Cherry Blossom 10-miler: Worth It?

Yesterday, my friends and I ran the Cherry Blossom 10-mile (and 5K) run in Washington, DC. It is a beautiful scenic route that started at the Washington Monument and wound around the cherry trees in DC. We had a beautiful day to run it and all should have been good.

I'm not so sure that this race was worth it. Here are several reasons why I think so:

1. There were over 18,000 people signed up for the two races. This meant that there was so much fighting for running space that it was hard to get into a good pace. This also meant that the Metro to get there was overcrowded, the line for the port-a-potties was looooooong, and it was difficult to find your friends at the end.

2. The race swag was terrible. The t-shirt is a plain shirt (no wicking) with a regular design on the front in a boring cobalt blue color. And that's all the swag there was. No hats, no medals, no extra t-shirts, not even free water and snacks at the finish line.

3. The lottery process to get in. You can't just sign up. You have to sign up (and enter your credit card information) BEFORE you find out if you've been chosen for the race. And you have to do it in December.

I had a good time though. I love running races with my friends. I love seeing other "unlikely runners" out at the races and having their spectators cheer me on too. I love drinking mojitos at Lauriol Plaza afterwards. And most of all, I love that feeling you get when you finish a race and realize that YOU CAN DO IT!