Disclaimer: I received free entry to Scottsdale Giant Race as part of being a BibRave Pro. Learn more about becoming a BibRave Pro (ambassador), and check out BibRave.com to review find and write race reviews!

If you are a fan of the San Francisco Giants, love perfect weather, enjoy people-watching, touring a town on foot and running in general, then the Giants Race is for you. My goal was to PR my 5k time at this race. That didn’t happen but I remember that “There’s No Crying in Baseball!” and I didn’t shed a tear because I met with with fellow BibRave Pro Emily, met an Instagram friend Anne and a made a new friend that was a total stranger! I’ve come to realize that races aren’t only about ‘you’ but it’s about the community. The Giant Race hits a grandslam because their race is about community and friendship and having a ball! Here is my race recap:

The people behind the Giant Race are excellent at communication. Email updates were sent regularly. If you follow them on social on either Facebook, Instagram or Twitter, then you got up-to-date info and they will actually respond to you. Even if you tag them in your posts! To me, that gives a personal experience to the race that I appreciate. 

Packet pickup is on the small side. I didn’t expect an expo but it did meet my expectations with lots of volunteers, easy bib pickup, free parking and a course map. Delivery options were made if you weren’t able to pick up your bib the day before. Also, if your time was really crunched, you could pick up your bib on race day although they recommend picking it up early.

Race day was a blast! The energy was one of the highest I experienced at a race start. They had a singing cowboy, a cowboy on a horse greeting everyone and Native American dancers. It was VERY Scottsdale and I loved it. Seeing all the runners dressed in orange, black and white was surreal. 

Many people traveled from out of state for the Giant Race, I could tell by the locations the emcee was calling out after each racer crossed the finish line. I ran the 5k with 816 other people! The course was jam packed. The 10k had 423 entires. Although the course was beautiful and I enjoyed touring parts of downtown Scottsdale, the large amount of people made it hard to maneuver the course. Giant Race told runners that there wasn’t starting corrals and to find your spot in the corral based on how fast or slow you go. I stood in the middle of the pack at the start line because that’s usually where I fall. Instead, I should have stayed in the very front. I realized that many people walk the 5k and I had to bob and weave around other runners. Not a bad thing, but now I know to stay in the front part of the corral next year.

Running through the finish line was exciting! We entered through the back of Scottsdale Stadium and headed down the dirt part on the outside of left field. A cowboy on a horse greeted us and we crossed the finish line under a canopy of orange, black and white balloons. After we received our medals, we had the option to sit in the stands or head to the food court area of the stadium for snacks. There were lots of places to sit and eat post-race and enjoy the beautiful Scottsdale weather. 

Thank you Giant Race for the fun time!