Race Review: Light the Night 5k
My friend Deborah described the Light the Night to Stop Crime 5k as more of an event than a race. After experiencing it last night, I tend to agree.
The race starts at 7 p.m. by the old Naval Hospital in Balboa Park. You don't actually run through the park but alongside of it on Park Blvd. We arrived in plenty of time to find great parking, get our running numbers and glow sticks, check out the expo, use the portable toilets a time or two and, for a couple of people in our group, get first dibs on the taco plates that typically are a post-race meal.
(They actually were smart -- and walking the course -- because the lines later would be really long for just about everything.)
This race is under different management now, so we had chips to accurately record our times. That said, the start is chaotic as people with strollers, dogs, walking groups and lots of costumes cram as close to the start as they can. I felt disoriented initially, mainly because it was dark and crowded and I felt a little lost once we passed the starting line.
About a half mile up Park (and up is the operative word since there's a slight incline the first half), the crowding thinned and we could start manuevering around slower runners and walkers. There were some dark stretches where I was grateful to follow the glow sticks, but elsewhere there was street light.
Even injured, I typically run in the middle of the pack. So when we turned to head back, I expected to see the crowds behind me start to trickle after about a half mile. But the throngs of runners and walkers just kept coming. It was amazing to see that many people on the streets on a Saturday night, especially all of the families with small children. We're talking thousands of the people huffing and puffing and hooting and hollering.
That incline becomes a slight decline on the return and so even if you're tiring, it's easy to comfortably coast to the finish. I personally felt the lack of training in the last mile (and maybe the fried clams and green smoothie I'd had that afternoon) but I managed to finish around 28:30. Considering my first mile was close to 11 minutes, I'm pleased with the 9:12 average pace.
This is definitely something that everyone can -- and should -- do at least once, maybe annually. It's a different crowd, competitive but not. And it raises reward money for Crimestoppers, which operates a law enforcement tip line. Speaking of which, I wanted to give a special thanks to Stephanie G., the sheriff's deputy in our running group who coordinated our registrations and T-shirts, and to all of the volunteers who made the 5k and after party a great event.
The race starts at 7 p.m. by the old Naval Hospital in Balboa Park. You don't actually run through the park but alongside of it on Park Blvd. We arrived in plenty of time to find great parking, get our running numbers and glow sticks, check out the expo, use the portable toilets a time or two and, for a couple of people in our group, get first dibs on the taco plates that typically are a post-race meal.
(They actually were smart -- and walking the course -- because the lines later would be really long for just about everything.)
This race is under different management now, so we had chips to accurately record our times. That said, the start is chaotic as people with strollers, dogs, walking groups and lots of costumes cram as close to the start as they can. I felt disoriented initially, mainly because it was dark and crowded and I felt a little lost once we passed the starting line.
About a half mile up Park (and up is the operative word since there's a slight incline the first half), the crowding thinned and we could start manuevering around slower runners and walkers. There were some dark stretches where I was grateful to follow the glow sticks, but elsewhere there was street light.
Even injured, I typically run in the middle of the pack. So when we turned to head back, I expected to see the crowds behind me start to trickle after about a half mile. But the throngs of runners and walkers just kept coming. It was amazing to see that many people on the streets on a Saturday night, especially all of the families with small children. We're talking thousands of the people huffing and puffing and hooting and hollering.
That incline becomes a slight decline on the return and so even if you're tiring, it's easy to comfortably coast to the finish. I personally felt the lack of training in the last mile (and maybe the fried clams and green smoothie I'd had that afternoon) but I managed to finish around 28:30. Considering my first mile was close to 11 minutes, I'm pleased with the 9:12 average pace.
This is definitely something that everyone can -- and should -- do at least once, maybe annually. It's a different crowd, competitive but not. And it raises reward money for Crimestoppers, which operates a law enforcement tip line. Speaking of which, I wanted to give a special thanks to Stephanie G., the sheriff's deputy in our running group who coordinated our registrations and T-shirts, and to all of the volunteers who made the 5k and after party a great event.
