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| Sweet sparkly finisher's medal! :) |
The Rock 'N' Roll crew by Competitor is a well established company, so I was expecting a smooth operation. This was not necessarily the case. From checking out their facebook page, many other runners are angry and seeking refunds. I didn't have that bad of an experience, but for the price of the entry fee, I can completely understand why so many are enraged. The first complaint I would have is with the big claim to fame that this race is filled with "Rock and Roll" music along the course. There were 3 DJ's along the 6.2 miles, each playing some version of pop/dance music. As a 25-year old girl, I listen to some of this and don't mind it as I run, but I definitely wouldn't classify ANYTHING I heard as Rock and Roll. The other major complaint I have is with bag check. They required you to use their "swag bag" to check your items, which were seemingly efficiently organized in large moving trucks according to runner's last names. However, fast forward to the finish line and the bag pick-up was a nightmare. Bags had been tossed on the ground outside of the trucks and there was absolutely no organization to finding your bag. Not to mention no security as anyone could have walked off with anyone else's bag. A few participants quickly took charge and started calling out bib numbers to distribute bags. I was lucky enough to be called quickly and got out of there ASAP.
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| Nice & Sweaty post-race! |
On a more positive note, I personally had a good run! The nice thing about running a certain distance for the first time is that it is automatically your PR! :) I felt strong through the first 5k, but mile 4 was not fun. My legs suddenly felt tired and I had to force one foot in front of the next. For whatever reason, I picked back up at mile 5 and finished strong! The course was 2 loops through the park, with small rolling hills. I had to laugh at anyone I heard complaining about these "hills"...I guess they haven't actually run a real hill. Most of the course was downhill and the hill inclines were almost not noticeable!
So, would I run this race again? Maybe. I enjoy runs in Prospect Park, but I'm not sure the lure of the "Rock N' Roll" name (or pricetag) was worth it! In the end it was a beautiful fall day and the sucess of my first 10k! :)
