This past Saturday my husband and I had the pleasure of running in the Mardi Gras Masquerade 10K, a Calico Racing event. This was a race of many firsts for us; my husband's first 10K, our first time on the River Mountains Trail, and our first race with Calico Racing. And we had a terrific time.
The races (I should mention that there was a 5K and a 10K) were "out and back" courses that followed a portion of the River Mountains Trail from the trailhead at Railroad Pass Casino, heading West and North along the trail (toward the city and away from the lake) and back again. Aside from some moderate rolling hills along approximately the first (and last) half mile, the course was relatively flat. And once runners made it past that first hilly half mile, they were treated to a wonderful, clear view of the city. For my husband and I, this was a real treat, as we only live a few miles away yet we'd never run on this trail; we didn't realize that the trail was paved (asphalt). The entire loop is not paved, although I believe that is the eventual plan, but the 3.1 mile stretch that this race was held on was. The path was also marked for two way traffic, allowing for plenty of room for the runners on course, as well as the occasional cyclist we encountered along the way.
Race check in was a breeze; we picked up our bib, timing chip and shirts (I love my purple tech shirt) and then ducked back into our car to stay warm. Many of the other runners were sporting colorful beads and masks (available for purchase by Calico Racing) but we elected to not run with anything that might bounce around too much! There were bathrooms in the casino near the exit so runners didn't have to wander through the casino looking for facilities. Since the starting line was at the trailhead, it was a good thing that the race was relatively small (around 100 runners for the 10K) since we all had to scoot through a somewhat narrow walkway to begin.
Along the course there were water stops approximately every mile; kudos to Calico Racing for having such wonderfully ethusiastic volunteers and clear mile markers along the route! Once at the finish, there were some nice goodies for the runners (coffee, juice, rolls, etc.) while award were handed out. It was very difficult to hear the results, depsite the bullhorn used by the race director (Joyce?), so we headed out before it was over. It was about a day before the results were posted online, as well as some photos taken by Evan Pilchik Photography. Overall, this was a very enjoyable experience! We hope to return to trail soon for some of our weekend long runs, and we also look forward to enjoying another Calico Racing event!
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