Race to Remember 5K

Course Review

Barefooters
Apr 3, 2012
110
2
18
Reviewed By: curraheeeasyc

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Date Reviewed: 09/10/2011
Review Type: Race
Barefoot Friendliness: 2 Above Average

Location:
The Landings
Longhorn Drive
San Angelo, TX
See map: Google Maps


Picture:
racetoremember.jpg


This was a nice race. The scenery wasn't great, since it was in a subdivision, but the surface was great, the weather was great, and everyone was very friendly.

Race registration was online, and very easy. $12 with a $1 fee, which benefited the Big Brothers and Big Sisters of San Angelo. There was no barefoot category, but there were several folks wearing VFFs. I was the only barefoot runner. The first 100 to sign up recieved a free T Shirt, and getting the race bib and shirt was very easy and smooth. We also got raffle tickets for after the race.

The race began with a loop around a playing field, currently with soccer goals on it. This wasn't a manicured lawn, but it was fine for running on. No prickly stickers or debris to worry about. After the loop, the race entered the streets of the subdivision, and wound among the houses until finally arriving back at the field, where runners completed one more loop of the field, and again ran the subdivision loop, before finishing in the parking lot where registration was held.

The road surface was newish asphalt, and thus was very smooth. There were occasional pieces of glass or residue from garbage, but overall I'd rate this as a fantastic surface for barefoot running. Very little debris overall, very smooth, etc. My feet, which sometimes are very tender/blistered after running on rough surfaces, felt great after this race. A couple of people came up to speak with me about barefoot running or congratulate me on the race, and there was no negativity at all regarding the barefoot state.

Race results were posted as everyone was finishing, and were displayed within 30 minutes of my completing the run. This was very nice, as I missed seeing my time as I finished.
Overall this was a very well organized and managed race. My only criticism is that the finish line was only about 30 yards from the parking lot turn-in, and runners were stopped immediately after crossing to have our numbers torn off the bib. This created a bit of a traffic jam and runners finishing would run into those having their numbers removed. Not a big deal, but it could have been done better.

Finally, I consider this to be a great race for barefooters, especially beginners who are uncertain about various surfaces. A bit boring on the scenery side, but that also means it was great for spectators, since they could easily watch the runners pass from several directions from one central round-a-bout. I highly recommend this race.