65. Dash to the Vista 5K, 2011

This was a small race before a small festival in the Vista. (The Vista is a little business area in Columbia, SC.) Thanks to this week’s rain, the morning was filled with cool fog. When the sun came out, the fog started burning away, leaving behind about a half-hour of super-humid armpit air. That’s when the race started.

About the Course

It was a simple out-and-back. It seemed to be designed to fit within the same permit as the festival itself. A few hills, and a nice view of downtown. My only complaint is with the half-done job of blocking traffic. Some barricades were up, but one police officer on Gervais Street had to continually direct impatient drivers to make u-turns.

Although the straight path was blocked by wooden barricades, the cars wanted to make left and right turns. This would have put them directly into the running course. I don’t have to tell you how dangerous that is, considering how dim drivers tend to be in Columbia SC.

Of course there was one lady in an SUV who tried to go around the front car and the cop to make a left turn directly into the flow of runners. The officer had to run over and jump in front of her vehicle to force a u-turn. Just one extra wooden barricade would have prevented this. We all know that people are going to do things like that. Why not just prepare for it instead of leaving some poor cop to the wolves?

The Race itself

This would have been a decent run in Columbia if not for the weather. The morning fog was cooking off, and the humidity had really cranked up. It got a little better afterward, but the day stayed kind of moist. Still, it was organized pretty well and the post-race food was pretty good.

• Brian – Start Time: 26:57
• Cara – Start Time: 31:24

Cara and I went home just after finishing so we could clean up and come back for the Viva la Vista festival. It was kind of hot for a day outside, but maybe that was just because we had run a race an hour or so earlier. After checking things out, we went into Liberty for a couple of beers and then headed for home. Over all, it was a nice little event.

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