Carlsbad 5000

I have the good fortune of having this awesome family weekend event - the Carlsbad 5000 - in my (current) hometown of Carlsbad, California. Friday is the official packet pickup day and most make an afternoon of it -- picking up their packets, listening to live music, sampling yummies and eating dinner in the Village. Saturday is the Junior Carlsbad race, a running event for children 12 and under. The Carlsbad Educational Foundation is the beneficiary of this event and there is a School Champion named for the school with the most participants. There are 11 age group races from the "2 and under" group all the way to "age 12" group and the race distances vary depending on the age. On Sunday, the adults get a turn in the Carlsbad 5000. Again, the race is divided up into age groups and by sex. Last year I ran in the "39 and under females", next year I'll run in the "40 and over females". The races are organized in such a way that families are able to participate because while one parent is racing, the other can watch their children. It's a brilliantly organized race. And once everyone has had an opportunity to race, there are two Elite Invitationals composed of 12 men and 12 women. The men start first and then the women start 2 minutes later. These elites are truly the best of the best and come from all over the world. Watching the lead male finish in 13:11 and the lead female (both from Ethiopia) finish in 15:13 today was pretty amazing. If you blinked, you totally missed them. The whole Carlsbad 5000 weekend adds up to big fun for everyone!