One of my favorite things about spring races is that many of them are related to beautiful blooms. But check this out: the CPRD Camellia Festival Run gives participants a potted one-gallon Camellia: a participant prize you will actually keep and enjoy for years to come!
The CPRD Camellia Festival Run, hosted by the Chehalem Park and Recreation District, offers a 5k and 10k, both starting from downtown Newberg – the 10k would be my choice though, because the last mile travels through the beautiful campus of George Fox University. Here are the vitals, with a course description following:
When: Saturday, April 12, 2014
What time: The 10k starts first at 9a and the 5k at 9:05a
Where: Chehalem Cultural Center at 415 E. Sheridan Street in Newberg, Ore.
Register: Online for $25 by 4/7 and $30 after; or DOR for $35. If you register by 4/7 you also get a $10 gift certificate to Fit Right. Online registration prices have service fees folded in, so there’s nothing hidden here.
You can view the 2014 Camellia Festival 5k and 10k routes online here, thanks to the awesome team at Eclectic Edge Racing.
5k course
The 5k makes a loop that starts out heading west on Sheridan for a few blocks before turning right and running up Washington to Illinois. A one-block dodge to the west and then a right turn will put you on N. Main Street, where you’ll meet the first mile marker shortly before a right turn onto E. Mountainview. At Joan Austin Elementary School you’ll turn right and head south on Center, make a quick right on Crestview and then zip left down N. Meridian back to Sheridan, passing the 2-mile mark along the way. Mile three will be on Sheridan just before the finish line at the Chehalem Cultural Center.
10k course
The 10k starts out with the 5k, but shortly after the first mile, the route splits on Crater Lane to continue north up to Foothills Drive, passing mile 2 almost directly in front of Antonia Crater Elementary. (I’m seeing a trend.) The next mile is winding, on residential streets, bringing you back to E. Mountainview just after you pass mile 3. Here, the 10k shares the course with the 5k until Joan Austin Elementary on Center, where the 5k turns south and the 10k keeps on going east until Villa Road and mile marker #4.
The 5th mile makes a wide berth through the streets north of George Fox University, staying north of the railroad tracks until it joins back up with the 5k route on Meridian and turns south again, passing mile marker #5 soon after that turn.
To get in the last mile, the 10k runners and walkers will take a short trip through the George Fox University campus, hitting mile 6 when they rejoin the 5k course at Meridian for a quick 0.2 mile dash to the finish.
Prizes
Prizes are given to the top finishers in each five-year increment age group. All finishers are eligible for door prizes, including even more beautiful flowers.
Here’s a video about the run and the Camellia Festival, which celebrates Pan-Pacific cultures and of course, the beautiful Camellia blooms:
