Race #5

Last Saturday I ran a 5K. I actually ended up running it with another girl in my neighborhood. It was fun. It was her first race and it was fun to run with her, and to remember back to my first 5K about a year ago. But besides that, there's not much to report on this race. It was a 5K, I ran it, it was nice weather.

The thing I liked about this race, though, is that it actually helped someone. The father of a family in the area was killed in Iraq. So this race was a fundraiser for his family. I love that. The entire race course was lined with flags and it felt good to know that the money I paid to run would actually do some good.

I've decided that's one thing that bugs me about organized races. The roads are always open, right? So why should you have to pay money to run on them? I understand that there are costs associated with races. There are police officers to pay, timing chips to provide, and water and other essentials that runners need. But it still bothers me that most races require an entry fee. I get it, but I don't like it.

So last Saturday's 5K was a nice change. It was nice to know the money I paid would be used for something other than Dixie cups. It was nice to feel the support the community gave this family. It was nice to see that when they were about to give away the last raffle prize (a new treadmill!), the crowd started chanting that we should give it to the recently widowed woman who this race was to benefit. In my book, that kind of feel-good stuff is worth paying money for.