“Out with the Old” and “In with the New” 5k Race Recap
I may have found a new New Years tradition. The “Out with the Old” 5k race is held on December 31 and the “In with the New” 5k race is held January 1. Both are trail runs held at River Bends Park in Shelby, MI. I wasn’t familiar with that park but it was great with wooded trails and rolling hills.
The races were limited to 300 pre-registrations plus day-of registered runners so it was a nice small size. They do that because most of the course is a single-track trail through the woods where it’s almost impossible to pass other runners. I missed the cut-off date for pre-registration but the day-of process was fast and easy. The fee was only $20 per day so it was a no frills event. No shirts of give-aways on December 31 but they did have lots of items from past races and everyone was allowed to take something. I have sort of a rule of not wearing shirts from races I didn’t run so I didn’t look at the piles of shirts that were available. I did look at the drinking mugs and glasses but decided I could use another pair of knit winter running gloves so that was a nice race gift. On January 1, they were offering everyone a nice Buff printed with the “In with the New 5k” logo.
These were my first trail races so I wasn’t sure what to expect. The single-track was fun but took real concentration especially since it had snowed the night before both events and the trails were slick. A few of the hills were a bit of a challenge to get up due to the snow and ice but there were roots sticking up that almost were like stairs. Once we got on the trail section of the course there were very few opportunities to pass. I felt pressure to stay close to the runner ahead of me since there was a line of others close behind me. I was able to pass a couple people when the trail widened and also near the end when the last couple hundred yards were on asphalt road. At first I was disappointed with my times of 29:24 and 28:46 but with snow and ice on trails and no passing I guess those times are to be expected. The race organizers did a nice job of quickly posting results on paper in the finishing tent. When I saw that I was 2nd in my age group both days I felt better. There were finisher medals with a unique design for each day but no age group awards. The finisher snacks were just granola bars and water bottles so, as I said, no frills. But with temperatures in the low 20s I didn’t feel like waiting around for awards anyway.
These race organizers apparently do several trail events during the year so I may add a few to my race calendar. I’d like to see those trails and the park without snow and ice.