2015 Geaux Fit Catfish Classic 5K

A few months ago, I received an invitation from the race director of Franklin Parish’s Geaux Fit Catfish 5K, inviting me to come out and run their event. If you know me, you know I’m always up for a new adventure in a new location. Never having been to the northeast corner of the state, I decided to go for it.  Jason was off work and it was our anniversary weekend, so we made a weekend out of it and had a fabulous time!

We travelled on Good Friday and the sunset was gorgeous!

As we arrived in town, this was one of the first things we saw! (I borrowed this one from Geaux Fit’s fb because mine didn’t turn out very clear!)

Upon check-in at our hotel, there was a package waiting for me with a sweet handwritten note from Barry (the race director) along with my race shirt, my bib, and a bottle of pecan oil (made right there in Winnsboro)!

Guess what? Their race shirts are dry fit! From that moment, I knew that this was going to be a good race! :)

Dressed and ready to go! I even wore my “lucky shirt” from this year’s Louisiana Half Marathon.

It rained the night before this 5K but blew over really quickly and left us with a cool morning (although the humidity was a little high).

The race began at the Old Post Office Museum and continued in town until returning for the finish line. We scoped everything out the night before, so we knew exactly where to go on race day!

On arrival, I met up with Barry and he began introducing me people at the event (including his daughter who was super sweet)!

I also had the opportunity to meet Lisa! She’s a fellow blogger, runDisney fan, AND she lives in Louisiana! It was so nice to finally meet her. We talked and talked, almost right up until it was time to start the race (let’s face it, I can talk Disney all day)!

The race began right at 8:30 a.m. I attempted to line-up somewhere close to the front but didn’t want to get too close (being trampled still kind of scares me)! Hah

…and they’re off!

This course led us through a few neighborhoods and around the downtown area. Jason caught me right before mile 1 and I knew I was running too fast but I didn’t care. My game plan when coming into this race was to attempt a PR…but that depended on the course and my crazy knee. I was assured that the course had no hills, but I never believe that until I see it for myself (it didn’t have any hills by the way)! Also, I wasn’t sure about the temps outside – if the temps were cool enough and I could breathe, then I was going to go for it.

My first mile clocked in around a 7:47 which I knew I couldn’t keep up for three miles, but I wanted to see how far I could before slowing down.

As I rounded the corner for the finish line, I noticed that the clock was still on 24 minutes. I wasn’t sure if I could make it to the finish line before it clicked over to 25 minutes, but I sure was going to try!

The look of pure determination right there! Hah!

Unfortunately, I didn’t make it in the 24 minute range but that’s ok – it’s just another goal for another day!

I did PR, however! My official time was 25:08, which made for a 15 second PR! I’ll take it!

After crossing the finish line, runners were handed a card with a number on top. They had to fill out their name and age. The number on the top of my card was 34 which I assumed meant I was the 34th runner to cross the finish line.

After the race, there were so many goodies to choose from - fried catfish bites, cookies, yogurt and fruit, chocolate milk…the list goes on!

We hung around for the awards ceremony and were surprised to hear so many door prizes that were given out. Y’all, they had road ID gift certificates, cash prizes (a lot of it too), AND a polar watch! It was pretty amazing.

Barry told me that this was one of their biggest 5K’s to date! I am so excited for them because this really was a great event!

After door prizes, they began calling out age group awards and to my surprise, I placed first in my age group!!

SO exciting! I now have a new shiny piece of hardware to remember this race by!

Lisa also placed in her age group which was super exciting!

After saying goodbye to everyone, we went back to our hotel to get ready for the remainder of our day! (Check back tomorrow to hear all about it!)

I just want to sincerely thank Barry for reaching out and inviting me to attend and run in this event! Everything about this race was amazing from start to finish, including the hospitality, the post-race festivities, and the event itself. If you’re in the Monroe/West Monroe/Winnsboro area, I highly recommend this event! I mean seriously, where else can you find dry fit shirts, cash prizes, and personalized medals for age group awards at at 5K? (Doesn’t happen often around here, that’s for sure!)

What’s the best awards ceremony you’ve seen after a race (for a smaller race such as a 5 or 10K)?

Disclaimer: Although I received an entry to this race free of charge, no further compensation was given. All opinions are my own.