With temperatures nearing 100 degrees at race start, the inaugural Pajama Rama 5k, held in Silverton on Saturday, June 28, was not exactly cozy pajama weather. However, a small, yet brave field toed the line for the small and local race.
Runners started at the high school and headed out to the famed Gallon House Covered Bridge tucked away on quiet country streets just out of town. The course was very simple and featured only about 6 total turns (3 on the out and 3 on the return). Despite me and my daughter in her stroller coming in “1st place”, I wanted to focus more on the small town feel of the event.
The race was untimed, but was put on to benefit Silverton High School and the Silverton Senior Center. The number of participants was really lower than anticipated and this was DIRECTLY related to the heat. The race started at 6pm, and temperatures were rapidly climbing and peaked out near triple digits – not exactly running weather. There were super soakers and Jamba Juice on site to keep us cool before and after the race.
However, lower numbers did not keep the race organizers from putting on a good event. There were plenty of volunteers and Silverton Police on hand for traffic (though traffic was very minimal).
The after-party was small yet energizing. The MC was on his game with humor and excitement, which would have been an easy thing to pass on. There were over $2000 (yes – two thousand dollars) in raffle prizes, as well as free Dairy Queen ice cream coupons – which we immediately took advantage of after leaving the race.
The RD tracked me down at the race and apologized for the small turnout. I told him that it is completely unnecessary to apologize and inaugural events are always hit-or-miss, especially when weather situations arise. It certainly didn’t take away from my enjoyment. I came out with my wife, two daughters, and mother-in-law and father-in-law for a nearby race and we all completed the event together. But even though the RD apologized, he has already started planning to make next year’s event bigger and better. Here are some of his proposed changes.
1. Date
From the email: “We have set the date for the 2016 Pajama Rama 5K for Saturday, May 7th. We can…reach more people as school will still be in session and families won’t be on vacation yet.
2. Location
While these country streets are quiet and the high school allows plenty of room for hanging out, a lot of the course is already similar to that of some other local races. The Gallon House Bridge, while nice, is a popular race destination for Silverton runners. They are hoping to be able to secure a downtown Silverton course next year, which I am ALWAYS in support of. Courses that cruise through small-town Main Streets are some of my favorite ones to run. I am hoping that the RD (and obviously the city government has a lot to say about the viability of this) can secure whatever permits and approval is necessary. I think that being able to run through the beautiful downtown corridor would allow for a lot of commerce and after-party business.
3. Theme
The event was billed as a pajama and “neon” run. We were given neon bracelets and necklaces to wear, and were encouraged to run in colorful pajamas and neon clothes. However, the summer start didn’t exactly allow us to get the true feel of the neon. From the email:
It will not only be much cooler outside, but we will be starting at 8:00 pm instead of 6:00pm. This will allow us to use more neon on the course and will be a true twilight run.
As I was running, these were exactly the ideas that I had to improve this race – along with figuring out a timing mechanism, even if it’s only a starting and finishing clock. One thing that I know will not be changing is the excitement and passion that the RD and all the volunteers brought to the table. I hope to be back in 2016.
The RD’s also put on a few other local Willamette Valley races you may want to check out. Here are some details: