REGISTRATION:
1. Process: Very smooth. You had the option of signing up online at Active.com, sending in a paper registration as long as it was postmarked by February 1 (shirt not guaranteed after this date), or registering on site during the packet pick-up or day of the race. Pre-race packet pick-up was at the Talmer Bank on the corner of Holbrook and Joseph Campau in Hamtramck, a couple hundred feet from where the starting line was to be. I opted for online registration and it went smoothly. My sister Lauren, who was running with me, opted to register at the pre-race packet pick-up and she said that also went smoothly. On race day it seemed that on-site registration and packet pick-up were well organized. Pre-registrants had to find their bib number on the list they posted and then take it to the tent to pick up their packet. Pretty straight forward and typical process. Of course there is always the rush to get registered/pick-up a packet right before, and I think they announced there would be short delay in the start of the race. It was barely noticeable, however, and we were off before we knew it.
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| Talmer Bank on the corner of Holbrook and Joseph Campau. The location of early packet pick-up and about 100 ft north of the start/finish line. |
2. Price: Average. It was $25 if you sent in a paper registration, or used Active.com (don't forget there is an added processing fee!) The cost was $35 if you registered at the pre-packet pick-up or on the day of the race. I groaned a little because I was not able to postmark by Feb. 1 and so was forced to sign-up on Active.com (to make sure I got a shirt.) I am not a fan of Active.com because I feel they usually have large "processing fees", which I find to be ridiculous (I don't understand why I have to spend an extra $5+, but I digress...) In this case, however, the processing fee was only $3.25. Still more than I've spent on other websites that manage events, but much less than I've spent in the past when having to use Active.com.
3. Swag: You got the good ol' reliable cotton t-shirt, but with a twist! You were able to choose from four different shirt colors labeled after some favorite paczki flavors: Strawberry, blueberry, chocolate or apricot. Personally, I thought this was pretty creative! I can't recall ever being able to pick my shirt color, and I thought labeling them after paczki flavors was a neat way to tie it into the event. I chose apricot:
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| Love the shirt. |
My sister did not get to choose her shirt color because she did not register earlier and was given strawberry--red shirt with white lettering. The chocolate shirts were dark brown with cream-colored lettering, and the blueberry shirts were a regular blue (not navy) with a light blue lettering. All four were nice colors. We also thought the shirt design was pretty neat. You can find photos that people have posted while wearing their shirts on the Paczki Run Event Page on Facebook: Paczki Run Facebook Page .
RACE:
1. Route/Conditions: There was nothing truly spectacular about the route. It ran through the never-ending residential streets that you find in the city. The roads aren't particularly narrow, however there are always people parking on the side of the road in the residential areas and also as a result there was only one lanes' worth plowed on the road. This made it seem a lot narrower than it really was. I didn't mind running on the snow so much (I live in northern Michigan so this is common), but others who aren't used to the conditions might--it IS winter here, though, so it's kind of expected :).
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| Paczki Run route |
2. Fans: There weren't too many people out watching, which was a little surprising to me considering we were running through a residential area. Guess everyone is still sleeping at 10am on a Saturday (truth be told, I might have been too if I hadn't been running!)
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| We're off! (photo is facing east) |
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| And we're back... (photo is facing west, into the parking lot where the post-race activities took place) |
3. Points of Interest: The beginning of the route ran right up Joseph Campau (the main street in Hamtramck) and right by the New Palace Bakery ... I was definitely tempted to stop in despite the fact that I was in the middle of running a 5K (you would have been too if you would have seen what was in the front window!) I made a mental note to stop in at this bakery after the race for some paczki.
Two points of interest to me were the Ukrainian Catholic Church: Immaculate Conception, which my family has ties to, and the impressive St. Florian which is the dominant Roman Catholic Church for the Polish who are or have been a part of the Hamtramck community at some point.
Here is a small amount of info on Immaculate Conception (I couldn't find much online): Immaculate Conception Ukrainian Catholic Church Facebook Page
Here's some information on Wikipedia about St. Florian:
Churches always provide much information on an area because they are often the center of a community. This was the case when Hamtramck was developing. I'm always drawn to them for this reason.
