Red, White and Brew 5k

Yesterday I participated in another 5k run – this one happened to be right in my hometown of Phoenixville, PA!  When I saw there was a run so close, and that it was beer themed, I knew I had to sign up.  It was called the Red, White and Brew run and it was the inaugural event.  They announced that next year they will have a whole race weekend, including a half marathon!

It was a relatively small race, but especially for an inaugural race it was very well organized.  There were about 160 runners and I picked up my bib and race stuff a little bit before the race.  We got a nice long sleeve tech shirt too!  I was a little worried about a race that started at 1pm in the afternoon in early September, but we were lucky that we had great weather for running.  It was cloudy and about 60 degrees.

Unfortunately, the course itself was pretty rough!  The first mile was good, but then there was a really steep incline.  Once you got to the top, it was all downhill – until you hit the halfway point of the course and had to go back up the same hill and then down it.  It was really rough.  I had to walk up the incline both times, there was no way I was running it.  It was hands down the worst course for me in terms of difficulty.

Despite that, I still had a very good pace and time.  I finished the 5k in 32 minutes, with a pace of 10:19.  I’ve done 5ks with better times, but this is the best officially timed 5k with chip timing.

And the after party was great!  They had a number of local breweries and wineries set up.  Everyone got a souvenir reusable cup and two beverage tickets to pick out a drink of their choice.  We also got a food ticket for the stand where they were grilling up hot dogs, hamburgers, and the like.  I tried a lager from the Sly Fox brewery and a delicious red wine from Black Walnut Winery.  They also had cheese and cracker trays out for everyone.

Overall I would probably do the Red, White and Brew 5k again just because the after party was very good and everything about the race was good except the inclines on the course.  I’m very curious to know what course the half marathon will take.  If it avoids all those hills I will definitely consider it for next year!