The Run Like A Mother race series has locations all across the country, and I was excited to have the opportunity to participate in the Portland (Tigard), Oregon race, which was organized by the Hillsboro Chapter of Mom’s Run This Town. I arrived early to the race to pick up my packet, which included a bra-fitting kit from Jockey, a really nice quality pink tech t-shirt, a reusable tote bag, and Jamba Juice coupons. Since there’s tons of parking close by, I dropped off my stuff at the car (no packet pickup) and headed back to the park to check things out. Cook Park was all decked out: Uberthons was there, timing the event, and there were several vendors tents also, including a snowboarding/skiing demo station, NW Mothers Milk Bank, Franz Bakery, Double Dog Dare U Events, and others! The race atmosphere was really fun, with lots of families hanging out–it was a festive celebration of all moms.
The kids race started first, at 8:00. It was so fun watching the excited kiddos take off running! The 5k race started at 8:30. While there were a few men, it was mostly women running the 5k. Seeing all of them in the starting corral was awesome–excited and encouraging one another, giving each other hugs. There were speedy runners, and slower walkers, young women and older women, and everyone in between. The course around Cook Park was pretty, with a few small steep climbs. There were lots of great volunteers on the course, cheering us on! Kids and dads were also along the course, holding their handmade signs and yelling as their mommas ran by. It was so sweet to see.
After crossing the finish line, I was handed a rose and a medal by a nice gentleman in a suit (aww, how nice is that?) There were TONS of treats for runners and kiddos (cheese, crackers, granola bars, nuts, trail mix, Jamba Juice, etc). With the nearby booths and playground, it was definitely a family-friendly event. There were a few raffle prizes and age division awards for the women and kids (both boys and girls). Winners received a complimentary entry to next year’s race–I left early to go to another race that same morning and I hadn’t realized that I had placed 2nd in my age group!
The race was really well-organized, and MRTT of Hillsboro did a great job of providing a great event and great swag to really pamper all of the moms.
