You Know You're at a Local Fun Run When....

When the majority of the runners are racing in the shirt that came in their packet.

Turns are not marked and cops sit there playing on their phones while the lead runners go off course.

The raffle prizes are way better than the overall prizes.

Winner out leans runner up at the finish, but is given second based on chip time.

Overall winner is a master.

Dude, that's an awesome prize.

not a med student wrote:

3. when the highlight of your pre race is to look at all the chicks in their sports bras on a hot day.

I'm thinking a cool day would be better. Just sayin'.

not a med student wrote:

3. when the highlight of your pre race is to look at all the chicks in their sports bras on a hot day.

That doesn't strike me as being characteristic of a local fun run as opposed to other types of races.

... you get beat by Superman, Spiderman and a mouse.

..... when the race director uses a double-barreled shotgun to start the race

...... when the course pacer is a guy wearing camo driving an ATV

..... when you measure the "5k" course afterward using your car's odometer and find out it's actually 3 7/10ths miles

true......but sometimes its nice to look at the chicks that are just average runners as opposed to the no fat elites.

Some easy ones I didn't see yet

1. Ipods

2. Water stops

3. 2.97miles, give or take

...in a 5k

4. Lead runners off-course because it's not marked, misdirected, or volunteers (bless 'em anyway) have no idea of the course

5. Lotsa basketball shoes

Local 10k Guy wrote:

You know you're at a local fun run when the race official asks for all the "fast people" to get to the front of the line, and a lady in your mid 30s with a baby stroller steps up to the in front of you (a 36:30 10k guy). .

I woulda just left it at "steps up to the front." There's a local guy that always does this (significantly farther up than his finishing place by a factor of 5-10) so he can stay competitive in his age group.

But worse is when they *don't* say anything about fast people getting to the front, so that if you run strides/enter from the front, you get dirty looks for "not getting there earlier."

you feel awkward trying hard because you're so far ahead of everyone else

Laughed hard at this one:

"..... when the race director uses a double-barreled shotgun to start the race"

what kind of redneck races are you running in? Is first prize a night with Missy-Lou Hillbilly? With second prize being two nights with Missy-Lou Hillbilly?

Overweight people. Lots of them.

Handwritten race bibs.

Finish line=the imaginary line between two chairs (or in some cases, one chair to be run into.)

Race started by someone yelling "GO!"

Way too many shirtless 19:00 guys in the front.

A hero's worship for the guy who ran 15:45 and won by 2 and a half minutes.

A water station at the halfway point in a 5k.

lol - how about these..

when you take first place in your age group (or overall sometimes) and then second place is announced and up comes some dude that is like 250 pounds and ran a 27sh 5k.

when you and another guy battle it out for first overall...and then third place is like 4 minutes behind.

Captain Track wrote:

When you're not a local, blast a 5k in 14:30, and everyone at the run doesn't talk to you or ignores you because you're not one of "them", especially the run director who coldly gives you the award.......

i've done this when a guy came to a little allcomes indoor 3k and triple laped everyone of us.

fine, but I'm not kissing your azz cause y'er good

was I supposed to ask him for training advice I've been running 90 years

.... you see participants taking in a pre / post race cigarette

.... you run by most of the field on your warm down

.....skip awards because you don't want to wait an hour after you've finished your warm down

I agree. screw these people. you almost always see at least one them at a 5k race. come by themselves...then win the race...and then sit around and think they are the a pro. everyone else just ignores them. you may be good..but i aint kissing your shoes. lol

... when the 10k walkers yell "we're runners too!" at you when you (as a volunteer at the finish line) tell the walkers (who still had a 5k lap to go in a 10k) to move aside as 10k runners were coming up behind them to finish their race.

When you see the local college/high school runners line up at the start everyone else is just "shooting for second".

When a local college girl wins the 5k or 10k wins overall.

When your 5k split in the 10k could have won the 5k race.