Fun run for the Fam! Our Sacramento Santa Run 5K Race Recap 12/19/15

I am finally recapping the Sacramento Santa Run 5K I did on the 19th with the fam today for you. It was our first run in Sacramento and it was a fun one! It was a perfect first race for the kiddos and I'm very proud of both of them.

PACKET PICKUP There was no expo for the race but packet pickup was at the Macy's in downtown Sacramento. I went with the kiddos on Thursday and tried to get there around 3pm when it opened but got there around 3:20. Pickup was on the 2nd floor and when we got around to the pickup area, there was a really long line. I'm not sure how long we waited but it was the longest I've ever had to wait for picking up packets for a race. It wasn't fun, especially because I had the kiddos with me. The employees at Macy's tried to keep us occupied by handing out their latest flyers of sales in the store and they did hand out some candy to the kiddos which kept them occupied for a little bit, but I'd say it was about a 20 minute wait to get to the front of the line.

It was pretty cool that the race came with a t-shirt (cotton) and a santa suit. 

RACE DAY The race started at 9am Saturday morning so we departed from the house around 8:10, to give time to find parking. It was our first race in Sacramento and as a whole family so we wanted to have enough time to get there before it started. It turned out to be plenty. We found parking pretty quickly and even sat in the car for a little while before heading out towards the Capitol building.

We took some pics with the Capitol in the background and then stood in line to wait for the race to start. Goals for both of the kiddos was just to finish. My 6 year old also wanted to run the whole 5K so the plan was I was to stick with him, while Hubby was to jog/walk with 4 year old. Both kiddos were excited for the run, and 6 year old was especially excited at the start of the race.

It was so cool to see so many people in Santa suits!

The course was point to point, so it started by the Capitol building and ended right by Macy's. It was pretty flat from what I remember. 

Photo from sacramentosantarun.com

The run started right on time and we were off running at 9am. It started out pretty slow because we ended up being behind a bunch of walkers. There were a lot of walkers and I wish we lined up closer to the front because we ended up doing a lot of weaving and passing. 6 year old still did great!

At one part I started hearing some loud Christmas music and it started to get closer and closer. I wondered if there was a vehicle coming from behind with music, but I did not see one. Turns out it was this gentleman running with a stroller and instead of a child in it, was a large boombox blaring the music. It was a great idea and when he passed us I missed hearing the joyful music. The music was awesome because it got you in a festive mood.

6 year old was doing great running. I would ask him here and there if he was ok, and he always smiled and said that he was fine. I loved that he was smiling pretty much the whole race. By mile 2 we ran along the water and even saw some stand up paddle board Santas. It was pretty cool to see. They were great cheerleaders!

We ran through Old Sac and continued on towards Macy's. 
When 6 year old saw the finish line, he sprinted and had an amazing kick. I was pretty surprised he had so much energy at the end and was so proud of the little guy. He was so happy! I loved it! He was also happy to get his milk and cookies at the end.

6 year old was very happy with his time (me too) and most importantly that he ran the whole race.

Hubby and 4 year old did awesome too! They came in about 10 minutes after us. I was so proud that 4 year old ran more than we thought. 

At the finish they handed out water, milk (all types - chocolate and whole), and cookies. There were also a bunch of booths to browse. 

Santa was there and we of course had to get a pic with him. 

Overall, it was a great way for the fam to get out and do something fun and active. I am so proud of both boys! I asked 6 year old if he wanted to do another race and he said yes! I'm a very happy mommy! :)