Torchlight Run 5K race report

The Torchlight Run is a Seattle tradition -- one of the highlights of the local running calendar. I had only ever run it once... though I did register for it a couple of years ago and ended up bailing as it was the night we got home from the Alaska Marathon cruise...
Brooks is one of the main sponsors, so employees get to run for free. Free race? Yeah, I'm in!
The race is always held the night of the Torchlight Parade, and starts an hour before the parade. The course has been changed --improved, frankly j-- from the previous time I ran it, so the runners run down the parade route and back on the glorious Viaduct. This race is quite possibly perfect for me -- you get a mile or so of cheering crowd, get to high-five kids, and then you get to run on the top of the Viaduct. Oh, and it starts at 6:30 pm, so you don't have to get up early!
Suz and I decided to run it together. We left her car downtown, found Eric and Grace on the parade route and left her bag with them,and then headed to the Seattle Center. First we stopped to see the ladiesin the Brooks tent, and picked up a sweet tattoo:

Then we pretty much just milled around until the start... once we took the traditional pre-race photo, of course!

(as Suz commented later, she was already red, and the race hadn't started!)
The race starts with a relatively steep downhill... which, of course, we had to run up at the end. But never mind that! A few turns and we joined the parade route! Lots of cheering fans, lots of kids standing at the edge of the road hoping for high fives. Did I mention I love this race?
We ran the first mile, and spotted Eric and Grace in the crowd. They cheered wildly, and snapped this awesome photo:

quoting Suz: "you look really chipper"

We continued along the parade route, then turned down the hill to get on the Viaduct. As we reached 2nd, we (and the rest of the pack) were stopped... by cops... to let buses through. WHAT???!?!?!? That was weird. But we weren't in it for time, and were headed on our way pretty quickly.
Then up onto the Viaduct, where the 8K split to the left and we turned right to head back to the start. Oh, Viaduct, how I love thee! Another gorgeous night in the Emerald City:

angelic!!!

I'm not gonna lie, we dawdled on the Viaduct. It's just so nice up there, and such a nice night... But then it was time to get moving. We exited the V before the tunnel, and then ran down Western. Suz was flagging a bit, which meant I went into ultra-perky mode. I did tell her that I often am the one who fades, and that Wil has to get perky... and that I know how annoying it is. :) But I still kept pushing her, and she responded. (Yay Suz!)
We walked up the big steep hill at Denny, then ran again on the flat toward the finish. Another steep hill remained, which we walked, but once we got to the apex we started running again to the line. Yay!
After the race we got some water and snacks, and then went our separate ways -- Suz to meet up with Eric and Grace to watch the parade, me to walk to the bus stop and go home. On the way to the bus stop I walked past the parade floats all waiting to go -- and lots and lots of princesses in their sparkly tiaras. My favorite moment was when a little girl walked up to a very sparkly lady on a horse and asked who she was. The lady said, "We're the Ellensburg Rodeo Royalty!", which made me happy. I mean, who wants to be a Daffodil Princess when you can be a Rodeo Queen?
The next race is the Race the Reserve Half Marathon in Coupeville on August 10!