It was a beautiful June morning for the inaugural Run Willamette Salem Hills 5K. While I expected a hilly venue, this one was kind of epic! Just walking around the property before the race started was enough to start feeling those legs. Pre-race check in was quick and efficient. There were real bathrooms to use pre-race and parking was nice and close – thank goodness!
I arrived plenty early, so I walked around taking in the views and enjoying the beautiful morning. There were many volunteers around, all of them super friendly and ready to answer any questions. Things seemed to be very organized. Several of us spoke with one of the volunteers about the race course. After that, I got nervous. This race was going to be a doozy! Thank goodness it was only a 5K.
Over 200 of us lined up in the starting area ready to tackle the hills of the Willamette Valley Vineyards. After the countdown, the race began. The start was strangely tentative. Very few people started out quickly. It seemed we were all a little nervous about what was in store and being a bit conservative. And, there was a bit of an incline to start.
The course meandered around a bit with one short steep hill and then we began our descent through the vineyard. While I love a good downhill, I knew we’d be paying for that later with the climb back up to finish.
The route was a mix of slight ups and downs for awhile. In the vineyards it was starting to feel pretty warm out. I was thankful for the transition to a shady forested area through a pleasant RV park. As I was making my way down into the shade, I saw some of the lead runners already coming up the hill. Then I noticed one of them was power walking up. I knew right then I was going to be in trouble! How often do you see the speedsters forced to walk? Yikes!
When I got to that hill it didn’t look too bad initially. I noticed the people in front of me had switched to walking. I kept running until I realized I was no longer gaining ground on those walking in front of me. Obviously, walking was faster. Even walking that hill was tough!
After it leveled out, I got back to running – briefly. Then the incline hit again. And again, walking was faster than my attempt at running. The course took us past the finish area and around so that we actually got to finish on a slight downhill. I was not complaining about that! I was handed my medal as I finished and it was surprisingly light. It was appropriately made out of cork. Nice touch!
I took some time to catch my breath, cool down, and get some water. There was a band playing and wine tasting available. Seating was scattered about in many locations and on various levels of the patio. The post-race atmosphere was super chill. The wine store was open, as was the restaurant area if you wanted to stick around and purchase food and drinks.
I have to say, for a first year event – this seemed to go off without a hitch. The race course was well-marked and well-staffed. Volunteers were plentiful and easy to find if you had a question. And there was plenty to do post-race. Very few people seemed to head out right away after finishing. It was a great location to just hang out with fellow runners and walkers.
If you are up for the challenge of hills, I recommend you give this one a go. The atmosphere and the scenery makes it all worth it – if you can convince your legs. đŸ˜‰
