I managed to get run four live races before the world shut down in March 2020. The first was the Chilly Chili 5k in Cazenovia, NY. I’ve run this race several times over the years. Click here for my review of this race. The other three races were new to me.
Beer and Chili 5k and 10K/ Newport, NY, February 2020
First up was the Beer and Chili 10k in Newport NY. I was looking for a 10k to do before my double half marathon weekend. I was happy to find a race in central NY, just about 25 minutes past Utica. This race has been held for over thirty years but I had never heard of it. Looking at past year’s results I noticed that the race was small and the participants fast. I e-mailed the race director and let him know that I would probably cross the finish line in 75-90+ minutes for a 10K, depending on the day. I wanted to make sure there wasn’t a course cut off and that I would still be supported. The race director responded right away and let me know that the race was very back of the pack friendly and they were always happy to have new participants.
Newport, NY is a very small town. Driving through the hilly back roads to get there gave us an idea of the course we had to look forward to. The volunteers were very friendly at the packet pickup and the race director greeted me and said he was happy that I had come.
It was a typical, cold February day in upstate NY. While it wasn’t snowing, there was plenty of snow and slush along the sides of the roads from the previous storms. I was very happy to get moving and warm up. There were volunteers with vehicles at every intersection for the entire course. Plenty of hydration and support. While the roads were not closed, there was minimal traffic and plenty of volunteers to stop traffic if needed.
This course was very hilly. I usually walk steep hills to keep myself from tiring out but it was so cold that I ran most of them. I can’t imagine how cold the volunteers were just standing there supporting the runners. It was a slow day for me but the support never waned .
The post-race was excellent with plenty of cans of beer and bowls of chili with bread for all participants to get their fill. I would definitely recommend this race to anyone looking for a small local race in the winter. Don’t rule out a race just because it is small. If no time cut off is posted, don’t be afraid to ask. I’d rather have someone tell me no than show up at a race and have a bad experience.
Jailbreak Run 5k and Half Marathon/ Baytown, Texas-February 2020
I registered for the Jail Break Run is race over a year in advance. It took place on 2/29/2020. A leap year race is a rare thing! I was excited to get a medal that had 2/29 listed on it and to go to Texas while we were still dealing with tough winter weather in Upstate NY. A lot of members from the Fifty States Half Marathon club traveled for this race. It was great to have pre-race meetups and have other people to cheer you on along the course. Baytown is a small town in the outskirts of Houston. Easy parking and navigation. Plenty of great restaurants and attractions locally. It was nice not to deal with big city headaches.
This is a small race. Unlike other half marathons, I didn’t receive e-mail notification of my registration so I didn’t realize I had accidentally registered twice. When I went to packet pickup I said what I always say “there are two of us” when picking up mine and my husband’s packets and he said back to me “no there are 4 of you”. So instead of reaching out to me when they received the duplicate payment, they cashed the check and registered two people with the exact same name and address for the same race twice. I questioned this and he immediately became defensive. He said that if there was a mistake he would refund the payment. I asked how to do this and he said to email him later because he was so busy with getting people registered and packets handed out. Well I emailed them multiple times and never received a response. I even asked if my registration could be transferred to a future race or if I could participate in the same race the following year virtually. Still no response. This really pissed me off. The race is sponsored by a support our men in blue police organization. I don’t mind supporting small races but things like this would never happen at a large race. Whatever you think about Texas, it feels like this experience reinforces negative stereotypes.
Now back to the race… The course was very scenic. Almost no traffic while running through the small town and around the college campus. Vehicle traffic was closed for the race so runners could go along the highway. The main attraction is a beautiful bridge over the water and small oil fields along with other uniquely Texas sites. There is a strong military community in the area. A number of participants wore their full military gear and “rucked” the course. Ruckers complete races with weighted backpacks on. There is nothing more inspiring than seeing someone working through the same course as you with an extra 40 lbs on their backs.
Seeing the sunrise at the beginning of the race. Getting a Chick-Fil-A sandwich (some folks took two- they had plenty) and having great support from other runners made this a great race experience. Unfortunately, the unprofessionalism of the race direction team prevents me from recommending this race or participating in any future races from this organization.
Cowtown Running Events/ Fort Worth, TX– March 2020
What a difference a day makes! The packet pickup and start line for the Cowtown Half Marathon couldn’t have been more different from Baytown. Cowtown is a huge race that is on a lot of best of races lists. There are several race options over the weekend from 5ks to a half marathon, marathon and an ultra. For people who like to do multi-race challenges this is a great option.
While Fort Worth is a big city, it definitely has small city vibes compared to Dallas and Houston. Lots of great restaurants and hotels. Extremely friendly people and a very walkable city. The race goes through downtown Fort Worth with pre and post race bus pickups at several locations. You don’t need to stay at the race hotel to get transportation. I was able to walk a few blocks to one of several hotels to get free transportation to the start line. If you are traveling with people who aren’t running the race this is great. No one has to get up early or deal with traffic to get you to your race on time.
Like most large races, there are corrals for the start. These corrals are strictly enforced. Luckily the weather is pretty mild in Texas so you won’t get a chill waiting for your corral to start if you are a back of the packer.
While this race didn’t quite live up to the top 10 hype the city definitely did. I would love to go back to Fort Worth. There was decent crowd support but there were some sections where the crowd support was thin. Like many city courses there are areas with bad roads and strange intersections that aren’t so much fun. There were a lot of people dressed in costumes and the post race spread and transportation were just as seamless as expected. My husband was able to watch the race from the window of our hotel room, which he loved, and lots of tourists were happy to cheer on race participants as well. I would definitely give this race or another race in Fort Worth another shot.
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