Tuesday, January 01, 2013

2013 Al Salvato Memorial Frostbite 5 Mile Recap

The Al Salvato Memorial Frostbite Run is held on January 1. It features a 5 mile Run and a 5k Walk. The race is named after Al Salvato, an avid runner and supporter of both running and the YMCA. Al founded the race to raise money for the Campbell County YMCA and was the race director for several years before passing away in 2006 due to complications from Leukemia. It is the last 5 mile road race in the Greater Cincinnati area. The 5 Mile is a distance than many older runners like more than either the 5k or 10k which seem too short or too long.

The race returned to the later time of 10:30AM after being at 8:00 AM in 2012. The weather was cloudy and according to the Campbell County YMCA sign, the temperature was 35 degrees Fahrenheit. There were about 180 other runner and walkers who decided to do the race this year.

For a 5 mile race, I thought that registration was reasonably priced. Included in the registration was the t-shirt. It was a short sleeve cotton shirt. I like races more when purchasing a t-shirt was optional instead of including it in the price. In return for the t-shirt option, you get a lower registration price. When Al directed it, the shirt was a long sleeve t-shirt with some great designs from cute to funny and you had the option of purchasing it. The designs were so good that I would end up purchasing it anyway even though I had so many t-shirts from races throughout the years.

The course changed from prior years as they added a turnaround in Tower Park to get the full 5 Mile and 5k Distance. The 5k walk seemed like it changed much as it looks like they took out the climb up Tremont Avenue. I have never walked it so a walker may need to verify this. Since I was a little slow this morning due to the prior night's festivities, I had to battle traffic in the last mile of the course which may explain the 8:00 AM start in some years. Post Race featured bananas, coffee from Starbucks, and water. Soup might have been a nice addition. Since the race venue was the Campbell County YMCA, you could shower after the race if you brought clothes and they did have lockers for your use as well to store your stuff, both underrated and under-appreciated features. If they make the t-shirt optional and have a lower price for registration, I might do it again in 2014.

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