Local Race Recap: 2022 Central 28 Monster Mash-N-Dash 5K

I ran the inaugural Monster Mash-N-Dash at our hometown brewery Central 28 on Saturday, October 29th. The race took place on our awesome multi-use trail in DeBary with a start/finish at the brewery. Some participants dressed up for the Halloween holiday run and there was complimentary tasty beer for (over 21) finishers.

Training & Goals
My knees continue to be a big problem, with pain hindering any progress I try to make in getting back into running. Regular steroid shots lose their effectiveness before I'm eligible to get a new one and they take longer to provide any relief. So it's not great. By race morning I was several weeks out of running at all and had very low expectations. 

I set up easy 1:2 run:walk intervals on my Garmin and aimed to do what I felt up to, after a walking warm-up. 

Race Day: October 29, 2022
I cycled over to the brewery on race morning, found a spot to park by bike, and picked up my shirt and bib with plenty of time to spare. I met up with some club mates before the race began. There were a lot of runners from WVR at this one; the brewery has long been a favorite of the club.

I decided not to wear a costume, but I did put on a somewhat scary looking "run or die" shirt from INKnBURN to at least be on the Halloween theme.

It was 72°F and cloudy with 94% humidity when I started my race at 8:03AM

Mile 1: 14:04
We picked up the trail after a short run on the road from the brewery. There was a pair of endangered Florida Scrub-Jays calling along the side of the trail at the beginning of the race.

Mile 2: 13:44
A pair of Bald Eagles perched on a power line structure along the trail and called out as we ran by. This was an out-and-back race so we could watch the faster runners come back as we approached the turn-around.

Mile 3+: 14:31, 2:12
Ugh, I felt bad, but I did my best to run when my watch told me to, though I had to slow down during the last mile.

After the Race
It was a festive atmosphere, with the costumed runners, many familiar faces, and tasty brewery beer flowing.

Recommendation
This was a good event on our local trails. The course is fast, flat, and safe with very little time on the sleepy industrial area road. We were well supported with law enforcement presence on the road and on the trail. There was one water stop at around mile 1.3 that we hit twice. I like the purple shirt we got and the unique wooden finisher medal doubles as a coaster, which was a first for me. Recommended.

Chip time: 44:25
Placement details: 10/18 in age group; 163/254 finishers
Race Amenities: Soft cotton race shirt, wooden coaster medal, free beer at finish line 
Cost: $35.50