Race Report: Best Damn Race Safety Harbor 10K (2.1.25)

The Best Damn Race Safety Harbor 10K made for an incredibly fun racecation weekend. As always, BDR promises and delivers the very best of swag, running, post-race parties, and experiences, and I was very happy to be a part of it all.

The Night Before

We drove to Safety Harbor on Friday afternoon, with a quick pit stop to pick up Meghan. Traffic and delays meant we wouldn’t make it to Dick’s Sporting Goods to get our packets, but we sent photos of our IDs to D and M, who were on the road ahead of us, and they secured the swag!

Our house for the weekend was a super cute, Barbie condo themed affair, and I loved all the little details. Of course, we were quick to drop our things and head out to a pre-race dinner (a cheeseburger and fries).

I was sure to lay out my flat runner for the next day.

Race Morning

Since the 10K started at 7:05AM, Meghan and I were the first ones up and out of the house. It was about a mile walk to the start line, which was a great way to warm up. The weather was a little more humid than I preferred but at least it wasn’t going to be full sun. Yay.

We met at the start line for our BDR Ambassador photo, and it was nice to meet some new members of the team.

Then we did all the normal pre-race stuff… wandered around, went to the bathroom, and got ready to go.

The Start Line

At around 7AM, we lined up in the corral. This was going to be a “party pace” race so we headed to the back of the middle.

Right on time, we headed out and were on our way.

The Course

Confession. I don’t remember a lot of the course. For a while we ran on the bricks along the bay, which was super pretty, but also so overcast that we didn’t get a beautiful sunrise. And Meghan and I were so deep in conversation that I just didn’t make much note of things around us.

For the most part, we ran through lovely residential areas, on perfectly fine roads. There were some twists and turns, and out and backs as we went. The half marathoners started at 7:30 and the leader passed us at some point around mile 5. It wasn’t a shaded course, but again, with all the cloud cover it didn’t matter.

There were several water stops on the course.

And there was also a very well stocked Red Bull station. I don’t do energy drinks, but I know people love them, and they had every flavor.

What I was VERY interested in was the Girl Scout cookie station. Brilliant. And such a tasty treat. I’ve seen some awesome fuel stations at races, but this was certainly up there!

The Finish Line

We crossed the finish line and collected our medals. Mr PugRunner was waiting for us at the finish!

We also caught up with D and M, who had just arrived. They were scheduled to run the 5K, so we wished them luck. And then it was time to party!

The After Party

Best Damn Race is known for its after party, and the was no exception. After we collected ourselves, we headed to the food tent. In order to ensure enough food for all runners, we did have to turn in a ticket in order to help ourself to Diet Coke, chips, candy, fruit, and pizza. There was plenty, but we weren’t super hungry, so we grabbed a little candy. A new addition was a hot dog tent, where runners could help themselves to hot dogs with all the fixings.

There was a beer tent that offered both alcoholic and non-alcoholic varieties. And a mobile bar cart serving Bloody Marys and Strawberry Lemonades with vodka. Yum.

A DJ played some awesome tunes from the Red Bull truck, and we absolutely hopped in to dance.

As we waited, we chatted with our new ambassador friend and even enjoyed some ice cream.

And then D and M crossed their finish line and we all celebrated!

Final Thoughts

Best Damn Race Safety Harbor was amazing. Since it’s almost four hours away, it’s not one I run often, but I really should do it every year. And yes, I’m disappointed that it wasn’t the half marathon, or even the 5K/10K challenge, but that’s ok. We had fun.

Per usual, every detail was top notch and nothing was overlooked. The medals were fantastic and I loved the long sleeve race shirts (I actually ended up wearing mine after the race because it was so damp out).

The photographers on course were great too, and Best Damn Race Safety Harbor offers free photos to all the runners (I didn’t like my pictures, but that’s a me problem – there are always plenty to download).

If you are ever on the Southwest coast of Florida, this is the race series to do!

Want to run BDR in Orlando on March 1? Use code RUNSWITHPUGS to save 10% on any distance when you sign up online!

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