Riverfest 5K (Benton Harbor - 2021 - 5K)
84.4 Mile Drive
Registration:
Registration was very detailed on RunSignUp with lots of information, a course map and something that caught my eye, an upgrade to a tank top for an additional $5! I don’t get many tank tops from runs. I think tank tops are really unique options for participants. Since I was getting my SWMI RACERS member discount, I registered for the tank top upgrade. SWMI RACERS had tank tops at Summer Solstice. I love my sun inspired tank top! Registration for this race was average, not cheap or expensive. SWMI RACERS make high quality medals and shirts like Kona Racing that are worth the registration price.
Course:
The course was street running near downtown Benton Harbor. We made a lot of turns before running straight along the Saint Joseph River back to the start/finish on Riverview Drive. It was a lot of zigzagging. At one point we ran by the Consumer’s Energy building we have charged our electric car at twice. The course fell incredibly short of a 5K distance by over a half mile. MapMyFitness had an error and paused due to rain buy my FitBit was accurate on distance and clocked a course distance of 2.39 miles….
Yes, you read that right.
2.39 miles for a 5K.
I thought I had seen the
shortest mileage mishap in Armada back in 2019.
Blake’s Frost Fest and Riverfest were both 2.39 mile courses.
What are the chances of that…
The Riverfest event staff that
took over in place of SWMI RACERS in the 24 hours prior to the run changed a
large portion of the course. We were originally set to go west down Empire Avenue
to Benton Harbor High School, make a loop around the school and come back. That portion of the course was taken out without replacing the lost mileage.
I’ve been to plenty of races that have courses that come in between .01 and .10 short of a 3.10. Those kind of distance shortages don’t bother me. When I am expecting to run 3.10 miles, running under two and a half is frustrating. It is a mistake that is very easily avoidable.
Swag:
I paid $5.00 extra for the tank
top upgrade. I got a regular t-shirt at
registration. There were no tank tops on site for registered
participants. It was frustrating to pay
the extra fee and not get the awesome tank top.
We got gold circle finisher medals that had cool glow in the dark rims. The medals had the festival logo on a round
sticker inside. I remember seeing a medal posting online that
was in the shape of the Riverfest logo with the city buildings and sun creating
a dimensional look. I must have been
mistaken.
Food:
There was no post-race food or
water for participants. That has never
happened in the 200 running events I have participated in. At the very least, I have always received
water at finish lines. The festival
had tons of beverages and food, but it was expensive.
Awards:
Small gold trophies were given to the
overall run and walk male and female. The trophies had nice white marble bases with engraved plates. A woman who I believe was the new race
director hap-hazardly read age group winners off a paper from the timing man.
She jumped from male to female and didn't read results in increasing age order. She skipped one age group completely and had to come back to it. Before she started the ceremony she asked the
timing guy how to read the awards. I
don’t think she had ever done an award ceremony before. It was interesting to watch. I’ve never been called for an age group win
and received nothing. It was nice to be acknowledged. I loved that they
had overall trophies for walkers.
City Notes:
This was not my first time
running in Benton Harbor. My first run
with SWMI RACERS was in Benton Harbor back at the 2020 Hobbiton Beer Run. It was a Thursday evening run that surprised
me with an amazing Lake Michigan view at the halfway turn around. It was the last run before I tripped
carrying laundry from our basement and fractured my toe. The last time we were in Benton Harbor we got
all kinds of city pictures. I remember
the Muhammud Ali statues around town the most.
Riverfest was supposed to be a laid back fun run on a Friday night. I like SWMI RACER events. The drive to their events is much shorter for
us now. The weather didn’t hold out
which made me relieved I already had city pictures. Benton Harbor may be
Michigan’s most dangerous small town, but it has a lot of cool things. It’s a beautiful Lake Michigan town. I love Lake Michigan cities. Both Benton Harbor courses I have run have
been very scenic.
City Sign:
Benton Harbor has an awesome
huge city sign next to the Blossomland Bridge where Saint Joseph starts and
Benton Harbor ends (or vice versa). We
got the Benton Harbor city sign picture at the Hobbiton Beer run.
