Racing for Grace

I had a Saturday morning free and had not run a 10K race in awhile, so I headed over to Tucker for Racing for Grace. This event was sponsored by St. Andrews Presbyterian Church, benefiting their youth mission work and building program.

The advance work on this race was excellent. It was well promoted (a Run Georgia Premier Event), the event web site was professional and informative, the T-shirt logo (with [Isaiah 40:31b](http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=isa 40:31 "Isaiah 40:31") quote) was well done, and the 10K course was USATF certified. There was a huge number of race-day volunteers (all wearing recognizable white event shirts), and good facilities. It was a combination 5K and 10K, and the 10K was far from crowded.

And it was a nice run: the weather was beautiful and the tree-lined roads were pleasant. The course meandered through nearby neighborhoods, with rolling hills and many turns. Many cones and volunteers directed the way, but unfortunately not quite enough. There were two confusing points along the way: one where several runners and I did a loop we probably shouldn't have and another where we took a wrong turn. So I'm not sure exactly how far I ran. My Nike+ reported 6.53 miles, but no matter how much I calibrate, it's never completely accurate on hills. My time (55 mins, 25 secs) was in the ballpark for a 10K, albeit slower than usual, even with the hills.

For a "first annual" event, it had a lot going for it. Several runners provided feedback about the route problems, so I'm sure there will be course corrections and more participation next year. It'll be a race to look forward to.