Friday's Featured 5k of the Week - Spring Fling Ramp Run

At PUC - Purdue University-Calumet.

Ramp Run?  What in the world is a Ramp Run?

Well, in this case, it is a 5k with a Parking Garage at approximately the half-way point.  Yep - a parking garage.  When I pick my races each year, I always try to find races that have that little something that makes them unique.  When I heard about this race, I knew it fit the bill!

The race starts on a regular street just off of the PUC parking lot and heads towards a boulevard.  At the starting line, you can't even see the parking garage due to other buildings and trees and your vantage point.  Runners doing it for the very first time, if they didn't read the description, would have no idea what they are in for.  Runners who did read the description are left wondering for almost 1.5 miles, "where is this parking garage".  You really don't see it until you are practically next to it.

Anyhow, the first mile takes place partly on a boulevard, which I always find enjoyable, I always find extra motivation if I can see runners heading one way while I'm heading the other.  Seems to make me want to push harder in front of my fellow runners, and also adds to the whole camaraderie aspect, when you see all those people running in front of and behind you.  The course then heads onto some campus walkways for a while, and then suddenly,while exiting the walkways - THE RAMP.

There it is!  The Parking Garage - all 4 stories of it - and now, at just about the half way point - you have to run up it!  No turning back now, too far from the finish line to just call it quits.  The way the course is designed, you get to run next to it, past it, and then back towards it - so you have plenty of time to soak in exactly what you are about to tackle.  Alfred Hitchcock would love the suspense!  Then you enter it.  Now, this is one of those structures where you run up the ramp, then it's flat for a level, then up the ramp, then flat, etc until the flat top floor.  A nice relief at the top floor is a water station - which gives the much needed water, maybe a break, and some inspiration from the volunteers.  Then, at last, the downhill!!  After the uphill, this is a welcome and VERY FUN decline.  You'd be amazed how much speed you can pick up going DOWN the ramps!  At the end of the garage the course continues straight for a while giving runners a chance to sort of have a runway to maybe slow the downhill pace down a bit for the rest of the run.  At that point, there are course workers to keep you on track and to provide that very welcome motivation, reminding you "the hard part is behind you!"

The rest of the run makes a few turns through a residential district, before turning onto a tree-lined final 100 yards or so - a perfect photo-op finish, with fans and other runners yelling encouragement to those finishing. One of my favorite finish line "chutes" in all the races.

Aside from the Parking Garage - this is as flat a course as you can get.  Because of that, and the 4-flights DOWN, experienced runners can actually click off some fast times.

I'll be honest, aside from my very first races, this run really kicked my butt - however, after finishing the Parking Garage and running past it - WHAT A FEELING OF ACCOMPLISHMENT!!!  Finishing this race was one of the greatest post-5K feelings I've ever had!!  In my heart, I wanted to do it again right then - in my legs - umm not so much.

What a fun challenge!!

PUC - Spring Fling Ramp Run Official Site