Harvest Hustle 5k through the Winery

Happy October!  It is finally starting to feel like fall around here. I have a feeling it is in part of the impending storm that's brewing on the East Coast. Already some races have been cancelled ( one I was suppose to run).
 
Anyway, I had a fun fall weekend this past weekend when I ran the Harvest Hustle 5k at a local winery called Shade Mountain.

 
1. Pre-Race: My friend picked me up and we arrived with plenty of time to spare which meant no problem finding a parking spot. After we got our race bibs my friend wanted to pick up a few bottles of wine. She had been there  before and knew which ones she liked, so she was  able to purchase hers before it became too crowded.  I told her I wanted to wait to get some because I wanted to be able to sample wines before I purchased them (this detail is important later). After dropping the wine off back in the car it was soon time to lineup.
 
2. The Course: It was chip timed at the finish, but no official start time. It went like this: Ready, Set, Go! And then we were off. I started right up front with a few men. Right from the beginning we had to run up a dirt hill which eventually turned into a grassy incline. It is a lot harder to run in grass  than I thought. I kept thinking we have been running up a hill for a while now. It either has to eventually flatten out or we have to start going downhill. There was a slight downhill right before getting back on another dirt road to continue up yet another incline.
 
3. The People: While I was running there was one man in front of me that I kept trying to keep my eye on. He was holding the American flag. I kept thinking that I didn’t have any ladies pass me yet. I wasn’t sure if this was true or not because once you start running you just get in a zone. I wanted to think that was the case so I was trying not to let anyone pass me from that point on. I was starting to get short of breath but felt much better than I did in last week’s 5k. I saw that there was a water stop at the turn around point so I decided to grab some. I never usually stop and get water at 5ks but I thought maybe this would help me this time. After continuing down the hill I saw the next lady making her way to the turn-around point. I was determined for her not to catch me. It was time to make my way back down the dirt road to yet another hill before entering back into the winery. Still there was no one ahead of me except the guy with the flag. I didn’t even hear anyone behind either. I wanted to look back so bad to see where the next person was, but I know you are never supposed to do that in a race, so I didn’t. I knew I was on the home stretch when I saw a sign that said you are almost at the wine. After making the turn I saw the Finish line.
 
4.The Finish: After crossing the finish line I went to get some water and the lady said congratulations I think you were the first female to cross. I thought, wow that’s great! Guess it was true that no one ended up passing me. I went back to the finish line to watch my friend finish. Then it was time to celebrate with some wine. Every runner received a wine glass with one complimentary glass of wine. We enjoyed the wine and an appetizer while listening to the band. Then it was time for the awards. They announced the names in all the age groups that had won and mine was not one of them called. I thought that was weird, maybe I wasn’t the first one. But when I saw the lady go up to receive her prize, I knew she finished after me. There was even someone that came up to me and said Didn’t you come in before her? I decided I was going to go ask. When I walked up to ask, the lady that received the prize said you did come in before me. She was the first in her age group but I was the first female overall but they didn’t announce the overall winners, which I thought they were going to. The lady handing out the prizes did apologize and said I will be right back to give you a gift card for the winery. We waited around several minutes and she never came back. So we decided to walk in the winery to choose some wine. I got in line to receive my gift card and she said I’m glad you came in. I thought well so am I because I was waiting outside for you and you never came back. After getting my gift card I knew I wanted to use it right away because I never come to this winery. I am glad I didn’t end up buying wine before the race. After sampling some wines, I purchased some bottles and we were own our way home.

 
5. The Verdict: I really enjoyed this race. However, I think they needed to be a bit more organized and needed more help inside with samplings and checking out. The course was pretty tough for a 5k. Even though I’m sure people wanted to do this race just for fun and have wine afterwards. It is not a good first 5k race. I think it should have been clearly stated that it is a tough course for beginners. Another thing that would have made this experience better for runners would be having it be earlier in the day or later in the season. The race didn’t start until 1pm and it was very warm at that time. But with any first time races there are always things to improve on and I’m sure with their feedback they will work on some things for future races. I still can’t believe I finished first female overall. I never thought that would be in my reach. That evening I came home and celebrated by having a glass of wine. -L
 
Have you ever done a race through a Vineyard? Have you ever raced through grassy areas?
 
We are linking up with the lovely ladies of the Friday 5!
 
 

47 comments:

  1. Congratulations on the race. How fun to run through a winery. I've never done that. Hope you stay safe and dry during the storms.

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    1. Thanks. This was my first time and it was alot of fun. I plan on staying in this wkend with the cold and rainy weather that's coming.

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  2. I am sorry your race was cancelled, hopefully the Hurricane wont be as bad as predicted but at the same time better to take precaution.
    Sounds like it was a beautiful race. I've actually never run through a vineyard, come to think of it:)
    However; grassy runs now that I can honestly say I have done probably close to a hundred times thanks to high school cross country. Pretty much every race and most training runs are on dirt grass mixes. That takes me back in memories for sure!
    Stay safe in your upcoming storm!!

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    1. I much prefer running on dirt roads than in the grass. Besides all the mixed terrain along the course, It was a great race.

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  3. I would love to race through a vineyard, and of course taste wine at the end. But I guess something like this would have to be for fun! Sorry that your race was cancelled!