I wish there was more awesomeness to report on the inaugural Riverfest
5K. It was a run with a huge amount of
potential. In addition to the short 2.39 mile 5K course, no post-race
refreshments and lack of a special ordered tank top, race staff neglected to
see an incoming thunderstorm and postpone the race 20-30 minutes. This situation could have been easily avoided by watching and understanding radar. I saw the storm and knew we wouldn’t avoid it starting at 6:30. It ended up downpouring on us ten minutes into
the run. I was crossing an intersection
when the rain came down. Thunder and
lightening were present. Jason texted me
with shocked GIFs. When Jason is shocked
by weather, it means it’s pretty bad.
The rain got so heavy I couldn’t see and had to stop under a tree until
it lightened up. I wish I would have had
a hat on, I may have not had to stop. I
was getting closer to the first place female after the second place female fell
behind due to empty stomach cramps. The rain lightened up, but did not stop the
rest of the way back to the finish. I
was soaked and did not bring a change of clothes with me. Running in rain can be fun and a great
challenge, but running in a downpour as heavy as it was in Benton Harbor with thunder and lightening was not safe for participants.
Instead of receiving finisher medals when we crossed the finish
line or soon after we had to wait until they had the awards ceremony. I waited almost a half hour. One man walked by the table they were laying
on, took a finisher medal and left. I
should have done that. I was trying to
be nice and let race staff hand them out.
I don’t think finisher medals need to wait until an awards ceremony to
be given out. I believe it is better
that they are given out when participants cross the finish line. It’s a great moment for people to be handed
something. They can get instant
gratification from the amazing accomplishment.
The race staff started the run nine minutes late. We were given a very long speech detailing
every turn we would make on the course.
It was excessive. I don’t think
most of us remembered it because it’s easier to use course direction and signs
as you run a course. I had to stop
filming it because it dragged on quite a long time.
The timing company was one huge positive of this race. They brought an amazing blow-up arch for the
start and finish line. They had a cool
little trailer out next to the arch they stayed in. It was a great shelter from the rain. The trailer had a window that we could talk
to them through. The had an
awesome setup with a huge monitor that listed times immediately as participants finished and
continuously flashed times of past finishers.
The main timing guy in charge was funny and nice. He is booked for the next three months but is
taking appointments after that.
I reached out to SWMI RACER staff through Facebook messenger and
to my surprise got an instant reply asking if could talk on the phone. I was very excited about my first interview
with official race staff. I had a great 30-minute
conversation. SWMI RACERS was originally
helping Riverfest staff in the organization and execution of the Riverfest
5K. Things fell apart quickly when
volunteer numbers fell short (30 volunteers were wanted) and a finalization of
volunteers by name was not provided to SWMI RACERS. After unfriendly correspondence was sent by
Riverfest staff to SWMI RACERS, SWMI RACERS decided to pull the plug and no
longer be affiliated or help with race direction of the Riverfest 5K
event. I felt horrible for everything the
woman I spoke had to go through in the days leading up to the race. It was not an easy decision to write an email
the night before and turn the race over to Riverfest. SWMI RACERS gave refunds to a few
participants that requested them in light of the situation.
As a result of SWMI RACERS letting Riverfest staff fully take
over, the race suffered greatly in almost every aspect of race direction. Ironically, they did end up with high school
volunteers at almost every turn. They
had half the amount of volunteers SWMI RACERS had requested.
A potentially great new race was left in disarray. The failures of this race could have been
avoided. I should have asked for a
refund the night before. I was concerned
when I got the email from SWMI RACERS stating they were no longer affiliated
with the race. I always have hope things
will end up better than I expect. I want
to give every race a chance. This was
truly a one-of-a-kind circumstance for me.
I have never written so many negative things about a running event. I do not enjoy being so critical.
On the bright side, I ran another epic weather run! Actual time running in bad weather was
shorter than Grayling a few weeks ago, but the storm in Benton Harbor was A LOT
more intense. I got to take a cool shirt and glow in the dark medal home.
We did not go to the Riverfest Festival after the run because it was
still lightly raining and I was very cold. Getting back home and changing into warm PJs
was the highlight of my night. ^_^
I have added a new star rating after participanting in the Riverfest 5K:
"Race Execution."
Course Rating: 3.7 Stars
Post-Race Food Rating: 1 Star
Swag Rating: 4 Stars
Awards Rating: 3 Stars
Race Execution: 1 Star
Riverfest 5K Quote:
“Strategy is a commodity, execution is an art.”
– WiseFamousQuotes.com.
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