Each year instead of purchasing Christmas gifts for one another, my brother and I book a trip to a new city to take in a sporting event, eat some local food, load up on local coffee and enjoy a new spot. This year, we opted to take in a soccer match in Raleigh, North Carolina and made our way to a new city this past weekend.

Looking for a road race to do while in North Carolina, I came across the Bridge the Gap 5K in Raleigh which kicked off bright and early at 8AM on Saturday morning. As an early bird, I love a good, early road race and a quick Lyft ride from the hotel to the starting line brought me to the grounds of a local Baptist church where the race kicked off and finished at.

There was a good group of walkers and runners alike at the starting line before the race started; a nice community event, for sure, welcoming participants of all speeds.

The race left the church grounds and then quickly made its way onto Greenway Path, a nice wooded bike path of paved terrain taking runners through the path and a few wooden bridges before the course dumped some residential side roads. The overall terrain of the course felt a touch hilly with a few good hills mixed into the route for good measure. Though the race started early at 8AM, there still was a touch of humidity in the air that aded a nice challenge but was nicely addressed thanks to a water stop on both sides of this out-and-back course.

I finished the Bridge the Gap 5K with a time of 26:43, good for 8:37/miles. A little slower than I would have liked but not terrible given the hills, humidity and late arriving flight the night before.

The Bridge the Gap 5K is a fundraiser for the non-profit organization Refugee Hope Partners. To learn more about their work, please click here.