More Like "Walking of the Donuts" - Running of the Donuts

So... I just realized that I don't think I've run a race in Ocala since I did the Dr. N.H. Jones 5k over 2 years ago! It's a shame... the Baseline Trailhead is a lovely area to run in.

I decided to take a chance on a different race for June. For the past 3 years, I'd run the Beck 5k in Palatka, but wanted to see if this was better, especially now that they changed the race a little bit. Before, all they had was, well, the Running of the Donuts - you'd run 1.5 miles, eat SIX Dunkin' Donuts, then run 1.5 miles back. Blerg, I can feel myself wanting to puke just from thinking about it! Imagine... it's hot. It's humid. You have a half-dozen donuts in your stomach... bleck!

At least you get some water to wash them down...

But this year, they had a regular 5k, too, so I was up for it. (For those who really hated themselves, there was also a 5k+Donuts Challenge - do the 5k, THEN do the Running of the Donuts!).  My 5k was only $20, so what the hell! Let's go!

It was my new Altima's first road trip, and I was very careful to keep my lead foot off the accelerator, but I still got to the park early. This gave me a chance to get a great parking spot, though. 

The pavilion is where packet pickup is located

Basic black tee, nothing fancy

I picked up my bib and goody bag, then chilled out in the car for a bit, before heading back to the start line.

At 7:30am, it was already 84º. Yuck. 

Very small group of runners for the non-Donut 5k

The race itself was very uneventful... so uneventful, I don't even have any photos!  The course went around the basic hourglass, which is typical of this location.

Data from my Garmin

My time was pathetic, which is to be expected - it's mega-hot, and I'm mega-slow.  I wasn't last though! My official time was 53:34 (pace 17:13). I came in 106th out of 111 total finishers, and I was 69th out of 72 females (nice!) I was last in the F40-44 age group.

Yeah, didn't even attempt to run it in...

The medal is cute, and has a great lovely story behind it: One of the founders of the running community in Ocala was nicknamed Wizard, and unfortunately, he'd recently passed away, so the race was in his honor. And it's why the medal and the logo had a cool wizard hat and staff. The medal also glowed in the dark, which is great (except at 3am, when I can see it from across the room, lol).

It's a donut with a hat!

I got a quick finish line photo and chugged some water. I was actually hoping to see some pukers from the Running of the Donuts run, but no luck. And to be completely honest, I was hoping for leftover donuts. No luck there either!

Oooh, fancy

After the race, I changed clothes in the park bathroom (yay for real stalls!) then headed to lunch at probably one of the only Long John Silvers that is still a stand-alone restaurant. I noshed on some greasy as hell shrimp, fish, and chicken until I was ready to bust. 

God I love Long John Silvers!

I wandered around the Paddock Mall, then hit up a convenience store and drove home to pick up Hubby.

I wasn't impressed with this race. The price was great, the course is lovely, and the medal was cute, but it was just really boring, in terms of pre- and post-race. I think I'm going to return to Palatka next year. For about the same price (maybe $5 more), I get a bigger, flashier medal, as well as a great course with a great view (of the St. John's River), pre- and post-race amenities, and lots of spectators to cheer me on.