Race Review: St. Paddy's Five Miler

St. Paddy's Five Miler
Portsmouth, NH
March 10, 2013
http://paddysfivemiler.com/

Overall Racing Experience: 4/5


The St. Paddy's Day 5 Miler is a festive race and should be on everyone's list of core races in New Hampshire. It serves as a nice entry into the spring racing season and is a great way to begin your St. Patrick's Day celebration. Free beer, hot soup and friendly volunteers!

Parking/Facilities/Registration: There is ample parking in the Pease Tradeport area. The porta potties were plentiful at the race start/finish area- hardly any waiting 1/2 hour before race start. There were about one thousand runners and the registration area was easy to navigate and the volunteers were very efficient and friendly. 1/1

Race Course: The course was well marked with volunteers at every crucial juncture. There were two water stops and many cheering fans along the way. The roads were in decent shape with the exception of one short stretch of pot holes and puddles that was well marked so runners would be careful. The course starts out with a very fast first mile and ends with an arduous uphill stretch to finish the race. 1/1

Refreshments: Post race refreshments included bagels, bananas, sandwiches, bottled water and soup. And, for those runners over the age of 21 there was a beer tent with Killian's Red on tap. One of the best things about this race is that the beer is served in a pint glass that you keep as your race swag. The weather was cold and windy this year, so the hot soup was much appreciated. 1/1

Awards and Results: The race was timed by RaceMenu. The results were not posted in paper form until very late after the race. They did have a check-in area under a tent for runners to look up their time electronically and print a results ticket, but it was not communicated very well to the runners. After checking my ticket, I learned that I had no time assigned to me. After discussion with the timing official it was all worked out. Later, when viewing my results online, I found that things had changed again and my place had changed again even after the awards ceremony. The awards were generous and the age divisions were standard. 0/1

Overall Experience: I would highly recommend this race to anybody looking to have a good time and a nice race experience. The music, the St. Paddy's Day flair and the spirits all made for a great time. The location is easy to find, the course is safe and easy to follow, there were multiple spots for spectators to see the race in progress, and the food and beverages were really top notch. Paddy's American Grille puts on a classy race. 1/1

Race Results

Race Score: 4/5