The Hoover Dam 10K is simply a great race! This was my first year entering it, and I cannot believe I’ve missed out on this gem the last couple of years.

Put on by Run Wild Racing, it is well marked with plenty of water stops and lots of goodies afterward, like all of Doug’s races. It even had an 8 a.m. starting time, which works better for me. The big difference from most races in our area was the course. It was beautiful! I’ve lived in Central Ohio for over 30 years and I had no idea these beautiful parks were near the dam. The course is on roads, but was very scenic. In the first half you walk along the reservoir, then cross the dam. Then you are on tree-lined streets with beautiful houses. Eventually you are back by the water and we watched kayakers while we tried to pick up speed.

Around mile 4 and 5 the course is “challenging,” as Doug puts it. Actually, it is hilly. (Not Cincinnati hilly, but more Nashville hilly.) Then you cross the water again and you are back!

I finished around 1:32 and I was very pleased.

The only ding this event gets is, though chip timed, there is no mat at the start. Traffic is allowed on the street until our exact start. It is best to get as close to the front as you can so you are crossing the starting line as close to 8:00 as possible. For people like me, who will not win an award, it is no big deal. The fast walkers were up in the front.

What I would like to do, since this is such a great course, is figure out how we can get a lot more people to enter next year. I will probably pick it as a Walking Team event, but I have no idea whether that will make a difference. If any of you have ideas how we can get this great race to grow, please let me know! It is definitely worth entering!

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