Starlight Run will forever hold a special place in my Runner’s Heart. It was the first 5K I ran. It was a race I got to complete twice with Girls on the Run (a wonderful nonprofit I still volunteer with). And it was an event cancelled by COVID-19 that really hit home for me all that we were losing that year.
All this leads me to wanting to be part of the race every year that I can. And learning that in 2024 the race is now a Run with Paula event meant extra curiosity in what was going to happen (based on similarities to last year’s event, I speculate it was a late transition so 2025 will be the full Paula experience).
Starlight Run, and the parade, are always on the first Saturday in June and this year that meant June 1. The weather was great with some clouds and a breeze that helped with the temperature in the 60s. Packet pick-up was 4-6pm with the race starting at 6:30pm so plenty of time to get parked, get bibbed, and walk around. Like last year, I wandered around the Portland Rose Festival CityFair (thanks to free entry with race bib) for a while before the costume contest began. The fair is stretched out along the waterfront with areas for general booths, food, and then rides. At one end was a music stage while at the other was a strange Mario trivia game that kids enjoyed (and this grown up couldn’t follow).
I got back to the starting area in time for the costume contest. There were multiple rounds, including youth group, adult individual, and adult group. The winners from these rounds (decided by the judges and encouraged by cheering crowds) was placed in a final round to win two Alaska Airline tickets. The winning group was dressed as characters from Pac Man; I think the ghost’s breakdancing earned the victory. My personal favorite group was four Dolly Partons.
Finally it was time to get started on the 5K. The course was an out-and-back, entirely along the same course the parade would later take. There are two big benefits of this. The first is a guarantee not to get lost in downtown Portland. And second (and way more important) is the cheering crowds that line both sides of the course.
Counting is super hard while running, so I’ll just estimate there were thousands of folks along the course. A race participant could easily get more high fives that evening that the rest of the year combined. Several kids had bubble wands to arch over the street. And the ground itself had plenty of chalk drawings and messages to keep you occupied during any walk breaks.
The race was over quick in comparison to how much time I’d spent downtown already that evening. I chose to purchase the race medal (it was an add-on like the shirt) and gifted it to myself after the finish line. There were small cups of water at the finish… and nothing else.
This “after-party” is a main area that I anticipate being improved next year by the new leadership involved. Wearing my new medal, I walked across Hawthorne Bridge to my car, enjoying the sights of my city.
See you next year Starlight.
