UTSA Diploma Dash

Course Review

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

picture-5191.jpg


Date Reviewed: 02/26/2011
Review Type: Race
Barefoot Friendliness: 3 Average

Location:
The University of Texas at San Antonio
1 UTSA Circle
San Antonio, TX
See map: Google Maps


This was a 5k loop. The race was chip timed and there were awards which consisted of plaques and medals for the top finishers in several categories.

The course started in one of the parking lots near the campus gym/recreational center. There was a start/finish chute with chips to capture times. There were approximatley 2,000 participants and I actually met three other barefoot runners before the race started. The announcer did ask all walkers and participants with strollers to please move to the back of the pack. Most did do this, but inevitably some ignored the request, and of course some people who are slower than me (that's pretty slow) still like to line up at the front of the pack. So, I spent a good portion of the first part of the race weaving in and out of traffic until about the 1/2 mile point before the pack really started to uncoil.

The post race events were decent with some "freeby" swag at booths, bean and cheese burritoes (welcome to San Antonio), bananas, apples, oranges and some really nasty, cheap beer that I won't mention the name of to avoid starting a flame war, but it rhymes with Kichelob Ultra. Off topic, but important because it's beer: I mean seriuosly...we have several microbreweries in the area that probably would have jumped at the chance to work the race. Someone could have just had the local fraternities pee in cups and then water it down, and it would have been better than what they handed out. Ok, enough of my rant; back to our program.

The course itself was on streets that initially ran down the center of campus past the tennis courts and softball field, then out onto a perimeter street that looped around one edge of the campus and then finished up in the same parking lot from where it started. There are a few very mild hills, but overall it is a fairly flat and fast course.

All of the streets involved were chip and seal asphalt. Note: I do most of my training on chip and seal, so it wasn't too bad for me. There were a few parts that had some rough patches and I had to slow down, but most of it was quite tolerable. There are a few sections where I could have jumped up on the sidewalk and run along the side of the street if needed.

I failed to get any pictures of the surface, but I live nearby, so I'll try to get a picture and update the post soon.