This race report is a bit overdue – but here we go!
Sunday, June 20 (Father’s Day) was the Culver City Run. I never did this race before – but considering it’s quite close to home and a great fundraiser for the local community.
I registered some time ago – when I heard I made Team Odwalla and with the LA Tri Club discount, got a really good deal on the entrance fee.
The bib / race packet pickup was held at Sporteve – a women’s athletics shop / boutique. The owner is a great woman – who happens to be a ride leader with the LA Tri Club. It’s a great boutique with fantastic race and training tools – I highly recommend it to everyone looking for women’s athletic gear.
The line for bib pick-up was one person deep (yes – no long wait!) and Super Husband signed up on the spot to do it with me. He knew I had to get in one last race to fulfill my Team Odwalla contract – so he thought he’d be there with me, step by step. I was feeling a bit under the weather – so we decided we’d walk it. The “swag” wasn’t at the packet pick-up (understandable since it was in Sporteve’s store – which didn’t give room for swag) however the race itself had lots of vendors and booths.
After we picked up our packets we stopped at Tender Greens, a salad joint in downtown Culver City. What a great salad! They were a bit pricey – but very good. Steve had a Grilled Flat Iron Steak salad and I had the Chinese Chicken Salad. Yum! Great treat on a warm summer day.
The next morning we awoke and it was the latest start time to date (can’t complain about that!). We drove to the parking ramp in Culver City (easy in – kinda lame out since only one exit was open) and ventured to the start site. We noticed the vendors – nothing too new. I did happen to venture over to the Newton booth. I noticed they have Trail running shoes due out this autumn. I know several folks who will be very excited to see these. We also stopped at a local organic coffee booth. The extra caffeine and strawberry muffin were a happy sight (taste?).
Before we knew it we were asked to make our way to Main Street to start the 5k. (Yes, we walked a 5k – did I mention I wasn’t feeling great?? This is the one and only time I WALKED a 5k).
And we were off! We journey down through downtown Culver City – which is a cute city. Then we crossed Overland going west – continued a bit farther and turned around. It’s a very linear route – out and back – without much fuss.
Super Husband and I took our time – and it was funny, at the end people were cheering for us….telling us we had “just a short distance to the finish”. It made us laugh… I guess for some, the encouragement is helpful. We took it with a smile, thanked the spectators and ventured to the finish. No ribbons or medals – but I don’t expect 5 and 10k’s to have medals (the few we’ve done that do have them are always a bonus).
Overall, it was a great community race that assisted local businesses and agencies.
Team Odwalla at Culver City 5k
The Positives!
- Great location: easy to get to, parking was easy (and free)
- Good time of year – late June is a wonderful time of year
- Packet pick up was easy – either before the race at Sporteve (prior days) or day-of at the race site (which seemed to work well for those at showed up race morning – lines did not seem very long)
- Assisted the community and local agencies including Girls on the Run (an agency I definitely want to learn more!)
- Cost was inexpensive (if purchased in advance) – plus I had a LA Tri discount….score!
- Water and volunteers were abundant – and the volunteers were very positive and enthusiastic…. Perfect!
- Small race (under 1200!) but very warm, friendly, and cozy
What can be “better next time”:
- Exiting the ramp after the race was bit chaotic – there was only one exit (the others were blocked off)
- The shirts were cotton and big, baggy (but again – for the lower cost, I guess they aren’t going to be dry-wick material)
Great job, Culver City – fun race and well done!
Super Husband and Team Odwalla hit Culver City
