I ran this years Crazy 8s 8k in Kingsport, Tennessee for the second year in a row. It is billed as the worlds fastest 8k, having the current womens world record and had the mens for many years and are paying $10,008 prize to break either record.
This year 2245 people finished the race and the winner finished in 22:4, a little short of the 22:03 world record. I finished in 42:29 which was almost a full minute faster than last year. That was good for 32nd in my age group and 488th overall an improvement of 118 spots over last year.
I had not planned on doing this again because it is a two hour drive but I had planned on spending several days in Charlotte, NC and noticed that I could drive there in three hours run the race and drive on home in time to be at church the next morning.
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| Stadium and Finish Line |
The event is well planned and organized. It starts on time and has great pacers. A lot of attention is payed to the elite runners and it is fun to see them returning to the finish when I was only about half way there. The course is on streets and laid out in a figure eight which makes it possible to pass faster runners as they head to the stadium finish. You round the last corner and enter a football stadium which is lit up for this night race. There is a jumbo-tron and they announce the finishers.
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| Finish Line and Jumbo Tron |
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| Shirt and Finisher Medal |
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I going to quit trying to wave at the finish
as suggested by many, I just look like I'm about to trip |
The weather is usually a little warm but the nine PM start helps with that and the spectators in the neighborhoods go all out decorating, spraying water, cheering and lining the streets. There are quite a few water stops and they are well manned. Overall a fun atmosphere and very well organized race for the size it is. Everyone gets a finisher medal and shirt and the entry fee is around $25 depending on when you enter. Here is a
link http://werunevents.com/crazy-8s/races-events/crazy-8s-8k-run/
On another note, I run alone when training and in some remote areas. I quit carrying phones and etc a year or so ago and only wear a running watch. My family could not locate me when I was on a long run at a local state park recently and since my wife recently went to be with the Lord after a long battle with cancer, they were a little hyper concerned. So they urged me to find some ID to carry with me. There are many options out there but I really did not want an extra bracelet or similar to have to remember to use when I run, so I started looking for an ID that would work on my current watch which I always have anyway. A quick google search of watch ID bands found several possibilities. I settled on 1BandID . I paid full price ($19) and am not a sponsor, bt I really like the result and recommend all runners wear some ID that has emergency info and phone numbers. Mine has my name and address, three emergency numbers and blood type and an allergy alert.
On another note, I run alone when training and in some remote areas. I quit carrying phones and etc a year or so ago and only wear a running watch. My family could not locate me when I was on a long run at a local state park recently and since my wife recently went to be with the Lord after a long battle with cancer, they were a little hyper concerned. So they urged me to find some ID to carry with me. There are many options out there but I really did not want an extra bracelet or similar to have to remember to use when I run, so I started looking for an ID that would work on my current watch which I always have anyway. A quick google search of watch ID bands found several possibilities. I settled on 1BandID . I paid full price ($19) and am not a sponsor, bt I really like the result and recommend all runners wear some ID that has emergency info and phone numbers. Mine has my name and address, three emergency numbers and blood type and an allergy alert. 
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