Race name: Clackamas County Fair 5k
Date and time: Saturday, August 17, 2014 @ 7:30am
Events and cost: 5k $29
Location: Clackamas County Fairgrounds; Canby, OR
Number of runners: 143
Beneficiary: Not specified. The event website says: "A portion of the registration fee will support kids . . . a college scholarship, PTO organizations, or a Kids Health program at a hospital."
Date and time: Saturday, August 17, 2014 @ 7:30am
Events and cost: 5k $29
Location: Clackamas County Fairgrounds; Canby, OR
Number of runners: 143
Beneficiary: Not specified. The event website says: "A portion of the registration fee will support kids . . . a college scholarship, PTO organizations, or a Kids Health program at a hospital."
Packet pickup: Packet pickup was day of race only. It went super quickly.
Swag: Every participant received a finisher's medal shaped like a ferris wheel, and it actually spins! It's definitely good quality and hefty, with a nice matching ribbon. They're really, really cute. Each participant also received free entry to the Clackamas County Fair. Additionally, Uberthons awards all first time Uberthons 5k participants a necklace (it doesn't matter how many other events or 5ks you've done!); and you can earn an Uberthons jacket by participating in any four Uberthons races, or you can earn your jacket faster by placing in the top three in your age divsion at three Uberthons races.
Parking: Parking cost $5, which hadn't been mentioned on the race website. We parked nearby on a side street for free.
Bag check: As with most Uberthons events, there wasn't a bag check.
Course: Click here for a course map. It's a large loop, mostly flat, through a residential area adjacent to the Clackamas County Fairgrounds. The course is not closed to traffic, but at that hour, there aren't many cars out. It was very clearly marked with lots of cones and signs.
The race: The morning of the race, I could barely get out of bed. I was just REALLY tired. Ardara picked me up at 6:00am and we parked at the Clackamas County Fair at about 6:35. Inside the fair, we quickly picked up packets, used the restrooms, and chatted with friends while we waited for the race to start at 7:30. Many of them had never run in an Uberthons event before, so I was excited for them! I moved up toward the front of the corral as the countdown began. When the horn blew, I pressed START on my Garmin and began running. It was really fun and exciting to be near the front of the pack and the lead female runner for about a mile! But the entire race, my Garmin was off in terms of mileage and speed. It was saying I was running a 9:00+ min/mile pace, so I started to get discouraged and two ladies passed me about mile 2, which discouraged me even more. In actuality, I was very close to beating my PR, because I was running at about a 7:40 pace! There was one water station about half way through the course, which I didn't use, but appreciated being cheered on. Each finisher's name was announced as they crossed the finish line.
Post-race: After the race, there were bagels and cream cheese and jam, and bananas, as well as bottles of water. I ate half of a bagel and took pictures of my friends as they crossed the finish line, which was so fun! A few of my friends PR'd (congrats!!!) and everyone seemed to have a great time!
Photos: Photos were taken at the finish line and are available for $5 each.
Results: All Uberthons events have a kiosk where you can immediate view and print your race results. At the conclusion of the race, they started announcing the top three for each division. Unfortunately, the lists didn't seem to be accurate. Although I didn't mind because you don't actually receive anything for placing in a single race, it would be a bummer to have it be your first age division win and not be announced.
Overall, I enjoyed this race and look forward to doing it again next year! I'm hoping that Uberthons is able to find additional county fairs that would be willing to do County Fair 5k's also. Most of my friends seemed excited about doing another Uberthons race--particularly Halloweenathon, since the medal has flashing eyes!!!
Swag: Every participant received a finisher's medal shaped like a ferris wheel, and it actually spins! It's definitely good quality and hefty, with a nice matching ribbon. They're really, really cute. Each participant also received free entry to the Clackamas County Fair. Additionally, Uberthons awards all first time Uberthons 5k participants a necklace (it doesn't matter how many other events or 5ks you've done!); and you can earn an Uberthons jacket by participating in any four Uberthons races, or you can earn your jacket faster by placing in the top three in your age divsion at three Uberthons races.
Parking: Parking cost $5, which hadn't been mentioned on the race website. We parked nearby on a side street for free.
Bag check: As with most Uberthons events, there wasn't a bag check.
Course: Click here for a course map. It's a large loop, mostly flat, through a residential area adjacent to the Clackamas County Fairgrounds. The course is not closed to traffic, but at that hour, there aren't many cars out. It was very clearly marked with lots of cones and signs.
The race: The morning of the race, I could barely get out of bed. I was just REALLY tired. Ardara picked me up at 6:00am and we parked at the Clackamas County Fair at about 6:35. Inside the fair, we quickly picked up packets, used the restrooms, and chatted with friends while we waited for the race to start at 7:30. Many of them had never run in an Uberthons event before, so I was excited for them! I moved up toward the front of the corral as the countdown began. When the horn blew, I pressed START on my Garmin and began running. It was really fun and exciting to be near the front of the pack and the lead female runner for about a mile! But the entire race, my Garmin was off in terms of mileage and speed. It was saying I was running a 9:00+ min/mile pace, so I started to get discouraged and two ladies passed me about mile 2, which discouraged me even more. In actuality, I was very close to beating my PR, because I was running at about a 7:40 pace! There was one water station about half way through the course, which I didn't use, but appreciated being cheered on. Each finisher's name was announced as they crossed the finish line.
Post-race: After the race, there were bagels and cream cheese and jam, and bananas, as well as bottles of water. I ate half of a bagel and took pictures of my friends as they crossed the finish line, which was so fun! A few of my friends PR'd (congrats!!!) and everyone seemed to have a great time!
Photos: Photos were taken at the finish line and are available for $5 each.
Results: All Uberthons events have a kiosk where you can immediate view and print your race results. At the conclusion of the race, they started announcing the top three for each division. Unfortunately, the lists didn't seem to be accurate. Although I didn't mind because you don't actually receive anything for placing in a single race, it would be a bummer to have it be your first age division win and not be announced.
Overall, I enjoyed this race and look forward to doing it again next year! I'm hoping that Uberthons is able to find additional county fairs that would be willing to do County Fair 5k's also. Most of my friends seemed excited about doing another Uberthons race--particularly Halloweenathon, since the medal has flashing eyes!!!