Five Star Turkey Trot 10K (Race Recap)

 

Johns Creek, GA
Thursday, November 25, 2021
Race/Event #97   
10K #9
Weather - low 30s at the start

This year, instead of doing the Atlanta Half Marathon on Thanksgiving morning, decided to switch to this race, a 10K, closer to home. I'm enjoying the 10K distance for now. Maybe I'll just stay around that distance, not sure, we'll see. The other thing, kudos to the folks at Five Star, this race was only $21. And, it's that price regardless of the distance (5K, 10K, 15K, half marathon), $21. Can't beat that. Maybe in the future I'll consider the Atlanta Half again. But the $21 is hard to beat!

This was a road race through a few business parks in Johns Creek. Over 1200 people signed up for it. It was a 5K course: 5K-ers did it one time; 10K, two times; 15K, three times; half - four times plus a bit more to make 13.1 miles. Most participants did the 5K. This simply meant the first time through the course was crazy crowded. I enjoyed the second time through the course much more than the first - a lot less people. 

For most of the race had the earbuds in listening to The Piano Guys - A Family Christmas. I suppose the season has officially started. It was a good race. Finished with a time of 1:15:57, once again, with so few in the category, placed 1st in the Male 65-69 group.

Chateau Elan Muscadine Vineyard Trail 5.5 Miler (Race Recap)

Braselton, GA
Saturday, November 20, 2021
Race/Event #96   
5-ish Miler #2
Weather -  clear, cold, 37 degrees when I arrived...brrrrrr

The main reason I wanted to do this race - it went through the vineyard at Chateau Elan. Specifically it was a muscadine grape vineyard. There really are a lot of races to pick from. More and more I'm always looking for something unique in a race. The vineyard surely qualified this one as being unique.

As usual, got there early. Picked up my bib and t-shirt. And because I was early, was able to cycle through the porta potty lines twice - always an important thing to do before any race. Once the sun was up the temperature maybe rose a few degrees, but not much.

People were milling around, getting their bib/t-shirt, hanging out by the space heaters, pretty standard pre-race stuff. I noticed something that I'm sure I've never seen prior to a race starting - a statue of a woman stomping grapes. Had to get a picture of it. 

The Dirty Spokes race finish shoot in the background - yes this really was a unique race venue.

The race was capped at 325 people. There was a 3.0 mile and a 5.5 mile option. I signed up for 5.5 miler. We all started out together through the vineyards. It was nice and very unique. Eventually we made our way onto one of the trails around the Chateau. It was a bit crowded with a single track narrow trail for a bit. Not a big problem for me - I'm not trying to pass too many people :) Once we split from the 3.0 mile folks there was plenty of room. It was a good race, glad I did it.

I finished with a time of 1:12:36. 

Covington YMCA Cheerios 10K (Race Recap)

 

Covington, GA
Saturday, November 6, 2021
Race/Event #95
10K #8
Weather - Low 40s, still dark at 7:15 AM start

I thought my next race was going to be a trail race through a vineyard in North Georgia. However, as soon as I saw this, I wanted to do this race. 

"Running in the Covington Y Cheerios Challenge helps ensure that every child can participate in Y programs like youth sports, swim lessons, and summer day camp. Your race registration fee supports the YMCA's WHY IT MATTERS Annual Campaign." 

With so many races available, I don't think I would have signed up for any old race 50 miles away. This was a good cause though.

The race was both a 10K and 5K. What was different, the 10K started at 7:15, the 5K at 8:30. 70 people did the 10K so there was no problem getting a parking place or using the bathroom. The 5K had 250-300 people, most of them were not there when the 10K started. It was low-key and I like that. 

The race course took an interesting route through a town that many people have seen on TV. The show "In the Heat of the Night" was filmed there from 1989-1995. It is a very nice little town. The course was well marked - no chance of getting lost or off course. 

Ended up with a time of 1:17:09, a 12:25/mile pace. 2nd place in the male 65-69 category. It was a good race, glad I signed up for it.