This past weekend I ran the Friends of Beed’s Lake Restoration Run.  This was the first time I ran this event and I was incredibly impressed! 

The Positives:

• Offered a 5K Run/Walk, 10K Run, & Half Marathon for all participants
• Long-Sleeved T-shirt – this was very nice since most are t-shirts and I have a ton of them! 
• Goodie Bag – the goodie bag was great, complete with long-sleeved t-shirt, a bracelet, lip balm, water bottle, several pamphlets about the area, coupons for local specialty shops, & $5 gift certificate to the hardware store
•  Medals – the medals were “homemade” by a local tool & die fabricator.  Very unique and very cool!
• Organization – their organization was amazing.  I’ve never “checked in” so fast & smoothly
• Volunteers – there were tons of volunteers and they were well-marked with the event t-shirts
• Atmosphere – they had a large tent set up so it was easy to spot registration, they had a DJ playing tunes before, during, & after the race
• Pancake Breakfast – part of your registration money went to a pancake breakfast afterward…all you can eat!!!
• Scenic Route – I only ran the 5K, but it was a great route that covered paved roads, gravel paths, & worn grass paths surrounding the lake

The Negatives:

• 10K Route – the thing that caused me to NOT sign up for the 10K race was the fact that the route was the 5K route ran twice.  Races are twice as long for me when they are 2 of the same loops or out and backs! 
• No chip timing – while I’m sure this costs a good deal of $$, I’m sure if I were running the 10K or Half I would want chip timing (actually, I want it all the time now, but understand why they don’t for 5K’s). 

To be quite honest, I was hard-pressed to find any negatives about this event and would highly recommend it to anyone interested in these types of events.  Great job Friends of Beed’s Lake!!!