I Call It Running: Run with the Lions 5K for Longwood Elementary

The walk from the parking lot

What better group to run for than a local elementary school! This past Saturday, April 28th, was the 5th annual Run with the Lions 5K for Longwood Elementary school at the St. James Farm forest preserve. Every time I run one of these small events, I wonder why anyone spends the money on the huge races in Chicago. Run with the Lions is well organized from start to finish and it went off without a hitch. For $22.50 (including fees) this event cannot be beat.

Packet Pickup was held on two consecutive evenings, one at the school and the second at a local church. I went to the school and was greeted by what I assume were enthusiastic parents or teachers. I was in and out in less than five minutes and was pleasantly surprised by the shirt. Because Men in Black, a pest control company was the major race sponsor, the shirt was black with a bright design on the front. It is very wearable. In fact, for the first time ever (I think), I wore the race shirt at the race. It went well with my cat camo tights.

Cat Camo

Race day dawned cool and breezy with a bright blue sky, an absolutely perfect day for a 5K. This race is held at the St. James Farm which is part of the DuPage County Forest Preserve District and a gorgeous place to take a walk or go for a run. There are few places better to be on a beautiful day. As I pulled into park free on the grass field, it crossed my mind to wonder “why does anyone go into the city for a race when you can do this?” Ah well, to each their own.

The walk from the parking lot to the start of the race was probably all of 500 feet and I was amused to hear a little girl ask her father “how come we have to walk so far?” It truly is all a matter of perspective. Near the end of the walk, there were five or six port-o-lets with no lines. It is always nice to be able to “go” a couple times before the run starts. It is also nice that there was water and hand soap to wash up after using them.

Port-o-lets with no lines

This year there were 409 participants in the 5K and a bunch of them were kids from the school who were given the chance to run for free. Nothing makes a back of the pack runner happier than seeing the joy on the faces of the kids as they run alongside of the adults. At the start of the race, walkers were asked to hold back and wait for 5 minutes after the runners started. This worked out really well as the kids who would sprint and walk and those of us doing a more organized run/walk were not constantly trying to get around the walkers.

I also liked that the race started without the obligatory national anthem. While our anthem is quite nice, I’ve never understood why it is played at the start of these runs.

Bolingbrook Fun Run Club runners at the 5K

The course at St. James farm was a mix of dirt trail, grass, crushed gravel and a little pavement (I think.) At times we were running in the trees, and sometimes in open grassy areas. We passed a pond or two, a graveyard for the St. James farm horses and hounds and on the Prairie Path some actual horses in their paddock. Most 5Ks are held on streets and are not that scenic. This is one of the most scenic “non trail run” 5Ks that I am aware of.

Part of the beautiful cours

As we crossed the finish line, the announcer called out our first names and the school’s lion mascot gave each of us a high five while volunteers handed out the nice lion head medals. While we were waiting for the 5K to finish and the Kids 200 yd dash to be held, there was food and the silent auction to keep us busy. The food at the small events is so much nicer than the big city races. We were offered bananas, chips, Jimmy John’s sandwiches and soup. A couple of the sponsor tables also offered candy! The silent auction, which further helps the school, had a lot of nice things including Cubs and Sox tickets but I did not win anything (just as well!)

Finally, awards were announced and my friend, Lisa Frost, came in 3rd woman overall!!! Yowza! I was in the presence of running greatness. After the overall winners were announced, they announced 1st, 2nd and 3rd by each age from 5 to 12 (or thereabouts). While this took a bit of time, it was so much fun to see the excitement on the kids’ faces. What a great way to get kids interested in running. Lastly, age group winners were announced and my name was the last name called of the day as I came in 3rd in the women’s 60 and over age group. As a friend said “I had hit the end of the age groups.” Better to have hit it then to not reach it at all.