Kickoff to Kinnick 2022 race recap

Seriously, is there anything better than returning to a fun race that benefits a great cause?

Such is the case with the Kickoff to Kinnick 5K. 

This past Saturday, I took to the streets of Iowa City and to the field in Kinnick Stadium. I donned the University of Iowa black and gold colors. I persevered through a long, tough climb. I put up with the unexpected damp weather. And I even waved to the kids in the Stead Family Children's Hospital.

But, I'm getting ahead of myself. Read on for a few more details...

The Kickoff to Kinnick 5K  has been happening since 2014. I first ran it in 2017, and then returned in 2018 and 2019. I had that cumbersome stress fracture in 2020, so I took a forced sabbatical that year. Last year, I was actually in Maryland on race weekend (for the Iowa football game), so I opted to run the race virtually with Deb. The race starts right outside the Ronald McDonald House, encircling some of the University Heights area, then winds its way back to Kinnick Stadium, ending on the 50 yard line. 

As a proud University of Iowa alumni, this event is pretty meaningful to me. It benefits the Iowa Dance Marathon, which works closely with the UofI Stead Family Children's Hospital in supporting and helping children (and their families) who have been affected by cancer (and other illnesses). This is the hospital that has become famous, in the past five years, as it's the one where all the fans, in Kinnick, wave to kids between the first and second quarters of the home games.

With a start time of 9:00, I got to the parking lot shortly after 8:15. I picked up my race packet and had plenty of time to do some dynamic stretches as a brief warm-up. The evening prior, my weather app had indicated we'd have 57F temps and sunshine. Unfortunately, Momma N changed her mind and instead gave us 52F temps, fog and mist. Oh well. I've run in much worse weather conditions, LOL.

This is very much more of a family-friendly "run" than it is an actual competitive "race." Although I think it's awesome to have so many families (with so many kids) in attendance, it does make for a rather crowded race start. This event also draws a lot of walkers, which is also a good thing. We're all there to support the cause, after all...but I have learned it's in my best interest to inch my way towards the front of the herd to avoid the bulk of the chaos (I'm looking at you, strollers).

Since I was running solo, and had been having some recent glute (and vicinity) discomfort, I had cued-up a couple of Peloton runs/walks for entertainment (more for the music than the actual workouts). I had the first workout ready to go, but shortly after crossing the start line, it paused. I don't know if it was loading (?) or if I'd bumped something, but it took a long time before I could actually hear it through my ear buds. Meanwhile, the first part of the race course had us going down a rather steep hill that curved around Hawkins, towards Second Street. Suffice it to say that trying to run downhill (without tripping) within a thick group of runners (while also trying to troubleshoot the Pelo app issue) was pretty challenging. 

I made it down the hill, and followed the crowd along the course (turning left; now headed towards First Avenue). The music finally came on...only to disappear after a few minutes. 

The route then turned left, now onto First Avenue, and we had level ground (but only for only a few minutes). We passed the 1-mile mark and the route then started its long, gradual climb towards Melrose Avenue. Although I was able to keep a decent pace, everything felt tight and wonky in the area of my right glute, hamstring and hip flexor. Nothing debilitating, but my range of motion was definitely compromised from the waist-down on my right leg.

Shortly before the corner, I opted for a quick walk break. By then, I'd covered more than half of the race course. My energy was feeling good, but the hill was nowhere close to ending (I knew the climb would continue for a ways after turning onto Melrose), so I thought a little reprieve would be alright.

After the route turned onto Melrose (another left turn), I knew there were still a few more remaining inclines, but the worst of them were done. By then, I'd long since given up on the music making an appearance. I also noticed the fog had cleared somewhat, and the mist had dissipated. 

It wasn't until the approximate 2.5-mile mark that the bulk of heavy climbing ended. By then, I'd taken another short walk break (because, why not?). The final half mile had us winding around a few brief curves as we made our way towards the parking lots outside of Kinnick. 

A unique feature of the final part of the route is entering Kinnick, via the "underground." There's a very steep decline that takes us under the stadium itself, and a dark "hallway" then leads us out onto the field. 

A finish chute is set up, as well as the timing mat, with Herky (the Iowa Hawkeye mascot) waiting for all the runners to make their way across the 50-yard line.

...and, close by, is the Stead Family Children's Hospital. Of course, I had to give the kids a wave (wouldn't you?).

Let's not forget Herky! I wouldn't be able to rightly call myself a Hawkeye if I didn't get my pic with him (so what if he accidentally biffed me with his beak).

So, how did I do? Well, it definitely wasn't my best performance, but I wasn't even thinking of a PR, given the state of my grumpy glute region. My Garmin showed 29:41 for a finish time, but the official results showed 29:21. I think I bumped the "start" button early (probably in my attempt to get the Peloton stuff working). The stats showed I placed 11th in my 10-year age group (out of 97); 74th out of 633 (for women), and 254th overall (out of 1078). As mentioned earlier, there were a lot of walkers, so don't be too impressed with my standings, LOL.

The swag was nice, but nothing stellar. The shirt is a cotton/polyester blend, and has a unisex cut (ugh, not my fav). I do like that it's black, though (and not gold), and that the lettering is easy to read (last year's shirt, which I wore to race in this year, had a strange graphic design with very hard-to-read lettering).

As for the medal, it's big! It matches the lettering of the shirt, but the medals, in years past, were more flashy. That said, this event is more about the cause and not the swag, so I'm alright with that. I'd prefer the funds go towards the cause (the UofI Dance Marathon and the Children's Hospital) rather than towards fancy keepsakes.

 

I like that the medals are different each year, though. It's nice that each has its own unique design.

From previous years (top-to-bottom): 2017 (a bottle opener), 2018 (belt buckle), 2019, 2021, 2022

And here's a final look at Kinnick, on a non-game day. It's neat being there without the hustle and bustle of an actual game along with upwards of 70,000 football fans.

So tell me, have you ever run a race that ended on the field inside a football stadium? Have you heard of the Stead Family Children's Hospital, or the Iowa Wave? 

I'm linking this with Kim and Zenaida for the Tuesday Topics Link-Up

By the way...are you following me on social media? You can find me at these various platforms: 

Let's connect : Facebook Instagram  Pinterest Twitter