Our Small Race Preview series runs every Monday, to let you know of a low-cost race put on by local race organizers for the following weekend. Each race featured will offer day of race registration. Please get out there and support these events, and share this post to tell your friends!
This post is more of a reminder than a preview – Teresa wrote on back on February 20th, which you can read here – because not only is this a great race, it’s on a Friday night and shouldn’t interfere with the rest of your weekend running plans. (Except for, you know, the impact doing a race on Friday night might have on your long run or weekend race. But you can do it.)
When: Friday, March 21, 2014 @ 6 PM
Where: Sladden Park in Eugene
Day of race registration starts at 4:30p and doesn’t close up until 5:45p, perfect for the 6p race start time. Day of race registration is only $20. You can also register for only $15 by going online or to Eugene Running Company by noon on Thursday.
Let’s talk more about the course. This race is a departure from many of the 5ks in Eugene, which start and end at Alton Baker Park. Bring in Spring starts and finishes at Sladden Park, a tiny one-block park at Cheshire and N. Cedar (straight west from the Rose Garden).
Participants will start there by the park and loop around it on the road, before hanging a right on the riverbank trail and zooming through the Rose Garden. You then dash under the 105 along the river through another park area (the Kiwanis Park) to the turnaround just a little past the park.
Still on the riverbank trail, you head west now towards the Owosso Footbridge (the farthest bridge you cross on the Eugene Marathon course). At the southern head of the bridge, right after passing the Mile 2 marker, you’ll turn for a counter-clockwise loop of Polk St. Park (never crossing the bridge) and then turn it on for the final leg, now heading east along the path.
N. Adams street is your exit from the trail – the same path you entered on nearly three miles earlier. Another loop around the park, retracing your steps, and you’ll cross the finish.
