Last weekend, my friends and I ran a 5k at an event called SkirtChasers. It began as a group of 7, but the day of the event we were rolling 5 strong.
One of the things that attracted us to the event was that it was marketed as a Singles event…lol. Whatever motivates you right?! The idea was, ladies start the race first and 3 minutes later the men start. It then appears as if all the men are chasing the women. The race ends at a Block Party featuring food, entertainment and bar. Niiiice one. Singles are encouraged to wear stickers implying whether they are single or attached..etc etc.
The event took place at Tempe Beach Park, great location in downtown Tempe. The temperature was a high of 77 degrees, but sure felt like it was in the mid 80′s. Gotta love the weather in February. (Febrero es loco).
Thankfully we got there right before the crowds hit. So we were able to check in, get our packets and people watch for an hour. The diversity was quite interesting. The event being called SkirtChasers and the idea was women wearing skirts, none of us wore skirts. Many other people did though..including men. There were people dressed up, almost in costumes, with wigs, tutus etc. and other just had tees or tank tops with notes such as “Catch Me if You Can“, “Call me for a good time“, some guys had their phone numbers written on their back, etc.
The Course
The course was flat as advertised, but there was quite an incline during the first half.
We all started the race together, but immediately took to our own speeds, finishing sporadically. Below is a pic of all of us after the race. It was so hot, or at least it felt like it. I remember getting to halfway mark where volunteers were handing out water. I took one sip then threw the rest of the water over my head and chest.
The pic below is the two Michelle’s. (myself and my friend Michelle) She finished in 27 minutes and I was behind her at 29.24. Both of us were happy with our times. Michelle did great..it was her first race and she did it in 27 minutes – Go Michelle! My goal was to stay under 30minutes and I just made it.
My goal for the next 5k is 27 minutes and some seconds.
The event registration came with 2 drink tickets and 1 meal ticket. The beer garden had Four Peaks beer, Barefoot Wine and food from Macayos. I forget exactly which beer I got, but it was goooood. Oh my gosh, so good. It was a light beer and just perfect. The meal ticket included a chimichanga with chips n salsa. On a scale of 1-10, ten being good, the food was a 2.5. I don’t have much to say about the food. I’m not a fan of Macayo’s as it is, but I do think they could’ve done something other than a chimichanga. The beer line was long as expected, but it wasn’t too bad as it gave another opportunity for people watching. After we used our drink tickets we were ready to bounce. Looking at the bar line and feeling the heat from the sun made us realize we just wanted to go an actual bar and sit down. We walked down Mill Ave a few blocks to a place called Canteen. We hung out there until about 8pm before calling it a night.
All in all, I’d say it was a great day. We didn’t meet any hot single guys, but after talking to everyone, all the girls said they had a good time. If I had to choose my favorite part of the day, it would be (okay, I have three favorite parts) (1.) the drive to the race chatting with the girls (2.) the last 20 seconds of the race when the finish line is right in front of you and you gain that extra ounce of energy to finish strong and (3.) hanging out at the bar afterwards.
For some of us, we were trying to beat an existing race time, or stay consistent with current running pace, or it was a first race. Each of us committed, followed through, and even pushed ourselves within our own limits...and we had fun. To me, that is what matters most.
