Vestaburg 5K (Vestaburg - 2021 - 5K)
98.7 Mile Drive
Registration:
Registration for the
Vestaburg 5K was old school. For the
first time my only option for registration was to mail a check to Vestaburg Community
Schools. I’ve written checks to runs
when we’ve signed Luke up on race day. Most
runs except mail in registration in addition to online registration. This was my first experience with “mail-in”
as
the only option. I made sure to postmark my registration with the
cutoff date of July 5th in mind. My
check wasn’t cashed until after the run which made my nervous that they had received
it. I called the school office the week
of the run to confirm I was registered.
I told Jason that because there was no Facebook group, no pictures of race
shirts, age group awards and only mail in registration I had absolutely no idea
what to expect from Vestaburg. We joked
that we may drive up to Vestaburg and pull into an empty high school parking
lot with crickets chirping. I didn’t
actually believe that, but it was funny to joke about on the drive up.
Vestaburg’s weebly
website had a lot of information including a map of the 5K course. They stressed bringing lighting with the
evening timing of the run and mentioned they would have glow sticks for
runners, but a limited supply. Their fun
run had two distances, a 100 meter and 400 meter that took place on the school’s
track. Fun run registration was only $5
and registered kids received a shirt! Pre-registration
for the 5K run was only $20! A quote I thought
was amazing that stuck with me from the registration website was:
“In our programs, we
try to encourage lifelong participation in running and fitness by continuing a
tradition of having a fun, close-knit group of athletes of all abilities who
like to compete. This event is an extension of that into the community.”
(https://vestaburg5k.weebly.com/)
Packet-it pick-up on race day was underneath a canopy set up just off the Vestaburg track feet away from the start and finish. There was not a line when I came up and it went very quick.
Vestaburg had the latest start time for a run with the 5K beginning at 9:30pm after the kids run at 8:45pm.
Course:
I did not get great Vestaburg course pictures due to the darkness. Thankfully, not all course photos were lost to blurriness. I’ve included some of the blurry pictures in my album for Vestaburg and tried my best to sharpen others. The Vestaburg course looks like a dog when you turn it clockwise. I see it as a Scottish Terrier.
It was nice starting and finishing on a school track. I haven’t started a 5K on a track since the Summer Solstice (inferno 5K) in Coloma this past Spring. The course was a mix of Vestaburg neighborhoods, Vestaburg schools, downtown Vestaburg and scenic views of Bass Lake. Even being at dusk, it was a great tour of Vestaburg.
There were a lot of turns and a slight elevation change on the dirt road by Bass Lake, but still overall a flat 5K course. The longest straight away section and darkest stretch of the course was on Derry Road/5th Road (.65 of a mile) on our way back to the track field. Glow sticks were strategically placed on the roads starting just after we left downtown Vestaburg. I thought it was very cool how race staff knew exactly where to start the glowsticks based on timing of sunset and area on the course. It was done extremely well (at least for my speed and beyond). The fastest runners came in before the sun even set.
My favorite aspects of the Vestaburg course were constantly feeling like I was close to the start/finish. They had us turning a lot and were able to make 3.10 miles out of a smaller area. The amazing glow sticks on the roads and lantern bags that took us from 5th street back through a gravel path to the football stadium. It was a magical ending to a 5K running through the lantern bags leading the way to the bright floodlights that lit up Vestaburg in the distance. Lastly, I loved Bass Lake. When we turned left off Vestaburg Road onto South Bass Lake Drive we were on dirt road surrounded by woods. The sun was just about to set as I looked over and saw Bass Lake. I also saw a campground. When we crossed over a trail I did not know it was the Fred Meijer Heartland Trail. I’ve run on the Fred Meijer Heartland Trail in other towns. The area near Bass Lake made it feel like the run had transitioned to a trail even though we were still on roads. There were a lot of nice homes there.
There were fire trucks placed at the busier intersections instead of police cars. It was unique. I liked seeing the bright lights from the trucks in the distance, but they were too flashy up close. Luckily, that part didn’t last long.
The start and finish of the 5K on the Vestaburg track was very official and exciting. They had a great finishing shoot with flags after participants passed the official finish line markers that took us right out into the football field. It was a finish that made every participant feel like a champion no matter when they came in.
Swag:
I received a bright neon yellow tech t-shirt that had a group of runners blending in with the giant “5K.” It’s a very comfortable shirt, but the kind of shirt I worry about the logo coming off after too many washes. For that reason, I don’t wear it very frequently. The bright neon color was a great choice as a reflector for participants that wore it. You can see it in some of the pictures I took. Participants with race shirts were more visible on the streets in the dark.
