GET NOTHING 5K #011 - gRate River Run

[Is this the Gate River Run? NO!! Make no mistake: this is NOT the Gate River Run, and IN NO WAY affiliated with the GREAT annual 15K that takes thousands of runners over the Green Monster Hart Bridge. This here is merely a small and humble FREE timed 5K that just happens to be on RIVER ROAD in Orange Park. So if you do the actual Gate River Run the day before, this 5K would be a GREAT shakeout event for you. If you DON'T do the Gate River Run the day before... well... this is a GREAT chance to still do any "River Run" at all - and this one is arguably the more scenic option as we run along the beautiful wide part of the St. Johns River, from BestBet to Kingsley Avenue and back.



Tell your friends and relatives who aren't paying close attention that you "did the River Run" this year, and they might be impressed - so long as you dodge any of their follow-up questions. Or kind of mumble when you mention "gRate River Run". Where's the lie? male sign Or if you actually did the REAL thing, you get to claim you did not just ONE, but TWO River Runs! Isn't that GREAT?



Remains to be asked, WHY is it called the "gRate River Run 5K"? Well, at the Get Nothing 5K you famously get NOTHING, but thanks to our GREAT generous donors, this time all participants will receive a little something. You probably already have some other race medals, maybe even some GREAT medals. But for this GN5K, you will get THE GRATEST METAL (sic) ever! Yes, you read that right. You don't get a medal... but a metal! A metal mini-GRATER, that is. To GRATE things with, after the gRate River Run 5K. Makes sense? This is GRATE stuff!]



GET NOTHING 5K offers NO swag bags, NO medals, and absolutely NO shirts - just the pure, unadulterated joy of running together. Experience the exhilaration of crossing the finish line and getting NOTHING: no cheaply made medal to gather dust, no poorly designed t-shirt to stuff in your already overflowing drawer, no pressure to compete for age group awards - just the satisfaction of knowing you ran 5 kilometers and had FUN while doing so. Since you get NOTHING, you even need to bring your own HYDRATION. But that's okay, because you also PAID NOTHING - GET NOTHING 5K is a FREE TIMED 5K. male sign



Make it whatever YOU want it to be: you can run fast and aim for a PR if you want, but if you "win", you still get NOTHING. Run fast, or run slow - or somewhere in between. Do a tempo run, interval training, use it as a tune-up or shake-out, just get in a few miles for the day, or enjoy a leisurely jog with your running bestie. Meet new friends, catch up with old ones, encourage others along the way, maybe even inspire someone to join the fun next time.



Running together is always more fun than running alone!



WALKERS are very welcome. GET NOTHING 5K is a community event meant for everyone, regardless of pace. There will be a designated "TURTLE" whose job is to bring up the rear. So unless YOU volunteer for this vital task, you will never finish last!



Since you get NOTHING to eat or drink at the finish line - no water, no chewy granola bar, not even a stinkin' banana - why not have a spontaneous social meet-up afterwards? Go for a beverage, ice cream, or some tacos with your fellow finishers. You earned it today! After all you ran 5 kilometers, by gum!



To participate: register online, check in before the start to get your bib, then wear it on your FRONT. Timing is done manually, and that's really hard to do if you hide your bib! There are no timing chips - everything is GUN TIME. That means the clock starts when the GO command is given, NOT when you cross the start line. Keep that in mind when comparing official results with your own GPS time, so no complaining later! Depending on where we run, there may or may not be toilets available nearby... so please mind your own "business" before the start.



Let's get together to RUN, and to have some FUN - see you at the start line! female sign

PLEASE BRING YOUR OWN HYDRATION.