Race Recap: Run for Green 5k, 10k, & Half Marathon

Congratulations to DARTer Kathy Rink for winning overall female for the Davidson Run for Green half marathon held this past Saturday!  Kathy cranked out an unofficial time of 1:34:25.  Way to go, Kathy!  Also participating in the 13.1-mile race were Chris Alexander (1:39:13), Chris Brown (1:40:47), Chris Flaherty (1:49:25), Heather Bellemore (2:11:58), and Mike MacIntyre (2:27:37).

As for the newly added 10k, there were some familiar faces including Bobbi Luster (55:21), Natasha Marcus (57:09), and Allyson Greenwood (1:18:49).

In the 5k division, Chad Randolph (a.k.a. Yours Truly) took 1st in male 40-44 while pushing his five-year-old in a jogger in 22:25.  Steve Hauser ran a solid 27:19.

Normally after a race the DART blog would mostly consist of a general recap and a mention of participating DARTers.  In the case of this past Saturday's Run for Green 5k, 10k, and half marathon, the post will instead provide grounds for discussion, particularly of the half marathon.

About a month prior to the races there was an open question regarding the route of the half marathon; mainly that the bulk of it winds through a large residential area, which isn't what one normally thinks of as green space.  The question was whether or not there is another viable route that would be more scenic.

More recently an anonymous reader gave their race recap, which echoes part of the first comment.

Anonymous said,
"There is almost nothing good that I can say about this race. Without a doubt, it is one of the least interesting half marathon courses I've ever run. It is sadly ironic that this event - which is held to support the conservation of open space - takes place almost entirely in one of the worst examples of urban sprawl that you are likely to encounter. Plus, they charged an extortionary late fee of 33%, and on top of that, no t-shirt for race day registrants. You have to hope that they treat their other donors a little better. No way that I'll ever be back at this event."

All good points worthy of consideration.  While I ran in the 5k and not the half marathon, much of my training occurs along this course so I feel somewhat qualified to chip in.

I'm not enamored with the half marathon route either; I like starting and finishing downtown and running on the greenway- heck, I even like running up Patrick Johnston Lane(!)  However, going through River Run can be uninspiring (perhaps familiarity breeds contempt in my case).  As for alternate routes, it'd be hard to put together thirteen miles and stay within the confines of Davidson.

As for the race day price increase, that's pretty standard.  As for the t-shirt, I got one, but it's from last year (suggestion- don't print the date of the race on the shirts, as it's like getting a Christmas ornament with last year's date on it).

If you ran the half marathon, what did you think of the course?  How was your experience overall?  What about the 10k, which was new for this year?  How about the 5k with its new route?  Let's hear about your experience (and not your opinion of someone else's experience).  In other words, constructive criticism.  Add to the comment section or send an email to davidsonarearunningteam@gmail.com.