This past Saturday I ran the Ferguson Twilight 5k/10k race held in Ferguson.

This was the second evening race I’ve done, and I’d heard good things about it so I decided to give it ago.

I haven’t run in forever, so I wasn’t expecting to go out and bust a new PR. I didn’t even have my Garmin charged, so I just decided to go with it. I got down to Ferguson around 5:45 and spent the next 15 to 20 minutes trying to figure out where to park. I finally made it to the high school and got parked and walked over to the shuttle to head down and pick up my bib and shirt.

Once I got those my next mission was to find a bathroom. I was standing in line for the port-a-potties and this lady cut right in front of me. Super rude. Her friend was in front of me and she just walked up all, “hey how’s it going haven’t seen you in forever”. So her friend was clearly not holding a place for her. Etiquette for a lot of folks was lacking a little in this particular event.

More on that later.

I wandered over to the line and got in position towards the back of the group and then we were off. The first mile was ok, I spent a lot of time trying to find a “groove” but there were lots of people around and quite a bit of crowd support, considering we were running through a residential area. There was one big hill that felt like it went on FOREVER. I was certain I was going to die.

Mile two was relatively flat, and at that point the 10k runners (who started 20 minutes prior) joined back on to the course. There weren’t cones or anything dictating a lane for them, but again this will go under the lack of etiquette I will address a little later.

Per the usual, mile two was my struggle mile, and I did stop and walk a couple of times. Once we hit mile three, there was another significant hill, but not as long as the first one. I felt like I was able to pick up a little more speed this mile, even though my right hip was being a little cranky. I was able to pick up the pace a little more and get through the finish.

After that it was a little crazy, there were people trying to direct you to get some water, snacks, your medal and then move through to the open park area to enjoy the rest of the festivities. However, people where just standing in clumps every where and trying to get through them was a bit nightmarish.

Overall, for not running in forever, I felt like I had a pretty decent race. I didn’t go balls to the wall, considering I had another race the next morning, but I feel like I put on a pretty good effort.

Stats:

• Finish- 52:31
• Average Pace: 16:54/mile
• Overall- 1001/1225
• Female- 634/812
• F20-29- 89/100

Now a little note on race and running etiquette:

Don’t cut in line at the port-a-potties or bathrooms. Even if your friend is really close to the front UNLESS they were saving you a spot because you had to step out of line really quick for some reason. It’s super rude and some people really have to go and maybe don’t have a super strong bladder or some other issue.

The slower you are, the farther to the right of the course. Faster runners *should* keep to the left. If you are approaching someone and they are smack in the middle of your way, give them an “on your left!” before you approach so they don’t collide with you or get in your way some how. And faster runners, you’re super quick! Congrats to you! Don’t weave around me and give me a dirty look or make anyone feel stupid for trying. It’s ignorant. I’m trying to do my best to stay out of your way. If everyone works together, running/walking can be enjoyable for EVERYONE!!

People doing events with young kids. I think it’s great that you are getting your young ones out there. It’s a fantastic activity and it set a great example and gives them something to work towards and be proud of. But keep an eye on them. Don’t let them run really far a head of you and then scream at them to stop so you can catch up. Teach them the right way to run or walk in a race. This will keep everyone safe. Nobody wants to trip over a child and hurt themselves and/or the kid.

Finally and most importantly-Pay attention to the course marshals. They will tell you where you need to go, if there are merges on the course, etc. And course marshals, make sure you let the runners/walkers know! Merging will go so much smoother if everyone has a heads up that faster/farther runners are going to be joining in the group.