Superheroes Abound at the BASCA CAPE-Abilities 5k

Yesterday I got to run a fun new race in Orange Park, the BASCA "Cape"Abilities 5k, which supports BASCA ("Building Abilities of Special Children & Adults," their mission is to provide better living, working, educational, social and recreational opportunities for children and adults with special needs.)

I left the house around 6:20, which was a little later than I wanted, because my ETA was 8:15 for an 8:30 race - whoops!  I was able to push it a little bit, and arrived just a smidge after 8, and got a parking spot right behind the BASCA Boutique, very close to the finish line.

I put on my sneakers and geared up, just in case the packet pickup line was too long to return to the car, but I got lucky and was able to return to the car.

Soft, heather grey tee

After throwing my goody bag and tee shirt into the trunk, I hustled back to the starting line, where they'd already begun thanking sponsors and such.

Lots of mascots, characters, and even cheerleaders (not seen here) for photo ops

I got my start line selfie (you can see that it's already really hot!), sang the National Anthem, and we took off.

My face is already very red

The course was really loopy, and we saw the first runner after about 3 minutes. The rest of the course was uneventful. I trotted a lot, but never a full run. Not in this Florida heat.

BASCA residents out for a leisurely stroll

Mile 1 - nice and shady

Mile 2 - Much sunnier

Mile 3 with the Finish Line up ahead

Right at the finish line, I was able to pass two people. My official time was 54:55 (pace 17:40). I was last in my age group, and if I'd put on a little speed, I could have gotten a damn age group award! The two women in front of me in my age group came in at 53:18! Awwww, man!!! I was also 118th out of 128 total finishers.

I got my medal and a bottle of water, and took my finish line selfie.

Great medal for such a small race

I did it!

After taking everything to my car, I took my gear out of my pockets and picked up the goodie bag from packet pickup, so I could walk around the "FunFest."

Random swag - Water bottles, snacks, dental floss, hand sanitizer, markers and pens

There were even tables from a local Dairy Queen with free hot dogs and Dilly Bars.

Grilled (not boiled) as they should be!

The hot dog was great, but the Butterscotch was meh. Glad it was free.

After I ate, I played a few games they had (like Ball Toss and the Lollipop Pull) before heading back to the car. I walked around the BASCA Boutique, scoring a few of my favorite Thrift Shop finds - picture frames.

Once I was done there, I headed over to Wawa to change clothes and pick up a drink.

It's a thing of beauty

Oh, wait... hold up... WATERMELON lemonade? Oh, I've got to get me some of that juicy goodness (spoiler alert: this stuff is like liquid Jolly Ranchers! So. Freakin'. TASTY!!)

Anyway, after that, I headed over to the Orange Park Mall for some random JCPenney shopping, and Chick-fil-A for lunch. With not much happening at the mall, I also hit up Party City, Dollar Tree, Aldi, and yes... another Wawa... before heading home.