This is my first of three 4th of July weekend races! Uberthons Freedomthon!

Race name: Freedomthon
Date/time: Friday, July 4th, 2014 @ 8:30 am
Registration/price: $30; free for kids races
Location: Beaverton Library Park; Beaverton, Oregon
Events offered: 5k run/walk; 1mi and 1/4mi kids races
Number of runners:  capped at 300
_Beneficiary: Beaverton Police Department Police Activities League

The second annual Oregon Marathon & Half Marathon will be held on Saturday, September 13th, 2014 at Mt. Angel, Oregon. The Boston Qualifying course is mostly a loop that takes you from the streets of Mt. Angel, through farmland, across the Gallon House Bridge, and through Silverton before returning to Mt. Angel and Oktoberfest! Registration includes a gender-specific event t-shirt, and a gorgeous Uberthons medal, as well as coupons for Oktoberfest. Last year, over 750 runners participated.

Save $5 on your registration when you enter the coupon code TOM45. Coupon expires Sunday 06/15/2014. Through June 14, the entry fees are: Half Marathon $65; Marathon $85; add jacket for $35. There's also a marathon relay (min 2 max 4 participants) which is $60.00 per person.

Race name: Luckython
Registration/price: $35 for the 5K or 10K, $40 for the 15K
Location: The Reserve Golf Course & Vineyards in Aloha, OR
Events offered: 5k, 10k, 15k, 15k Relay, 5k Headlamp Run, and Lil' Leprechaun Run
Number of runners: Capped at 700 for 4pm events, capped at 500 for 6:15pm events, capped at 350 for 7:30pm events
Beneficiary: N/A

Packet pickup: At Road Runner Sports the day prior to the event, or the morning of the event. Picking up your packet early entered you into a drawing for running gear though!
Swag: No t-shirts but leftover shirts from last year's Luckython were available for only $5! I bought one because they were so stinkin' cute. Also, if you broke the course record, you'd get $100 (I wasn't even close, but that's a cool idea). ALSO... special announcement about Ubethon's new incentive program...participate in any four Uberthons events and you'll earn an Ubethons jacket! If you're fast and want to earn your jacket faster, place in the top thee of your age division at any three Uberthons events. (This doesn't include events that are only timed by Uberthons, the events have to be official Uberthons organized and timed events). Considering the price of an Uberthons race is already on the lower side (usually $25-45 until the race fills up, no price increase) and includes food, and hefty medal (tshirts aren't always available but when they are, they're inexpensive and optional for purchase), it's a great that they're offering this extra incentive as well. 
Parking: We arrived about 30-45 minutes early and parking was very full. 
Bag check: No bag check because parking was close by.Outfit: I'd been working on my tutu all week (I purchased the tulle and elastic and cut it up). There is now glitter everywhere. The rest of the outfit came together a few hours before the race as I scrambled to find any St Patty's day accessories (no where to be found) at nearby stores. I settled on a green synthetic tank and green lacy tank that I found in the juniors sections of Fred Meyer and Walmart (perfect departments for cheap costume stuff that's not heavy plasticky or cotton).
Course: This time the course was along the South half of the golf course. The entire route is on paved golf cart paths winding through the scenic Reserve property. 
The race: The staggered start in waves of 20-30 runners helped keep things going smoothly. Because there aren't marked corrals, if you're kind of fast/run the entire time, you'll want to make sure you start in one of the first few waves. I wasn't sure about how I'd run that day, so I decided to just feel it out as I went. There were a few quick tight turns that forced me to slow down a little, and only one bathroom along the course that wasn't marked (meaning I ran with a full bladder for 10k...). I ended up about 40 seconds shy of a PR. :(
Post-race: There was a "baked potato bar"--you got a baked potato and could pick toppings which included black beans, bacon, green onion, nacho cheese, broccoli, sour cream, olives, etc. The volunteers even let me have EXTRA nacho cheese! ;) The hang out area was a covered shelter with lots of tables and chairs.
Photos: Available to purchase online. There were 1 or 2 photographers on the course, as well as a photo area in the post-race pavillion.
Results: I love that Uberthons has tables where you can enter your bib number and get instant results! Unfortunately 2 of the 4 computers weren't working, so there was a bit of a line. There's also an app to get your results shortly after the event also. I ended up placing third in my age group, earning me a "silver" age divison champ pin. My friend Jacob also placed, as did my friend's niece, and a few other friends.

I love Luckython, and think it's a great St. Patrick's Day race option, especially if you're trying to avoid the crowds at Shamrock Run.