Wednesday, July 4

Independence Day racing streak

Happy Independence Day to my U.S. readers!*
Fireworks over Lake Union in Seattle, WA
This morning Hubby and I went for a run together, but for the first time since we started dating, we did not race on the Fourth of July. We did, however, keep our Independence Run streak alive by running a Firecracker 5k on Saturday.

Over the years we've run (some more than once)...
  • Scripps Ranch Old Pros 10k in San Diego, CA remains one of my favorite races of all time. The course is net-downhill (read: serious PR potential) and is organized not by a major event organizer but by a local group of athletes (read: every detail a runner could hope for is included in this race).
  • Firecracker 5000 in Seattle, WA is unique because it is the very first race on the Fourth of July. The event starts on July 3, a few minutes before midnight, so runners cross the finish line in the early morning hours of July 4th. Racing so late at night is exhilarating, but also makes for some interesting logistical challenges. (What do you eat for pre-race dinner? Hint: not salad!) After running this race in 2010, Hubby and I tried to grab a post-run beer but were greeted with shouts of "last call!" at the bar.
  • Independence 5000 in Fort Worth, TX is, by far, the hottest Fourth of July race we've run so far. But the heat beat down other runners more than it beat me down. Hello age group award!<
  • Firecracker 5k in Pensacola, FL is a fun, hometown event with an excellent after-party. While not always held on the Fourth of July, this race served as our Independence run for 2012 because all of the other "local" races were at least an 50 miles from home...
Inflatable Lady Liberty "statue" at Gasworks Park in Seattle, WA
Do you race on holidays?
Do you have any running streaks or running traditions?

*And apologies to the Brits for what I'm sure sounds like a lot of gloating on this side of the Big Pond today...

3 comments:

  1. Fun that you have this streak going! I can't say the same for the 4th, but I do have race streaks for several of my favorites. I actually have a few that I've done 6 or 7 times now. It's fun to compare where you are from year to year this way.

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  2. This is a great streak (and I think your Sat. race counts for it)! I was hoping to start a 4th of July running streak by repeating a race that I did on the 4th last year, but I sat out due to injury. There will be other chances for streaks, though.

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