Twilight 5K makes the right moves

There were more than 2,200 people registered for tonight's Right Moves for Charlotte Twilight 5K (including walkers), and it showed.

I met some friends over there around 6:10 p.m. -- about 50 minutes before the start -- and the chip pickup, registration and pre-registration lines inside uptown's Wachovia Atrium were a madhouse. But all those young professionals made for a cheerful mood out on the plaza before the race, and the sole Port-a-Potty line still managed to move fairly swiftly.

Start was cool, with a Charlotte Fire Department truck providing a nice American-flag-raising a few minutes beforehand and a most authoritative opening horn.

Not as much bottlenecking in the first tenth of a mile as I was expecting (I thought the construction at the Duke Energy Tower on Tryon Street might create a logjam), but as usual, faster runners had to weave around slower folks who had no business lining up toward the front.

The first half of the race was actually pretty uneventful for me -- took several tight turns in the industrial part of Southend without incident as I tried to keep my pace even at around 7:15/mile.

Things got more interesting after the swift drop on Morehead near the stadium. We turned onto Cedar and made the big climb to 4th Street (there, runners were met by a mini-throng of boisterous Johnson & Wales University students).

Fortunately, that hill on Cedar didn't faze me, steep as it was. But by the time we banked left where Graham transitions into Stonewall, on the other side of the stadium, the gradual ascent -- and a nasty headwind -- conspired to keep me from setting a PR.

The homestretch on Tryon was kind of a blur for me, but it was nice to see such a good-sized crowd of friends and family members lining the sides of the last 100 yards or so.

Volunteers moved us through the finish chute efficiently, and it was a nice surprise that all the finishers wound up with a medal.

Good selection of post-race food, including everything from bananas and oranges (on the plaza) to fried rice and pizza (in the atrium). Results board was the usual mob scene. On the way to the post-race party, caught the start of the kids' 1K Fun Run. Here's a so-so iPhone pic:


Finally, it's worth noting that while I was expecting to have to wait half an hour for my free beer at George Herman's in nearby Latta Arcade, I basically walked up and was sipping on Mich Ultra within about 15 seconds.

All in all, a very fun race. I ran into so many people afterward who were thrilled with the experience. And I heard at least one person say they wished there were more evening races, because they don't like getting up at the crack of dawn for runs. (Hmm, maybe someone in town should step up with another one?)

Anyway, did you run it? What'd you think of the event?