Short Run Long Day 5K race review

I am not one to run evening races. I have the kids. I have “things” that need to be done. I have fatigue from a long day at work, plus my commute. I don’t go out for just anything and it’s kind of a big deal if I get in a nighttime event or workout. However, for the second year in a row, I attended the Frankfort Park District’s Short Run Long Day 5K event which is always at night, on or around the longest day of the year. Why do I go? Because of these people:

The Frankfort New Lenox Running Club. These people (plus about 500 more from our FB page) are my friends, my run “family” and reason why I keep showing up. The Short Run Long Day 5K is on our home turf and one of the races with the best turnout for our club members. We had runners who ran 18 minute 5Ks then spaced all the way down to the end with our run/walk crew. So proud of all of these people for continuing to show up and keep working on their fitness regardless of their ultimate goals.

The Short Run Long Day event brings out all the local run clubs too with a large contingency of Yankee Runners and Tinley Track & Trail fasties. This “short run” is competitive and fast with a course that is flat and mostly shaded. But the race is growing fast and “the word” is that next year, we will be running the course in reverse to accommodate the increasing field and to relieve congestion in that first mile. Win, Win!!

The race is a family event with pizza, family games and activities. Runners, walkers and families with strollers are all welcome here. The event is chip timed but with a “gun” start so that first mile is a bit congested as everyone tries to jostle for the best position due to the gun start. Half of the course is ran on Old Plank Trail while the other half is on the streets of Frankfort. One water stop. Bathrooms at the start/finish and at the Grainery area on Old Plank Trail. Course is mostly shaded. Lots of volunteers. Nice goodie bag with a cute cotton tee, a $10 off coupon from Running Excels, coupon for a free ice cream cone at the Creamery, chapstick, pen & toothbrush:

Great race. Great crowd. Great event for the competitive age grouper as well as mom/grandma who may need to push a stroller in order to participate. I’m super pleased with this race and the growing popularity. We had 420 finishers this year for a small town 5K on a Wednesday night. Yay!

Join Aby and I and our F’N friends next year in the 14th Annual Short Run Long Day 5K in Frankfort!

2012 Race Review HERE.

** Come Run With Us ** Amanda – TooTallFritz **

Yesterday was the ~~hottest~~ longest day of the year. Every year for the last 12 years, Frankfort, IL does a 5K in the evening of the “long day”. According to the Frankfort Patch, this year drew more participants than any previous year with 403 individuals registered for this evening, weekday race. Those are good numbers for a work/school night!

I’d like to think that the Frankfort New Lenox Running Club helped up those numbers. 🙂 Here is a pic of our skeleton crew for the night. Lots of our regular runners couldn’t make the run but we did our best to represent!

Although I registered myself and Aby for the race, I did not run run because of the torn tendon in my foot. Nor have I run in previous years because a night race when one has a baby/toddler, is a bit difficult ~~but no worries, I fed everyone ice cream for dinner after the race so we could go right home and go to bed~~!

The packet pick up was smooth and moved quickly. The only complaint I heard on the entire race that one of the volunteers in packet pick up was ~~very rude~~ less than friendly. Please know that if you do not want to volunteer at a race or other event, please don’t let someone strong-arm you into doing it. We have so much respect and love for the volunteers that come out to help, they add so much to our race experience that we don’t want one person to give any race a bad name. Photo below from the Frankfort Park District Facebook Page. That’s Susan D in the gold FNRC shirt.

The goodie bag was sparse but we don’t run for the goodies, do we?

The race was family/kid friendly with sprinklers & a bounce house.

bounce house

The race course was certified with chip timing and really good according to the comments of racers and members of the F’N Running Club. The race started in front of Main Park on Locust, headed toward the bike path, thru Frankfort and busted ~~ass~~ back thru the streets to the finish.

I heard really good reports on the running aspect of the race. There was one water stop at the halfway mark, no complaints of overcrowding and everyone was praising the shaded bike path and the mature trees throughout the neighborhood. Apparently, one of the best aspects of the race was a homeowner who took his hose to the street and was spraying the runners! Although the temps were high at 97 degrees as we were driving to the race, the winds kicked up and cooled things down quickly before the start. Even so, temps were not ideal but everyone looked happy and seemed to have ran good times. It’s always a good race when people finish with smiles on their face and plan to go back again for next year! Here are ~~a billion~~ some pics, in random order, which I captured of the F’N Runners as the whizzed past me. Thankfully their bright gold shirts gave me a good heads up that they were coming my way. I didn’t get everyone as I was also trying to watch the little cheer squad (Michael & Jack below) and some photos were just too blurry to salvage.

Susan M zooms past on her way for a 3rd place finish in her age group!

Nicole Fritz placed 2nd in her age group but was too fast for me to catch on film!

Kristin Kotara, snagged a first in a full out sprint as our fastest F’N Runner who raced the Short Run Long Day. She may, or may not, have blistered the course in a 21:05 and my camera was barely fast enough to get her, ~~thank goodness Susan did better in the first photo~~! Last photo from the Frankfort Park District Facebook Page.

Eve Jensen also took a first in her age group but I didn’t capture that either!

Aby was mid pack ~~trying to trip Amanda W~~ so I missed her “in action”. She ran a 29:46 though and was super happy with the race and shaded course! Great job, Aby! Here she is coming back to give her brother a high-five after the finish.

Aby & Michael_Frankfort 5K

Sean & Meg testing their finishing kick with Barb & Jenny ~~eating their dust~~ close behind!

Kate S & Company:

Melissa, Lisa & Brian F ~~who arrived late and didn’t get his gold shirt in time~~.

Nicole R is a blurrrrrrr running past with her two little men in the double jogger!

Jeni H is ALL smiles, just like always!! And I spy, Kathy H & Amanda W in the background of the first photo!

Go Betsy!!!

All in all, it seemed to be the perfect day and the perfect place to spend time with our friends doing our favorite thing, RUNNING! We will definitely be back next year to participate in the fun. Look out were growing and we now have an official color that will “almost” glow in the dark. You can’t miss us. Honest! Come out and celebrate with us for 2013!

** Happy Running ** Amanda – TooTallFritz ** amanda@tootallfritz.com