Food:
The post-race food table was located at the opposite end of the field from the start and finish. It was setup along the restroom building. As participants left the run they walked by the table on their way out. There were full sized water bottles, oranges, bananas, assorted 12oz Gatorades and assorted granola bars. There was a box full of cracked glow sticks on the food table. The Vestaburg 5K staff was amazing and let all the kids take snacks and drinks for the ride home. They also gave our kids all of their leftover glow sticks! We needed a plastic bag to carry all the glow sticks there were so many. The kids were so excited about their treasure of glow sticks.
Awards:
Overall 5K winners received amazing large trophies. Two deep in ten year age groups received age group medals. The award ceremony was done over the PA system in the box at the top of the bleachers. The volume of the announcer was perfect. His voice amplified out into the field for everyone to hear. The results could be heard from the parking lot. Unfortunately, Vestaburg stopped its competitive walking category for awards due to low interest. Competitive walkers are amazing. It’s always very hard for me to place at runs that use the 30-39 age group. Going only two deep made it even harder for me in Vestaburg. Vestaburg had a very official and professionally done age group ceremony. We enjoyed it from the bleachers overlooking the field.
City Notes:
I thankfully got most of my Vestaburg pictures before the run knowing the sun would be gone when we left for home. Vestaburg is also not a big town. It’s technically an “unincorporated community” in Michigan. Farmer in the Dell looked liked an amazing restaurant and ice cream shop. It’s one of the first businesses you see in Vestaburg when you turn off M-46 towards town. Vestaburg had a really cool old stone building converted to a NAPA Auto Parts, post office with a colorful mural and a very cute Richland Township Library with a “Mini Library” and $1.00 movie rental (Since the era of Family Video is officially coming to an end)
In the neighborhoods of Vestaburg there were awesome houses. We saw a stone house and a cool “A frame” home on the way to the run. I saw a handful of cozy cottages near the lake as I was running. Vestaburg was a lively town with a family out playing catch in the street and a permanent lemonade stand set up in front of an in-home daycare. I could feel the strong community vibes radiating from Vestaburg as soon as we got into town.
Vestaburg had an awesome Firefighter station. It was much larger than I expected (compared to other small Michigan towns) and had a firefighter holding an infant across from a Dalmatian statue. I did not see a police station in town. I could have missed it or that could be the reason that firefighters were stationed on the Vestaburg course instead of police.
City Sign:
Vestaburg is the first city with only one city sign picture taken since Rosebush. It turns out there was a second sign on the NAPA Auto Store building that said, “Welcome to Vestaburg.” I would have gotten a picture with the NAPA welcome sign had I seen it before I was editing photos at home months later. Oops… Vestaburg is quite a drive to go back for a city sign. I loved the official “Welcome to Vestaburg” sign on the corner of M-45 and Crystal Road. It was right by Farmer in the Dell. It was a great wood sign with a colorful roof and letter accents. It had a Lions Club emblem on it and an awesome flower bed encased in wood logs. It was one of the larger city signs I’ve found. The background of the city sign picture was beautiful. The sign took a small walk to get to from the parking lot with it being located in such a large grass field. I love that people driving on M-45 can see the Vestaburg city sign like a beacon from the road. It’s in a fantastic location.
Other Awesomeness:
Jason had a great view of the start and finish of the race being in the bleachers. Race videos from bleachers are always the best because they show the entire group of runners. The kids spent a lot of time goofing around in the football field while I was running. After I got back they did bleacher agility contests.
I stumbled across an amazing frog perched on the fence at the track as I was doing my stand-up stretches. Jason was able to catch him so the kids could take a closer look. We took him to the woods so he could be safe away from foot traffic. I was worried he would be stepped on if he stayed on the track ground. He was so shiny! ….He looked like a glitter frog in the bright lights.
Our drive up to Vestaburg had amazing skyline colors. The hilly M45 made for great picture opportunities on the road. We saw farm silos that were lit up with tons of tiny lights as we left at night. In the picture it looked like a Christmas decoration there were so many lights.
I felt like I was an outsider coming to the Vestaburg 5K. I say that because it was clear it was a community run with the majority of participants (if not all) being from Vestaburg or extremely close neighboring towns. I don’t say it in a negative way. Vestaburg did nothing to make me feel unwelcome. I haven’t been to such a tight community race in a while. It really lived up to the quote from their registration page that said, “close-knit group.” It was awesome to be a part of the Vestaburg 5K. The race staff was so nice to our family when they gave us all their leftover glow sticks and so much food to take home. They were aware of our drive time and thanked us for traveling up to their event. The thankfulness goes both ways.
Course Rating: 5 Stars
Post-Race Food Rating: 4.8 Stars
Swag Rating: 4.3 Stars
Awards Rating: 4 Stars
Vestaburg 5K Quote:
“Only in darkness can you see the stars.” - Martin Luther King Jr.
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