Okay, here is the deal. I ran my first 5K race back in October 2011, which was just a month or two after Uberthons staged one of their first races ever, at the Portland International Raceway. I have since drooled at the thought of a flat, fast race course. I even ran the Uberthons Scrub Derby Run at Portland Meadows, which was most definitely not a fast course (for humans, anyway). But now, Uberthons is finally returning to the PIR. Yea!
A little backstory about this race, which takes place on October 6. Originally, Uberthons was planning to stage a fast marathon at the PIR. This made sense because the Portland Marathon, which traditionally “owned” that weekend, was ripe for competition, and then when it collapsed, the weekend was wide open. (I even wrote an advance preview of the event.) However, the City of Portland opened up bidding to stage a 2018 marathon, and Run with Paula Events won and quickly announced the Portlandathon. Rather than cannibalize marathon entrants (well, I guess you could run back-to-back marathons….), Uberthons converted its Oct. 6 race into a fast 5K with a twist….
…”name your price” for the open division (starting at $1). Wow, that’s right, you can pick your own entry fee! You’ll get the usual Uberthons race swag – finisher’s medal, course support, post-race food (burgers!), and if you earn one, an age group winner pin or even winner’s medal. (Typical Uberthons race prices for $5 are around $30-35.) The course is 2 miles, so the 5K involves just over 1 1/2 laps. There will be multiple water stations, plus one(s?) with gummy bears, pretzels, lemonade, and gels.
Don’t forget to bring $10 for the parking fee!
Portland 5K
When: October 6, 2018, at 8 am (open division); 9:30 am (school cross-country invitational).
Where: Portland International Raceway, 1940 North Victory Boulevard, Portland, Oregon
Register: Online here (name your own price, starting at $1)
