Belmar 5
I never had more fun running a race than I did during the Belmar 5 earlier this month.
As a distance runner, I’m not a huge fan of the 5K. While I love running a race to raise money for charity — I usually only run a 5K if it’s for a charity, to be honest — I have a hard time committing to waking up early on a Sunday and driving a few towns over just to run three miles.
Given my lukewarm attitude toward the 5K, I was skeptical about how much fun I’d have during the Belmar 5. Even though five miles is a pretty solid distance, I still wasn’t excited about waking up at 6 a.m. on a Saturday. But my friend who just recently started running wanted to do it, and she wanted me to run with her for support. I was in.
The race started at 8:30, and despite the course winding along the ocean and two coastal lakes, the heat was still unbearable. This race is apparently famous for it's cruel temperatures, and this year’s high of 87 degrees lived up to that hype.
The horrid heat aside, this felt more like a block party than a race.
All along the course, people were on their decks blasting music — Bruce Springsteen and the Rocky theme were my two personal favorites. A few people set up drums, guitars, and amps on their front lawns to play live music for the runners. About every mile or so, at least one house had their hose set up to spray runners with cold water as they ran by. Those people were the true superheroes of this race.
The atmosphere was incredible, it helped to take your mind off the fact that the heat was trying so suffocate you. It was also set to the backdrop of my absolute favorite place in the world, the Jersey shore. The lakes were beautiful and I don’t think anything can beat a run with an ocean view.
At the end of the race, we got our medals (which were surprisingly cute!) and cooled off in a giant sprinkler set up by the town. We grabbed our snacks, and I was able to cool down on the beach. Being able to eat my post-race snacks as I lounged out by the ocean was probably my favorite thing about this race.
I have a feeling this race is going to become a new yearly tradition. The timing is perfect to kickstart my fall half marathon training, and I get to relax on a beach all day afterward. I already can’t wait to do it again next year.