December 13, 2013
Go Santa Go 5k Race Recap
On December 7th,
Troy and I participated in a 5k race called Go
Santa Go. There are multiple locations around the country that this
race takes place so if you are interested, check the site for locations
This race took
place in Ypsilanti, MI at Rolling Hills Park. I had never been there before and
was pleasantly surprised about the park. It was nicely groomed and even more
important, had a warm building that we could hang out in! It was 17 degrees
that morning and the warm building was much appreciated.
When you
register for this race, you can choose a santa outfit or an elf outfit. I chose
the elf shirt with hat and Troy chose the santa shirt and beard. I thought that
this was very cute to help get into the Christmas spirit.
A great part of
this event was that they were donating to Toys for Tots so you were encouraged
to bring in a toy to donate.
We arrived to
the park about 45 minutes before race time and realized that it was going to be
a small race- which we were okay with! It started right around 9 AM and took us
all around the park.
In the beginning
of the race, Troy and I ran together and were in 1st place together.
Then, Troy fell back a little bit and another guy came up from behind and I
hung with him most of the race. It took us through this large park. The rolling
hills were no joke! It was a pretty hilly course!
The only
negative that I can say about this race is that for me, this race was 3.55
miles and the way most people took, was 4 miles. This was disappointing because
we expected it to be 3.1 miles. We expected the race to be over at that point
and it kept going through the woods! That was okay though.
After the race, trying to catch my breath!
I ended up in 1st
place overall which I was very happy with. My time was 24.57 (due to the extra
distance added). Troy came in third place which was awesome. I was very proud
of his mile times which averaged 7:15. He does not run very often at all so I
could not believe how well he did.
The people who
were working the race were very energetic and happy at the finish line which
was great. Troy and I both got awesome Go Santa Go travel mugs as prizes.
Troy and I very focused!
Also, after the
race, I was interviewed by the Eastern Echo Newspaper and they featured an article about me:
Amanda Hernandez, 24, a registered
dietician and graduate student of Western Michigan University, was the winner
of Go Santa Go 5k race finishing in under 25 minutes. Her husband attends
Eastern Michigan University.
When it came to getting to the finish
line, Hernandez, who participated in the Halloween Run and Hot Chocolate Run in
the past and placed high in those races, had a few strategies up her sleeve.
“I like to try to start off pretty
fast because I feel like if I don’t start fast then I can never pick it up,”
she said. “And if you’re by somebody, stay with them, don’t let too many people
pass you and get too far ahead of you.”
Hernandez and her husband enjoy
racing for fun and after finding out about the event online, they thought it
would be a fun way to remain active during the winter time.
“I think it’s motivation to train
because otherwise with this cold weather, it’s easy to skip training, so races
help me,” she said.
This was a great
race and I would participate in it again!
Disclosure: I was provided with free entries into this
race. All opinions are my own.
Also, photos borrowed from the Go Santa Go site.