That’s right! It’s time for a race report! I feel like it’s been forever since I’ve done one, so I’m excited to be able to put this one together. The day: Sunday morning. The time: 7:30 AM. The distance: 5K. Let’s go.
About The Race
As an Alter Ego Ambassador, it’s nice to have this event in my proverbial backyard. The race was scheduled to take place in Nocatee, which is about 20-25 minutes away. I believe this is the second running of this particular event, and they offered a 5K and a 10 mile. I am in no condition to take on 10 miles, but I could manage a 5K. To be honest, the Ponte Vedra 5K and 10 Miler, presented by Alter Ego Running was a bit more expensive than I would normally go for (about $100 for the 10 miler and in the $60s for the 5K), but I had a discount code, and the swag bag was impressive. It fit my schedule so I just decided to go for it.
Packet PickUp
Originally, packet pickup was supposed to take place on both Saturday and Sunday before the race. I really counted on that Sunday morning pickup, but our last communication email requested that everyone pickup their packets on Saturday, unless we had special circumstances. Ugh. I made the drive to Nocatee at noon, and rushed to grab my things.
I wish I had more time to enjoy the vendors and the experience, but I was in a rush. I picked up my bib and swag, snapped a quick photos and scooted out.
The Night Before
Once I got home, I set out my race fit and packed my bag. The 10 miler started at 7:00AM, while the 5K started at 7:30, but I still wanted to be able to snag parking, so I knew I would be there early. We had loaded baked potatoes for dinner, and I turned in early.
Everyone got an Alter Ego running hat, soft t-shirt, sunglasses, cinch bag, and Alter Ego gaiter. The value of the swag alone more than covered the cost of the race.
Race Morning
I got up at 4:45, took a quick shower, and hopped in the car. On my way, I grabbed a plain bagel and water from Dunkin, and then navigated to Nocatee. The area is always a little confusing, but I found a great parking spot and hung out for a little while. My goals were to get a lay of the land, go to the restroom, and meet up with Rachel, someone I know from IG.
It was super dark, and things weren’t super well marked. I did run into our local running group,
hung around a bit, and then hopped on line for the portapotties. At that point, Rachel reached out and she was a few people ahead of me, so we had our meeting! She was off to the 10 Mile, so I wished her luck, took care of business, and went back to the field to wait.
The Start Line
Things started a little bit late, but after the National Anthem, the 10 milers took off. The race would start and finish in the field, but between that, it would move to paved trails. They asked us to self-seed, and I found a place near the middle. I wasn’t really sure how things were going to go – I had a little tweak in my glute on Thursday, and I wasn’t sure how hard I should push.
At 7:30, the race began. I hated the grass portion, but hit the pavement quickly and was ready to run.
Mile 1
It didn’t take me very long to fall into a decent pace, and I decided to go with some intervals so as not to upset my glute. This ended up being a pretty effective strategy. The trails at Nocatee are fairly pretty. They are paved, with some pretty bridges along the way, and most importantly, they are shaded. Yay. We reached an intersection, and turned right to continue to Mile 1.
On To Mile 2
Mile 2 came before a u-turn and we headed back the way we came. The day was definitely humid, and I was so grateful for the early start time and the shade. We returned to the intersection and turned left to head down another straightaway. Again, we had a u-turn, and mile 3 popped up after the turnaround. There was also a water stop on this leg of the race… Perhaps a little late in the game for the 5K, but it was probably perfect for the 10 Milers. Speaking of whom, at this point, some of the leaders of that pack started coming through.
The Last 1.1 Miles
Before I knew it, we were on to the last mile of the race. I was feeling ok, but I was definitely tired. Due to the heat of the summer, I wasn’t used to pushing, so this was a lot. I just put my head down and was so happy when I turned back on to the grass. There were two groups of cheerleaders encouraging everyone down the last stretch and I crossed the finish line with a smile on my face.
After The Race
We received our medal and a bottle of water, and then it was time to celebrate.
There were three food trucks available, although I wasn’t interested in what they were offering (shaved ice, lemonade, and smoothies). The Nocatee pool bar had complimentary beer and mimosas for runners, and I was quite happy to help myself to those.
I cheered on some of the incoming runners, and then decided to head out to meet Mr. PugRunner for breakfast.
Final Thoughts
All in all, the Ponte Vedra 5K + 10 Miler, presented by Alter Ego Running, was a fun race. It was a good one to come back to, and it really made me remember how much I love running locally. The swag was perfection: I do like goodies, but only when those goodies are good quality. These absolutely were. While it would be nice to have a 10K distance, having a 5K and 10 Mile option are fun. It’s rare to find 10 milers, and this would be great training for the Evergreen Pumpkin Run 10 Mile event in a few weeks.
Obviously, it was hot and humid, but there’s nothing we can do about that in Florida. It should be getting cooler as we go.
Besides that, everything else was on point. I had a great time and am feeling renewed enthusiasm to finish off the end of the year!
Do you have a local 10 mile race by you? Do you register for races based on swag?
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Congrats on your race! Its always tough to race in the heat but at least it was shaded. Definitely nice to get good swag too!
I felt bad for the 10 milers… they had some sunny spots. At least they got to start around 7AM.
I would to run this race. It offers everything. Beside a half, our races don’t offer much. Not even a medal or much food.
We have one 10 miler nearby on Memorial Day weekend.
Glad you enjoyed it. Racing is fun.
It does have everything! It’s what I would consider a “boutique” race, where it’s very niche and branded, but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t a lot of fun.