NO FRILLS ALL THRILLS (Brighton - 2020 - 4K)
No Frills All Thrills 2020 Photos
29 Mile Drive
The 2020 No Frills All Thrills was a completely different race from 2019. Due to the Coronavirus there was no official start time and no timer present. The race director decided to let participants that still wanted to come show up and starting running whenever they choose from 9:00am until noon. Upon finishing we showed our running app results to Don and got official times! I thought this was a wonderful idea. No Frills All Thrills is already a trail run out in nature. Runners were given the option to defer their 2020 registration to 2021. Many did that. That brought race numbers down to 41. Take that number and spread it across a three hour start time window and you have a brilliant way to keep runners safe and provide the running relief we all needed. Runners are missing events more than ever since this pandemic. Being able to go outside and exercise is great, but a lot of runners enjoy being around other runners from time to time. No Frills All Thrills gave me a sense of community as I saw runners finish and chat with their friends and family before going home.
I got to Huron Meadows Metro Park late, slightly on purpose and slightly because we love to sleep in. I thought arriving at 10:30 would be even safer incase many runners still showed up at the original start time of 9:00am. No age group awards were done. There were no bibs, no shirts and it was minimal contact receiving an awesome pair of running socks. Race staff consisted of nine awesome people including one of my friends from Kona Running. Don the race director reminded me we had talked at the Kona dinner last year. He’s so nice.
The course was the exact same with great cone and spray paint markings. The only change was my choice to take the 4K path instead of the 8K this year. I ran a lot slower stopping to take so many pictures making the 4K a smart move. No Frills All Thrills is like a great amusement park ride. You start out of the gate and take a relaxing path around the woods near the parking lot and then after turning along a bend you see a long hill downward, after that it twists, turns, goes up and down through water, pine trees, swamps and mud. You really get it all at Huron Meadows Metropark in Brighton. I saw people out walking, said, “Hi” and mentioned how nice it was to be able to be outside. They agreed. I was all alone with no other runners behind or in front of me on the course. In 2019 I was always near people. It was unreal this year, a tad sad, but also very relaxing and peaceful. I loved getting the chance to come out and do an official run alone in the woods.
It was very cold at a chilling 27 degrees. It took me awhile to get out of the car and start, but once I got running I was okay. They had a bonfire for people to stand around, which had no more than three people getting toasty at a time. They also had a few post-race treats. I grabbed an almond bag.
This may be my last event as restrictions are getting even more widespread in our state. I wish running events could stay small and do things like No Frills All Thrills with open start windows to allow them to continue through this time. Running is unlike most other sports with it being so low-contact. Social distancing is easy at small runs. If you get to close to another runner you back off or go faster to pass them. Most people cannot run when sick, especially with an illness that affects the respiratory system. Walking is doable, but running takes too much of a toll on the lungs. I believe small group runs with strategies in place for social distancing are totally safe and I thank Don and the gang for doing all the work and prep for this run. I was so happy to attend. I could tell other runners were too. I got a great staff picture before I left.
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