The PRC Winter 5k Series is back, and it kicked off this December with holiday cheer and smiles from all.
I’ve run this series for several years now and it’s a great way to stay motivated in the months when there aren’t a lot of race options. And WHY aren’t there a lot of race options, you may ask? Because people don’t like running when it’s cold and dark and wet and maybe even icy. And that’s WHY we need the PRC 5k Series.. because we “Never Let Winter Win!”
I love to support local businesses and Paula and Dave Harkin deserve our support! Run With Paula Events puts on the best races and the PRC 5k Series has three 5ks in the series. There’s one in December, one in January, and one in February. They all start at the Portland Running Company store in Beaverton on a Saturday at 9:00AM, and I love that that means I get to sleep in a bit longer on a weekend.
The weather is iffy this time of year, but the December 5k was perfect. It was cold (hello December!) but it didn’t rain and there wasn’t even any wind.
Paula always has a lot of volunteers at her events, and they were out there directing traffic when I arrived so that there were no bottlenecks or pile-ups anywhere. Smooth sailing! After I parked, I took a short walk to the store to check in, which was easy and quick. If you plan to do more than one of the 5ks this season, you keep your race bib and use it again for the other ones.
After I got my bib, I checked out a few of the tables inside the store and grabbed some Maurten gel from their sponsor handing out samples. Then I headed outside and said hello to Paula who was, as always, all smiles. Her cheery spirit is infectious. She gleefully pointed out that we had Twinkies and Ding Dongs this year for after-race snacks. Score!
After a short trip to one of the porta potties in the parking lot, I strolled to the start line, where they were setting up the now-familiar course. After the national anthem and Dave Harkin’s always entertaining banter, we took off. The PRC Athletes, as always, left us mere mortals in the dust and the rest of us settled into fast, medium, slow, and walking paces. I LOVE that this event caters to every speed.
The course travels down some business neighborhoods before heading over a foot bridge into Greenway Park on the Fanno Creek trail, which is paved and safe. There have been some years where there is enough flooding to see ducks swimming across our usual path, but this year everything was mostly dry, save for one big puddle that seems to always be there.
It’s not long after the footbridge past mile 1 that there’s a severe left-hand turn. Generally as I approach this point of the course, I start seeing the front runners coming back from the turnaround since the whole course is an out-and-back. This is always inspiring, and I’m always looking for the first female (sorry guys) and marveling over how fast everyone is as they are coming at me. I love to cheer them on.
This year there was a bubble machine at the turnaround point and I was happy to see many of my friends both in front of me and behind me. I love to cheer the back-of-the-packers as much as the front of the pack folks, because they have to cover the same distance but put more wear and tear on their bodies.
Once I start heading back through the business neighborhoods, I feel like I’m about done and ready to find that finish line. The business neighborhoods can be deceptively long and it’s easy to forget which turn will bring you to the chute. Once you hit that last turn and see the chute, it’s still not as close as it looks. However, it’s not so far that it’s out of reach.
After crossing the finish line, I grabbed some water and some fresh air and waited for some friends. This is one of those races with a lot of participants but nothing too overwhelming. There’s a big PR bell too and it’s so great to seeing people ringing it with those big smiles on their faces.
When it was time to walk back to the store, the food was being served .. two kinds of soup, bagels, fruit, and those delicious Hostess products. A volunteer handed me a raffle ticket, and I went inside to find the coffee. Participants stand a good chance of winning something at a race this size, and I won a pair of Goodr sunglasses one year. There are always hats, water bottles, and sweatshirts being raffled, and the $50 PRC gift cards going out sure were nice too.
All in all, it was a great morning! I’m looking forward to going back on January 13th for the next one. Will you be there? Register right here, right now!!
