Honor Our Veterans 5K Race Experience
The 5K racing trend continues and this time it’s with Go Run’s Honor Our Veterans 5K. This race took place at Tropical Park in Miami on Saturday, November 12, 2022 and was another great reminder as to why racing is such an important part of my love for this sport. Keep reading for my experience with this 5K.
Note: there are links below that I am sharing in support of the businesses I personally interacted with; I do not receive any commission or perks from those businesses. I do, however, share the link to my fundraising page and the benefit for me is that if you donate, you are helping me get closer to the London Marathon start line in 2023.
Accommodations
This is probably my favorite race location as it was a 10-minute drive from home. This means I didn’t have to wake up early and I could leave my house at 6:40am and not feel the nerves that come along with rushing.
Expo
I didn’t register for the race until Friday night, so I picked up my bib on race morning. Bib and t-shirt pick up were straightforward, but the line got long around 7:00am and shirt sizes were limited (I ended up with a women’s large). In the finisher’s area there were vendors for massages, recovery boots, UCAN, clothing, Bolay catering, and La Tropical beer.
Pre-Race
As I said earlier, the drive was 10-minutes for me and there was no traffic getting into Tropical Park. I picked up my bib and had enough time to go back to my car to store the race shirt, walk around to check out the vendors, and use the bathroom before the race. My goal was to relax pre-race, so I found a quiet spot to sit and relax.
Post-Race
Bananas and water at the finish line, plus La Tropical handing out beer to runners: my kind of race experience. The race finishes on the Tropical Park track, making it perfect for cooling down and spectating. I didn’t take advantage of the recovery boots and massages, but I did enjoy watching people do their final lap around the track.
On the Course
The race started right at 7:30am and was a rolling start. Athletes start in the park itself, but finish on the track. The looped course had one water stop at the midway point that served both the outgoing and incoming sides of the race. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: I love races where I can see the leaders on the course and this course delivered on that. There were a few spectators on the course, which was nice and unexpected (I don’t expect many spectators on shorter distances and/or races with smaller fields). It was also nice to see runners cheering athletes on as they completed the final sprint to the finish line on the track.
Race Experience
My goal for this race was to have fun and play around with surges. I took the first mile to settle into the race, the next two miles working with surges, and gave it my all once I was on the track. I appreciated that the race started on time because the sun came out and, while there was coverage for most of the course, there were parts where the sun let its presence known. The roads that made up the course in Tropical Park were closed which gave runners and walkers plenty of space to move forward (aka great course conditions if going for a PR) and I loved finishing on the track. I also loved that I was able to sit along the track to watch people finish their races. The race itself felt well-supported and gave me those same local Miami vibes that the Cafecito 5K did earlier in the month.
Overall Impression
I am so glad I signed up for this race at the last minute. The race itself was easy to get to and major bonus points for there not being any traffic getting into the park. I absolutely loved not feeling rushed before a race and appreciated how local and intimate the race felt. The Honor Our Veterans 5K was part of a race trilogy (Memorial Day and 4th of July), so if you did all three, the medals came together to create one magnetized and layered medal. In general, the race was smooth from start to finish and left me feeling not only proud of myself, but also in awe of this Miami running community I get to call my own.
Pros
Local race for me.
Race day pickup was quick and easy.
7:30am start time with a rolling start for the participants.
Small race field; great race for a PR.
Well-supported course with no car traffic.
Plenty of A/C bathrooms.
It wasn’t too hot at 7:30am, although the sun was out.
Free parking near the race area.
Beer and massages in the finisher’s area.
Opportunities to spectate on the track.
Cons
Some coverage on the course, so weather can play a big role in one’s experience of this race.
Few spectators on the course.
This is just me, but after doing this race, I wish I would have signed up for the whole trilogy so I could have put all three medals together.
For those of you who like the numbers, my official time for the Honor Our Veterans 5K was 30:09. Next races are the Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving and a relay for the Palm Beaches Marathon.
BIG NEWS! I’m running the London Marathon in April 2023 on behalf of Rays of Sunshine UK and you can support me by making a donation to my fundraiser here.
