Coyotes 5k Wrapup

Yesterday was the inaugural Coyotes 5K. As a Coyotes fan, I hope this can become an annual thing and grow into something popular, like the Diamondbacks 5K. According to the results, there were 44 runners. I am not surprised as there was very little push or advertising for the event. As a runner that does a ton of races (every Facebook ad seems to be a different run), someone else had to tell me about this one. It was originally scheduled for November and was only mentioned on the Coyotes Foundation Facebook page (and maybe a tweet). I signed up right away and was the only registrant for a while. Eventually like two others signed up. We were notified it was being delayed until February. I opted to have my registration moved to the new date. I’ll give them props, they offered a refund if you didn’t want to move registrations. Some races will stick with the no refund policy.

I arrived about 7:20 to pick up my packet and there were only a handful of people and two vendors. We left to get coffee and came back with about 15 minutes before the race started. We gathered at the start line to get a break down of the route. It was a bit confusing because it weaved through the parking lots of Westgate but the course was well marked with different color duct tape arrows and orange cones. I give them credit for making the course clear. I was a bit disappointed in the parking lot weaving. It definitely wasn’t my favorite route.

The race itself was gun time and not chip time. With only 44 people, we mostly crossed the line about the same time so it wasn’t that big of a deal. The runners seemed skewed to the fast end. I am usually a middle of the pack runner, but I was just ahead of the walkers this race. I ended 29 out of 44 and 13 of 21 women. I think I was designed for more distance running because when I finally settled into a good pace and cadence, I looked at my watch and it was 2.9 miles, right as I rounded the corner to the finish line.

The medal was good quality and I *almost* forgot to collect it. I crossed the line, stopped my Garmin and walked over to Justin. I talked to him for a few seconds and realized I didn’t get my medal. The Paw Patrol was already walking over and was like, “Don’t forget this! You earned it”. I think that was a first for me. LOL

I would definitely do this race again but I’d love to see a few things changed. I would love for them to really push the race. It seemed kind of like an afterthought. The Coyotes Foundation pushed it a bit on their social media but they’d reach a lot more if they used the Coyotes main accounts. Or get ambassadors to push it. Have members of the running community do your advertising for you in exchange for a free or discounted entry. I’d gladly plaster social media for a free race entry.

Chip timing would be awesome but it’s not a must-have for me. I can use my Garmin and just try to beat myself but I know some people won’t do races unless they have chip timing.

The route was explained to use but I’d love to see a better route that doesn’t do switchbacks in parking lots. The Kiss Me I’m Irish and Redneck Run both start and end in the same spot the Coyotes 5k did but they run you out to the canal path nearby and around Cardinals Stadium. It’s a much more enjoyable route. The only advantage of the parking lot weave was bystanders could quickly and easily move to different parts of the course to cheer on the runners/walkers.

I’m not a race organizer, nor do I claim to know how to do it, but I have run about a million* races. I know what I like and don’t and what gets me to run a race again. Normally, this would be a no for me but I love the Coyotes and want to see this succeed. I’d do it again just because of that.