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    1. It was fun being able to try all the different wines afterwards. This race would have been right up your alley. No one was running out of wine that day:)

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  4. Congrats on that first place finish! Sounds like fun, even tho it was a hard race.

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    1. Thanks. Yes it was well deserved after that tough course.

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  5. I can see why a vineyard wouldn't be a good place for a first time 5k. Every vineyard I've been to has rolling hills and dirt trails around the vines. Sounds like fun though and I'm with you, if I'm at a vineyard, I want to taste the wine before I buy any.

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    1. Yes it was tough for a 5k. I felt sorry for those first timers out there.

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  6. I would love to do a race through a vineyard! Or a brewery..my two favorite places. Congrats on a great race and great recap! I also have a race this weekend so I hope it's not cancelled...

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    1. It was alot of fun to be able to sample the wines afterwards. I enjoyed that part a bit more than the race:)

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  7. This race at the winery sounded interesting but how could they possibly mess up with you being the winner? That is so strange.....however, Christine had something similar happen at our Thanksgiving day race last year. She was not called in her AG and had gotten 2nd. They realized the error, and 2 people got 2nd in that AG by mistake! Our races have been cancelled this weekend too, but not a big deal since being prepared for the storm is far more important.

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    1. With any first time races there are always things that can be worked on for the following yr and Being well organized is one of them. Names were called for age group awards and not overall. It wasn't until I questioned her about that and she said oh yes I see it here. So if I would not have said anything, she wouldn't have seen it?

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  8. Wow first place finish! woohoo Looks like a fun and different course to run through.

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    1. Thanks. It was a fun course, despite the tough terrain.

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  9. I've never run a race through a vineyard but have always wanted to. I can't think of a much more beautiful race to run a race at. And congrats on your first place finish! A gift card for wine sounds like a great prize!

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    1. I was kind of surprised we didn't receive a medal or plaque for placing but when I thought about it, I would enjoy the wine a bit more than looking at a medal on the wall.

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  10. First place? That's amazing! Congrats-- yes, you totally should have gotten recognition for that. I know that's not what it is about... but really? You deserve it :-)
    I've done a race on grass before and I said NEVER again. My ankle were jacked up for a week!

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    1. Thanks. Yea I was glad they figured out that confusion. I don't think I will be racing on any grass terrain for a very long time.

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  11. First place? That's amazing! Congrats-- yes, you totally should have gotten recognition for that. I know that's not what it is about... but really? You deserve it :-)
    I've done a race on grass before and I said NEVER again. My ankle were jacked up for a week!

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  12. wow - congrats on your win on a tough course. and 1pm for a race start?? that's crazy!

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    1. Thanks Courtney! I have a feeling they will change that time for next yr.

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  13. Congrats on your race! I'm glad you were able to get your prize. I've never run at a winery but would love to find a local race to try!

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  14. Congrats on a tough course! I would love to do a race thru a winery, that screams, ME ME! I bet the grass was hard to run on and slippery! I would not be excited about a 1pm start time either, it is ok to drink wine in the morning, it is 5:00 somewhere!

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    1. Yeah I don't know why they made it so late. Maybe bc they knew there was wine involved. Apparently they haven't researched when other races actually start and still have adult beverages early.

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  15. Congratulations on being top female! That's awesome! Running on grass is very tough. You did an amazing job on a tough course. So nice that you were able to use your prize to get free wine!

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    1. Thanks. I didn't like running on the grass. But it was all worth it at the end. Can't beat free wine:)

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  16. Holy moly, congratulations on your first place finish - that is so awesome!!! And on a tough course, to boot. Nice, nice job. (but can I be irritated on your behalf that they didn't call out the overall winners?? HELLO!!)

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    1. Thanks Shelley. I was looking forward getting my name called. But when that didn't happen I had to find out why. They eventually did but it was after the fact. Maybe next yr they will be more organized.

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  17. congratulations on your win!! i have always wanted to run through a winery but none of the ones close to me do that. i think thats on the half list for next year :)

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    1. Thanks. It was alot of fun. I hope they continue to have it in yrs to come. That is the only one in our area that has had a race. Maybe other wineries will follow the trend.

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  18. Congratulations on top female! I'm glad you ended up getting a prize, despite the hassle.

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  19. congrats on your race! and running through a vineyard would be so fun!

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  20. Never run a race IN a vineyard but have run /walked through vineyards. Very tough terrain. Congrats on first place !

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    1. Thanks. When I was running thru I was trying to stay as close to the trees as possible so I could run on the dirt instead of the grass.

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  21. That sounds like the perfect races for me! Congrats o the first place finish - and good for you going after your rightful prize!

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  22. Thanks Laura. And thanks for stopping by
    It was only right that I questioned it since I was sure they were wrong.

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  23. I'm am a fan of any race that ends with wine! I'm glad you questioned your finish and got the prize you deserved.

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  24. I haven't run through a vineyard. Can you believe I've never even been to one?? It looks beautiful though! Grass is my very least favorite thing to run on. I'd rather run on almost any other surface. It's so slow and so uneven and just not fun to me.

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  25. Congrats!
    Running through a vineyard though? I think that would be dangerous for me haha

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  26. Woohoo on your first place finish!!!

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  27. Congrats on your win! I'm glad you did so well! :)

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