Race Recap: Best Damn Race Leftover 5k 6/1/2019

Saturday 6/1/2019 was the Best Damn Race Leftover 5k at Safety Harbor, Florida. What is a leftover 5k you ask? According to the Bestdamnrace.com:

"​Over the last six years and 20 races later we have accumulated lots of leftover medals, shirts, awards and more. We wanted to do something creative with all the extra swag, so why not have a “leftover run”? Participants will take their pick of up 10+ different race shirts, 20+ different race medals and then enjoy a great post race party with food and libations!"

So, BDR puts together this race every summer with their "leftover" medals and shirts. For a very inexpensive race entry you get to run a 5k, a leftover shirt from a 2019 or 2018 race, a medal from a previous race, and plenty of food and drinks after. Pretty genius idea huh?

I had my eye on the 2018 Sugar Skull medal from the BDR New Orleans race in 2018. I'll admit this was the reason I ran haha. I had to have that medal. I'm just getting back into running from my injury, so this was just a "fun run" for me and not competitive. 

Pre-Race 
I stayed at the hotel right next to the starting line in fact I could see it from the room. I picked up my bib from packet pickup before the start then headed to the shirt pickup. We could choose from a variety of shirts from previous races. I went with the Safety Harbor  2019 shirt.

The Race
A little later the announcer told us to make our way to the starting line. Since there were almost 1600 participants in this one race we went off in waves which really helped with crowding. The first wave started right at 7:15am. The beginning of the course went through Safety Harbor's Main Street and this is where I somehow lost my footing and fell. Yes, I fell again, and I fell right after the race started. It was pretty embarrassing but nothing serious. Shoutout to everyone who asked if I was okay that was nice. After that excitement I picked myself up and starting running once again. 

I had a goal in my head for my easy run but I missed that haha. You know you're out of shape when you miss your easy run pace. The course was very scenic and also open. The starting lines waves really helped with congestion. It certainly did not feel like a race with almost 1600 people. The weather was hot of course since it was a June, Florida morning but other than that conditions were perfect. It was such a beautiful course and such a fun run. 

After Party
After the race, we made our way to a few tables to select our medal. I went right for the Sugar Skull New Orleans Half Marathon 2018 race. It sure is a beauty too. I cleaned up my bruises then went right into another famous BDR after party. There was plenty of food and drinks. I had some donuts, a bloody mary, fruit, and some coffee shots. As a bonus I came in third in my age group. 

Final Thoughts
This race of course was another super fun event. I love BDR and all that they do at their races. Now it's time for training all summer and hopefully getting all this speed back that I have lost from being injured. 

The Bling