Real, in-person races are back, but I am still exercising caution when deciding which ones I’d like to run. J, my running buddy, has been wanting to do a 10K, and we stumbled upon the Sandy Claus Marathon, Half Marathon and 10K.
ONce I saw that the registration numbers were staying pretty low, we decided to sign up. This race has been around a while, but I’ve never actually participated before. The idea of something new was extra-exciting.
Safety Precautions
Before we ever toed the start line, I was very impressed with the safety precautions set in place. There were separate start times for the distances: the marathoners started at 6:00 AM, the half and 10K at 7:00 AM, and the one mile at 8:30 AM. Runners who weren’t comfortable with the start line had the option for a late start, and could cross the start line up until 7:15 AM. Additionally, all age group winners would be based on chip time, not gun time, to avoid crowding at the start (runners going for the overall win would have to line up first). I thought that was so respectful.
Race Morning
It was an early morning. Packet pickup was scheduled for the morning of, which meant we had to be at the race around 6:15, to park, grab our stuff, use the bathrooms and get situated. It all went very smoothly, and we had plenty of time to get everything done and line up.
Runners got a cute long-sleeve tech tee, and race distance decal, in addition to their bibs and medals.
The sunrise was an added bonus.
The Race
Before long, we were off. We left the Nocatee Community Center, passed through a fence, and found ourselves out on the Greenway. It was beautiful: lots of trees and wooden bridges. I confess, the course was a little confusing. We ran to the first water stop, turned right, and continued running. We made our way into a residential area (which was great because so many houses were decorated for the holidays), and then, turned around at the second water stop.
We ran back to the first one, turned right and did a little out and back, before re-running the loop we had just completed. The we made it back to the first water stop, the volunteers directed us to the right for the out-and-back again, but we should have gone left to the finish. We ended up running and extra half mile. Whoops.
On the plus side, the weather was great, the run was strong, and the course was so gorgeous. It could have been worse.
The Post-Party
We crossed the finish line and collected our medals! They were wooden, with a bottle opener on the back. It was kind of odd that they didn’t come with ribbons, but we loved them all the same.
From there, we were planning to head to Starbucks for coffee and breakfast on the way home, but the race director announced that post-race refreshments were available so we circled back to check it out.
JetPack Nutrition offered waffles, low-fat turkey chili and some of the best macaroni and cheese I’ve ever had.
And About Time Creamery was there, with free ice cream! Sure, it was in the 40s, but who can say no to free ice cream? We got the Elf Poop: chocolate with red velvet cookie dough chunks. Yum!
Congratulations to us! J did amazing on her first 10K (plus)!
What’s the best post-race food you’ve ever had? Ever mess up and run extra on a course?
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Well done on the 10K, Jenn and J! Or rather, nearly 11k, haha!
And those post-race treats look yummy, especially the macaroni and cheese.
Funnily enough, I have only once taken a wrong turn in a race and it was in Florida, too! It wasn’t too bad though, perhaps only costed me a minute or so.
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Congrats to your both on your race! Elf poop ice cream? lol I’ve never heard of that. I’m glad this race was able to be executed so safely. I like the idea of staggered starts with the option to start a little later.
Sounds like a safe, well-organized race. I love the swag! I ran a race once that awarded medals without ribbons. I was kind of amused at the confusion of so many of the runners, lol. Nice job, Jenn!
Well done you two! Ah a real race sounds just amazing right about now. This time of the year, they usually have great hot chocolate post run at our races. Usually, I am not ready to eat right after a race so I often skip the food area. Very cute medals!
You know how I feel about in-person races. They are necessary for a runner’s morale.
Glad to hear that this one happened and it was safe.
I ran 2 recently and felt the same way. Many details missing due to the pandemic but they happened.
Congrats to you.
I have my fingers crossed for a Feb race in Ft Lauderdale…not sure since it is a bigger one.
Congratulations! I’m glad to hear that the race was so well organized considering COVID, though it’s a shame the course was so confusing! That ice cream looks so good! I look forward to getting to run a real race again…
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Congrats on the 10K! The post race food sounds delicious. The best post race food I’ve had was at CIM when they had Whole Foods back in 2016, although I had no appetite at that point. I’m excited to get to run real races again!
Great job! What a neat race name, Sandy Claus LOL. I have run “long” in a race before when I passed the supposed turn-around, and no one told me to stop & turn…so I kept going (maybe 100 yards further) until the trail dead-ended. The best post-race food I’ve ever had was at the Hillbilly Hike…biscuits and gravy with pie, with chocolate milk 😉
It was a cute race. I was annoyed about the mixup, but can you really be mad about running with a friend on a beautiful morning on a cold day? Nope. Not me.
That sounds like delicious post-race fare. I would have loved a beer, but it was just so cold, and we really wanted ice cream. Sigh. The sacrifices we make.
Congratulations! I’m glad you had a safe, well-organized race. Cute medal!
It was a great experience!
Love the options for starting, that’s really smart given the situation. And glad you’re able to run in person. CT is surging really badly so I don’t think that will be a thing here any time soon.
The shirts are so cute! Congrats to both of you!
I was incredibly impressed with their options. And to be honest, short of the first 1/4 mile, we were so alone on the course. It worked out really well.
I’m sorry CT is surging. We probably are, too, but Florida does what Florida wants, sooo… 🙁
Ah lovely, well done, and a super medal!
It was fun! I’m looking forward to the next one!