The start of the Clinton Bluefish 5K

Today I ran the Liberty Bank Bluefish 5K in Clinton. It was my first time running the race and actually my first time running in Clinton. The race directors prepared well for their growing field of runners. This year’s entrants totalled 438. To avoid parking issues at the start/finish (Jared Eliot Middle School), all runners parked at the Ethel Peters Recreational Complex, which was a short shuttle bus ride away.

Finishing the 5K

The course was a pleasant, moderate loop on back roads with rolling hills. The route started out flat and turned into a descent. Towards the end of the first mile, the course becomes more challenging as you begin a rolling hill climb. But in the last third, you finish fast on a descent and flat stretch.

There was a ridiculous number of water stations throughout the race course, so runners had many opportunities to rehydrate along the way. There were also highly visible mile markers for the first and second miles. The race was chip-timed, though there was no starting mat, so net times were not recorded.

There was a nice spread of food at the end of the race that included bottled waters, bagels, bananas, watermelon slices, cookies, and yogurt cups.

It was a fun, popular race to run, and the field ranged from children 2 years and up to seniors in their 80s.