Top 10 Favorite Races

Through the years, I have run hundreds of races.

A few weeks ago I came with the idea of putting together a list of my 10 favorite races. Initially, I thought it would be a simple but after having run 100s of races through the years picking out just 10 to be on my favorite list was no small feat.

So after much deliberation, I finalized my list to the races below.

1. Reindeer Romp 5K – Uptown Charlotte in conjunction with Thunder Road
2. Santa Run 5k – Downtown Concord
3. Shamrock 4 miler – South Charlotte
4. Run for Your life 4 miler – Dilworth Area – Charlotte
5. Waxhaw 5k – Waxhaw, NC
6. June Bug 5k – Frank Lisk Park, Concord, NC
7. Main Street 5k – China Groove, NC
8. Crazy 8 – 8k – Kingsport, TN
9. Beach Blast 5k – Albemarle, NC
10. Young Life 5k – Lowes Motor Speedway, Concord.

I choose these races for various reasons which I described below so if you found it boring you can skip the rest of this post. :)

The Reindeer Romp is run in conjunction with the Thunder Road marathon. There are usually a huge number of runners –usually in the thousands. I like doing it because I enjoy the Christmas season and seeing everyone dressed up in seasonal colors helps with the enthusiasm for the event.

The Santa Run 5k is run in conjunction with Concord Christmas parade. I have always enjoyed this race because it is only the only event around where you will run in front of 12 thousand yelling people and the course is super fast as well. My all time fastest time for a 5k was recorded on this course.

The Shamrock 4 miler is the first race in the RFYL GP series. 4 mile races are rare and when I get a chance to race one, I usually sign up.

Waxhaw 5k is a Friday night race. The course is pretty decent and but the best part is the food afterwards. They give away some great BBQ. This makes the trip south of Charlotte on a Friday night worth it.

June Bug 5 is another Friday night race and is held at Frank Lisk Park near Concord. The race is put on by the Concord Park and Rec guys who do a wonderful job with the race. The course is about 80% dirt path and 20% road. After the race, they give away plenty of freebies, 3 deep in the awards, and lots of pizza, cookies, and soda.

The Main Street 5k is yet another Friday night race held in China Groove, NC. I guess that I just enjoy running on Friday nights. This race typically is a fast yet hot. And has a good selection food and drinks for post race consumption.

Crazy 8’s is something different. Yes, it is another night race but it is on Saturday night and goes off at 10:08 pm. It is a super fast course and lots of runners. The course is usually lit with the candles. It makes for a great night time race in the heat of the summer of Kingsport, Tennessee.

Beach Blast is put on by the Uwharrie Road Runners club. It has grown to have more than 300 runners in just a few short years of existence. Peter A. from Vac and Dash heads up this effort and always leads the way by having a first class race. I ran the race twice and have two beautiful Gords to show for my efforts.

Finally, last but not least is the Young Life 5k. Growing up my dad was a huge NASCAR fan, I continue to following the sport today. So when I get a chance to run a race on a track where the NASCAR stars run, I try to do it. This race is run entirely on the track and is composed of 2 laps around the track and finishes by going the opposite way up pit road. For me, it is just the experience that keeps pulling me back to this event.

There I hope you enjoyed my 10 ten list.

Comments

Spot said…
I love this top 10. Hope to see you at the next Grand Prix race. I am running the 4 miler course with some friends tomorrow morning.

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