Connecticut Runners

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Danbury Big Chili 5k (non-performance related race report/review) (Read 7 times)

    Big Chili 5k, Danbury, February

     

    2013 was the first year for this event, so there are one or two kinks to work out, but overall, pretty well done.

     

    Course: super fast and flat. Starts in front of Danbury Ice Arena (Delay Street), right on White, quick left on Lee Hartnell, left on Crosby, left on Main Street (bulk of the race on Main Street) down to Rogers Park, turnaround at the very end of Main, then back up, left on Liberty, right on Delay, finish back at the start in front of the rink. Map here: Course.

     

    Away from the shoreline, there are very few 5k courses as flat as this one. The bulk is on Main Street, so it’s mostly straight. The only slow part would be the turnaround.

     

    No mile splits, no mile marks. There is someone at the turnaround to guide / make sure you go all the way.

    For the most part closed to traffic. Danbury PD had their hands full trying to keep cars off the course, and they did a great job -  a few yokels determined to get where they were going snuck on. Overall, very safe though.

     

    Cost: Pre-Reg ($25 + 2.50fee). Day of: $30

     

    Competition / Crowd: First year, and burdened by the huge snowstorm the day before, so a pretty small crowd (82 runners). 3 under 20mins, and they were way spread (15:56, 17:04, 19:30). The vibe was very relaxed. Mostly a good-time crowd (vs. say, a USATF scored prize money crowd)

     

    Venue: This is associated with the Chili tasting festival, which is held inside the Ice Arena. A few good things about this – the rink is totally accessible before and after the race. Registration is inside. Awards were inside. This works well for a race in February (temp was 20f in 2013). You can hang out in there as long as you want before hand, get changed, etc. Plenty of bathrooms, water fountains.

     

    Results: Timed by Fast-Track Timing, and results up on their website within the day. Results posted on wall within minutes of the finish.

     

    Swag: Ugly cotton shirt, bottle of water, ticket to get into the chili tasting

     

    Prizes: Small ceramic chili bowl/spoon for overall and age group winners

     

    Post-race: Water, fruit, bagels (a little sparse), but all indoors and toasty warm.

     

    Bottom line: If you’re in the area and looking for a nice, flat, winter rust-buster, this is a nice low key event with a lot of upside.

    Come all you no-hopers, you jokers and rogues
    We're on the road to nowhere, let's find out where it goes