Run Bentonville Goblin Run 5K Race Recap

Saturday was the Run Bentonville Goblin Run 5K race in downtown Bentonville.  I was late registering for this race and only signed up the day before.  Registration closed at 4:30 and I was there at 2:30 signing up.  I was too late to get a shirt with my registration but I was okay with that since my running shirt drawer is kind of close to exploding.

Later that night friends and I headed to the local haunted house.  It was awesome! We were definitely scared and had a great time.  I left the haunted house and realized it was time to figure out a costume.  I headed to Walmart to see what options I could find.  I already had some components to work with but needed to try and pull it all together as an outfit.

I had purchased a black tutu at the end of summer in anticipation of Halloween and a headband with a fun spider on it.  I ran into a fellow Rush Runner in the costume aisle and together we tried to piece together some costumes.  I picked out a gauzy cape that I thought I could work with and then made a last minute decision to check out the regular clothing section for some fun leggings.  I found a pair of neon green capris and I was sold! Once I got home I pieced it all together and it worked and would be warm enough which was important since temps would be mid-40's for the race start.

Race morning dawned and I decided to skip the cape...it just wasn't necessary and didn't really add anything to my costume.  I put some regular running shorts on over top the tights and then layered the tutu on over top of that.  On top I just wore a black long sleeve top and then my fun spider headband.  It wasn't the most creative costume but it was easy to run in!

My friend and race photographer Chuck Cates captured me pre-race ready for the fun! 

The race began at the Bentonville Downtown Activity Center which was really nice to have a warm spot to be before the race and real bathrooms.  However....there were only 3 bathrooms per gender and the line before the race for the ladies room was quite long! I was glad I had gone early!

The race started right on time at 8AM and we headed out for a tour of the town.

Up first was a run by the city cemetery.  As were running along, a terrifying site passed me and I recognized my friend Coach Moe in his Ink and Burn get up! He and his family all had buffs from Ink n Burn that were like monster faces.  They were super cool! I wished him a good run and he went on along the way!

Ink n Burn tech tube

From there we went along to pass by one of the city fire stations where they were blasting some fun music and had a water stop.  Then we went by the old fairgrounds and it was time to head back to the activity center.  I was starting to overheat a little in my smartwool shirt but other than that my costume was working quite well for the run.  I worried that my head band wouldn't stay in place but it didn't move a bit.

The last few minutes of the race were tough as I was trying my best to pick up the pace and have a strong finish.  I was happy to turn the corner and see the race clock was under 30 minutes.  I worked hard to finish strong and the race photos showed that...my face showed the effort for sure.

Finish line photo by PodiumImages.com

My chip time was 29:08 for 12th in my age group out of 34.  Not bad for my limited run training since Redman in September.  It got me excited to get back to training and put together a race schedule for the next few months!