RUNable Race Review: Spooky Sprint

RACE STATS:

  • DATE OF RACE: October 26, 2019
  • DISTANCE(s): 5k, Half Marathon
  • REVIEWED: Half Marathon
  • LOCATION: Madison, MS
  • DIFFICULTY: Level 3.5
  • CAUSE: American Red Cross
  • RUNscore: 3.3 Stars

A Running Glance:

Things I loved

  • The opportunity to earn THE BIGGEST MEDAL I’ve ever seen!
  • Fun Halloween theme

Things I less than loved

  • Rough course
  • Yucky weather; rain & wind!
A Running Glance: Things I loved The opportunity to earn THE BIGGEST MEDAL I've ever seen!Fun Halloween theme Things I less than loved Rough courseYucky weather; rain & wind! RUNable Review: The Spooky Sprint was one for the history books! From the fun Halloween theme (complete with Toy Story 4 costumes) to the GIANT 6-inch in diameter medals, to the rain, wind and flooded course - this was definitely a race I will never forget!! Price The price for the 5k started at $28 and increased to $40 on race day, while the cost of the Half Marathon began at…
Here is my overall RUNscore, averaged from the individual categories above. Did you run the race? If so, click the stars next to USER RATING to rate this race yourself! Then read my full review below!! PS - I *LOVE* reader comments, so feel free to give me your opinion. But just about this race or my blog. Let's leave religion, politics, and parenting to the professionals. 😉

Running Tally: Spooky Sprint

Price/Value
T-Shirt/Swag
Expo/Finish Line
Medal/Awards
Volunteers
Course Scenery
Aid Stations
Parking/Access
Race Management

3.3 STARS

Here is my overall RUNscore, averaged from the individual categories above. Did you run the race? If so, click the stars next to USER RATING to rate this race yourself! Then read my full review below!! PS - I *LOVE* reader comments, so feel free to give me your opinion. But just about this race or my blog. Let's leave religion, politics, and parenting to the professionals. 😉

User Rating: 3.85 ( 1 votes)

RUNable Review:

The Spooky Sprint was one for the history books! From the fun Halloween theme (complete with Toy Story 4 costumes) to the GIANT 6-inch in diameter medals, to the rain, wind and flooded course – this was definitely a race I will never forget!!

Price

The price for the 5k started at $28 and increased to $40 on race day, while the cost of the Half Marathon began at $50, landing at $80 on race day. Considering the size and quality of the bling involved, I’d say these prices are on point.

T-shirt/Swag

The t-shirt is Gildan SoftSpun Ring-style, super soft and very lightweight. This particular variety is one of my favorites because it’s 65% polyester and 35% cotton, which makes for quite the comfy blend.

Expo/Finish Line

The finish line at this event was a little bare, mostly because of the poor weather. BRC events are usually a little more festive, but since the conditions were truly not ideal for sensitive electronic equipment to be exposed to the elements, I completely understand that they allowed our usual DJ sleep in that morning!

Medal/Awards

THIS MEDAL THOUGH! The gallery below is comprised of pictures of just a few of my fellow-finishers. Every single one of these friends, I met through running! I love this sport for that very reason; running unites us all. Besides, who doesn’t want to earn a giant 6-inches in diameter medal! This thing is HEAVY DUTY too! I may need to reinforce my medal rack before hanging her up!

Volunteers

BLESS THE VOLUNTEERS! It’s one thing to RUN in a monsoon. (I mean, that’s CRAZY, right?) It’s completely another thing to go stand out in the pouring, freezing rain so that OTHER PEOPLE can run, have a great time and earn their medals on race morning. <3

Course Scenery

The course started from the Lake Caroline Clubhouse and took us across the levy through the scenic neighborhood of Lake Caroline.

Course Difficulty: LEVEL 3.5

This course rated a little tougher than most on the RUNable Course Difficulty Scale. There were several unpaved back roads that on a nice day MAY have been fine. But let me tell you, in a torrential downpour, this uneven terrain quickly became treacherous. I spent a lot of time and energy puddle jumping!

Click to read the RUNable Difficulty Key
  • LEVEL 1: NO PROBLEM – Mostly flat & even course that’s perfect for a first race or a PR.
  • LEVEL 2: EASY – Small hills or uneven terrain, but nothing too scary for most runners.
  • LEVEL 3: MODERATE – A few more or steeper hills or variable terrain: great training.
  • LEVEL 4: CHALLENGING – Multiple hills and rougher terrain that may take some mental pushing to get through.
  • LEVEL 5: DIFFICULT – Steep inclines and/or the type of terrain that makes your legs hate you, your feet beg for mercy, and your mind think “what were we thinking?”

Aid Stations

There were several water stations set up on course. Again, I offer a big thanks to those who braved the less than lovely weather that day to support our event!

Parking/Access

Parking at the Lake Caroline Clubhouse was convenient and plentiful.

Race Management

I have met a lot of race directors in my running career, and I would be hard-pressed to introduce you to one who cares more about his runners than Randen Schleiden. He is a kind, generous, considerate, and truly an asset to our local running community. RAnden, I hope you continue to grow Bodies Race Company Jackson. Y’all check out the upcoming events and don’t forget to use promo code runable_20 to save yourself 20% off registration!

Finishing Thoughts ….

One of my favorite parts of this race was the fun Halloween theme. (Please someone, give me a reason to dress up!!) I took a lot of time contemplating my costume options and eventually decided that Opie and I would dress up as characters from Toy Story. I was intent on dressing up like “Forky” from the latest version, Toy Story 4. (Have y’all seen it? It’s super cute, especially the new characters!) One night a few weeks before the race, I mentioned this plan while chatting with several other runners at a social run. The next thing I knew, multiple friends had decided to join in on the fun! I love it when a plan comes together – and these guys really went all out with their costumes. (Ashley as Bo Peep / Julie as Slinky Dog / Renee as an Alien / Jen as Buzz Lightyear / Selena as Jessie / Opie as Woody / Me (Chris) as Forky) You guys really made this event even more fun! Thanks for playing along!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Scroll to Top