The Right Moves For Youth 19th Annual Twilight 5K is quite an event. It's one of the few non-themed evening runs in the Charlotte area, There is a lot going on for friends and family to enjoy while waiting on the runners to come in, and the location is always nice.
I've run this race before. Seven years ago this was my second-ever 5K run, and I remember going out too fast, only to spend the rest of the race watching people run past me. :) It was still a great time, and I still sport the t-shirt every once in a while. I finished in 32:00 even for a 10:18 min/mile pace.
All of this is for Right Moves for Youth, a non-profit focused on helping middle- and high-school youth realize the the importance of both earning a high school diploma and having a plan for the future. CPI is the presenting sponsor, and the run is part of Run For Your Life's Grand Prix Series.
The course is a lollipop, and has only three turns. The start and finish is at the Wells Fargo Atrium, just like a few other races. Thanks to Wells Fargo for continuing to allow races and other events here - it's a great location and facility for an uptown run. In March the Wells Fargo Atrium was the start/finish for the BB&T Corporate Cup Half Marathon.
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| Lollipop Course. |
I arrived an hour early to pick up my bib and found my name wasn't on the list. No worries, as the volunteers helped me get a bib and offered me a shirt. Special thanks to Wanda for walking me through the form and getting the bib! Wanda was also volunteering at the Governor's Village 5K in April, representing TIAA-CREF.
The only downside was that the remaining available shirt size was an adult small. Not wanting to scare children by wearing what would essentially be a compression shirt, I hit the Jeep and grabbed my XL BB&T Corporate Cup Half Marathon shirt from earlier this year.
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| Roomy. |
Wells Fargo Atrium is a large venue, and even with 1400 runners and 912 5K finishers, the atrium and plaza were more than comfortable.
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| 30 minutes before race start. Also roomy. |
Good evening for a run if you are heading to Uptown for the Twilight 5k, proceeds benefit @RMFYCharlotte pic.twitter.com/rfplMOvkVU
— Vicki Graf (@VickiGrafWSOC9) May 8, 2015
The warm up stretching was entertaining, led by Sir Purr of the Carolina Panthers, Blaze from the Charlotte Fire Department, Blue from the Charlotte Hounds professional lacrosse team, Homer the Dragon from the Charlotte Knights baseball team, a bear from State Farm insurance. There was also a police mascot in the area.
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| Charlotte Hounds mascot. #ReleaseTheHounds |
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| Sir Purr leading the warm up stretch. State Farm Bear doesn't look impressed. |
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| Corner of Tryon Street and MLK for the start. |
There were several teams running, including the fire department and law enforcement that had a special competition. The largest as of May 1st was the Mecklenburg County Sheriff's Department, at 575. There were only 912 finishers with about 1400 registered. We'll have to call this the Sheriff's Invitational next year. :)
Congrats to @MeckSheriff for taking the LARGEST TEAM award! 575 strong! See you at the race on 5/8! @cpi_security pic.twitter.com/VpBtsEYEwD
— RightMovesforYouth (@RMFYCharlotte) May 1, 2015
As the crowd inched forward to the start, I looked up and noticed the beautiful American flag flying from a ladder truck. What a great way to start the evening.
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| Blest with vict'ry and peace, may the Heav'n rescued land Praise the Power that hath made and preserved us a nation! Who knew there were more verses in our national anthem? Thanks, Francis! |
I was about halfway back in the pack, and crossed the start line about 20 seconds after the race began. As usual, runners were jockeying for position in the first kilometer or so. I thought two speedsters had arrived late as they blistered by the crowd, but I ended up catching them by the end of the first mile.
The course has a couple of hills, but for the most part is fairly flat and straight. According to Strava,the total elevation gain was 82 feet. Also according to Strava I ran a 7:29/mile pace contrasted with the official 7:52/mile pace. :) There were a few spectators out, but most were gathered at the start/finish. It must have been prom night as well, as there were several young couples in formal attire dressed for an Uptown evening.
Most of the run is on Tryon Street, exiting Uptown and moving into South End as we crossed the bridge over I-277. "Uptown" is etched in the concrete on one side of the bridge, and "South End" is etched on the other side. The scenery becomes more residential, and eclectic, and then returns to more professional near the end of the course and the start/finish line.
As I crossed the finish I was a little surprised that someone was handing out medals! The first 1,500 finishers received medals according to the race pamphlet that I re-read afterwards. With my extraordinary mathematical prowess I deduce that each of the 912 finishers (1500 > 912) received a medal. Usually finisher medals are reserved for half and full marathons, so this was a real treat to receive one for a 5K.
@RMFYCharlotte Fun to run in Uptown Charlotte for a good cause! #Twilight5K pic.twitter.com/iyeiSgBls1
— Bryan Seaford (@SeafordRuns) May 8, 2015
Powerade and water were at the finish line. At the outset I figured I would finish with a pace around 8:30 or so. I ended up going a little faster than I'd planned, but still had plenty of gas in the tank at the end.
Back in the atrium, pizza from The Pizza Peel was being served. Next to it were two pasta dishes from The Improper Pig. More important than pizza and pasta was the delicious warm pimento cheese served with house chips, also from The Improper Pig. I'm thinking a trip to the pimento cheese in its native environment might be in the near future.
One last stop - there were some XL shirts remaining! I traded out the compression size for one that fits, then hit the road. Not literally, Amelia Bedelia fans - I just drove home.
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| Feeling secure in my fit. Thanks, CPI Security. |
=== RACE DAY ===
Race: Right Moves for Youth 19th Annual Twilight 5K
Location: Charlotte, NC
Shoe: Asics GT-2000 3
Date: 5/8/2015
Distance: 5K
Time: 24:25 (24:05 chip)
Pace: 7:52/mile (7:45/mile chip)
Overall: 116/910 (12.7%)
Gender: 95/447 (21.3%)
Group: 14/74 (18.9%)
=== LINKS ===
Website: Right Moves For Youth
Registration: SportOften
Results: ChronoTrack
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