I love Freedomthon. It's incredibly fun and a perfect way to start your 4th of July--and it's also where I got my current 5k PR, because the course is flat and fast. :) I was disappointed that I wouldn't be able to attend this year's event (and get another amazing and hefty Uberthons medal!) but my BFF Cari ran it and had a great time. Scroll own for more photos and her race recap!
I've always been to busy with other traditions to do a 4th of July race, but I decided this year I was going to get out and do one no matter what else was going on! And of course I wanted a race that gave me a great piece of patriotic race bling, so I chose Freedomthon for my holiday race, and I'm so glad I did!
As the temperatures kept climbing higher and higher the week of the 4th, I was relieved that Freedomthon had an early start time. I love that Uberthons always seems to have efficiently run races in great locations. I arrived about 20 minutes before the start time, grabbed a parking spot in the lot right next to the park, and got my bib all in less than 10 minutes. That gave me plenty of time to walk around a bit with family and friends that were also doing the race and get a good spot at the start line. Kicking off the race at 7:30 am meant a beautiful sunny run in the mid-60's, and with quite a bit of shade on the course it felt pretty perfect. The course was an out and back, which I've come to love for short races like a 5k. It's great to see the lead runners pushing themselves and runners cheering each other along throughout the race, and it doesn't get boring because before you know it you're back at the finish line!
The finish line festivities were great! About a tenth of a mile before the finish line there were volunteers handing out flags to carry across the finish line, and once you crossed they had tables organized to help you find the medal that had your name engraved on the back. It didn't take us long to find our medals, take a few pics, and head over to get our pancake breakfast! The line was short and moved fast, and I was excited to see that everyone got two large pancakes with butter, syrup, and whipped cream and two sausages. Everything was just as delicious as they looked, it really hit the spot! There was also fruit and oranges available, as well as the entertainment of watching volunteers use buckets and power tools to make pancake batter! As long as you didn't mind sitting on the grass or on a curb there were plenty of shady places to sit and enjoy your meal with fellow runners.
Uberthons continues to impress me with great races for great value, and this may have to be another of their races that becomes an annual tradition for me! There are a lot of races to choose from over the holiday weekend, but this small, well-organized, and fun race is one of my new favorites!