POST RACE:
1. Offerings: No medal here! Your in Polish country so your post-recharge includes a paczek and a beer! After crossing the finish line if you kept walking past the water table there was about twenty-five feet of pure goodness:
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| Feast your eyes on this... |
There were also packets of granola being handed out, so if your not in to packing on the calories that you just ran off this is a nice option.
My sister and I grabbed the first paczki we came to, which happened to be strawberry. I wish we would have waited, though, because there were a number of flavors offered, including blackberry. If I'm able to run here next year I know now to walk to the end of the line of tables instead of eagerly grabbing the first paczek I see!
After getting and eating our paczki (sorry, when consuming paczki there's often no time to stop and take photos...not that our powered sugar covered faces would have been worth seeing :) ) we made our way over to the beer tables that were situated in the large parking lot on the corner of Holbrook and Joseph Campau. With your white bib you were able to pick up one brew--you had your choice of the Axl Pale Ale or the Brik Irish Red Ale from Millking It Productions, out of Royal Oak, MI. There was also a dark beer offered, but by the time Lauren and I got up to the table they were out of it. (I enjoyed the red ale and my sister chose the pale ale. I tried both and liked the red more--personal preference.) Those under age were given a yellow bib. Want something to tide you over before stopping at a restaurant in downtown Hamtramck? The Green Zebra Food Truck was conveniently situated right next to the beer table. We didn't eat here, but the menu looked great! There looked to be plenty of food and beverage for everyone.
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| Here's Lauren holding our beer (one for each of us...I didn't let her take both!) Behind her you can see that there's still plenty to go around. |
2. Events: Also near the beer tables was a large heated tent--VERY welcoming in this cold weather! Inside there were tables set up on either side. One set of tables was full of paczki being handed out and I didn't quite catch what was on the other side...I think sponsors of the race set up here to offer information. The main attraction was the Polka Band (of course!) with rows of chairs set up for listeners, as well as an area for those who chose to burn a few more calories by polkaing:
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| Waiting to get into the polka tent. I think it opened at 11 am. |
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| Bryan and Lauren waiting for polka to start... |
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| More paczki! |
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| We had a front row seat for listening to the polka band. They were great! |
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| A couple people making room for more paczki calories... |
Lauren, my boyfriend Bryan and I sat in the front row and listened to the band while Lauren and I each finished our beer. It was a great way to end the morning!
OTHER RELEVANT INFO:
This was a true family event. Both walkers and runners of all ages were welcome. Strollers and dogs were allowed, but they asked that you start behind the runners.
One of the main sponsors of this event is Tour-de-Troit, I biking event in the Detroit area. They promoted this event on their own site. Here it is if you'd like to check out the Paczki Run or Tour-de-Toit: http://www.tour-de-troit.org/
There is a link to the race results on the Tour-de-Troit website that directs you to Run Michigan.com: 2013 Paczki Run Results . My time was 31:15. I ran the whole race with my sister who hasn't run in a while. The time maybe a tad slow, but she did a great job by running the whole race (no walking here!) It was nice to do an event with her.
This was a true family event. Both walkers and runners of all ages were welcome. Strollers and dogs were allowed, but they asked that you start behind the runners.
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| Here's Bruce sporting the blueberry shirt! I saw him lining up, so I can confirm that he ran, too. His owner was kind enough to allow me to take a photo and pet him. Such a nice pup! |
There is a link to the race results on the Tour-de-Troit website that directs you to Run Michigan.com: 2013 Paczki Run Results . My time was 31:15. I ran the whole race with my sister who hasn't run in a while. The time maybe a tad slow, but she did a great job by running the whole race (no walking here!) It was nice to do an event with her.
FINAL IMPRESSIONS:
I really had a great time participating in this event. The Paczki Run is kind of like a mini-festival, and is a great way to kick off the countdown to Paczki Day with the family. Great food, great music and great company. What more can you ask for? Honestly, I'd pick this Polish community over Mardi Gras any day of the week...
To those who are celebrating Fat Tuesday, Na Zdrowie!
To those who are celebrating Fat Tuesday, Na Zdrowie!
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