It used to be hard to find races in Macoupin County but it isn't this year. That's because the county health department this spring is sponsoring ten 5K races in different towns throughout the county as part of a "Get Healthier Macoupin" campaign.
Today was the first one of the races. It was held in Carlinville, the county seat, and called Pant for the Pool. I have no idea why that was the name of the race.
Anyway, I believe this was the first time for this race. I've never seen any race other than a 5K in Macoupin, so I didn't mind running the short distance.
Today was cold, overcast and just dreary, with a misty rain throughout. I regretted wearing shorts as I waited for the race to begin, but once the race started, I was glad I had them on instead of sweats. I also wore a thin long sleeved runner's shirt with a short sleeved shirt over that.
The course was excellent. It was everything I look for in a small town race. It went by the local college (Blackburn), some pretty neighborhoods with historic homes and churches, and by the county courthouse. Macoupin County has one of the most impressive county courthouses in Illinois, with a dome modeled after the dome of the state capitol.
Pre-race facilities weren't that great but that is fine. They had bananas and granola bars after the race. They also gave every runner a pedometer, which I'll have to figure out how to use. About 40 - 50 runners participated in the 5K and there was a kid's race before the 5K.
My time was 24:49, something I'd like to improve on. I've been having troubles with one of my knees lately but it held up fine for this race.
Macoupin County is the 59th county in Illinois I've run a race in, as I seek to run a race in all 102 Illinois counties. I live in Sangamon County and Macoupin was the last county that bordered Sangamon that I hadn't run a race in, so I am definitely filling in the state.