we rode home to get ready since we didn't want to stand around in the cold. As it was a small event (just under 400 participants), everything was just very easy to deal with.
The race itself was comprised of a 5K, a 10K, and a kid dash.
We ran into The Restless Runner and some run club friends and found out we were all running the 10K!
Parking: There was ample parking at the event and it was located right next to the finish line. People literally finished the race, grabbed their medal, water, and banana and then drove away.
Restrooms: They had port-a-potties and there was a beach bathroom nearby so they were covered.
Course
The 10K course was two laps on a flat "out and back" course along Dockweiler Beach followed by a final finish down to the beach parking lot.
I was looking forward to this kind of course since it seemed conducive to fast times. I wasn't exactly what type of shape I was in but I figured I hadn't lost too much fitness since my last 10K two months earlier. I started out exactly where I wanted to be (7:00/mile) but I uncharacteristically cramped up (side stitch) at around 2.5 miles and couldn't shake it the rest of race and I slowed enough to finish the race.
What made things worse was that the "10K course" was actually more than 11K. In truth, it was even longer than that but they must have recognized it and they detoured us to the finish before we got to extra last loop.
I finished at 51:34 (7:32/mile). 23/132 overall. 15/78 of men. 5/24 in age group.
Aid Stations: There were two aid stations along the course which were just right for the course type (out and back).
Swag + Expo
The race shirt was a basic cotton t-shirt. Nothing fancy.
I liked that there were ample post-race drinks and snacks for all the participants. Furthermore, the expo had coffee and a couple of other fun things.
Final Thoughts
I'll admit it. It was kinda nice being able to run a race without having to get up super early and dealing with large race issues of parking, bag check, and all the other hassles.
I definitely will try another race in the neighborhood especially since I had some uncharacteristic race issues.
I'll also give this race another try next year since it's for a great cause and it's sponsored by my school.