NHL All-Star 5K

Today was a great event out at the RBC Center as the NHL All-Star 5K was held.  It was a cold start to the day, but a good turnout of 2,000 runners.  As expected, the Hurricanes were well represented with several people wearing jerseys for the Caniac Nation.  Besides the Canes, I spotted jerseys from Boston, Pittsburgh, Montreal, Vancouver, New Jersey, Ottawa, Team USA and Hartford.

The course took us on a tour around the RBC Center then past Carter-Finley Stadium before heading out onto the roads before making the turn back to the RBC Center.  The finish line was right in front of the lawn outside the arena.

It was great to see Hurricanes play-by-play announcer John Forslund service as host and leader for cheering every runner to the finish.  He made sure to recognize everyone he could.  He gave my wife a nice shout-out as she approached the finish line.  I was cheering her on from one side and she had friends on the other side cheering for her too.  Forslund proceeded to say to her, "Number 187 is the crowd favorite".  That was great to hear.

I ran the race with my good friend Jon.  We booth ran wearing Team 413 shirts.  Started out on a good pace and took advantage of an early downhill stretch to pick the pac up.  As we made our way past mile 1, we started up Trinity Road which is nothing but a steady incline all the way to mile 2.  After making the turn onto Westchase Road heading back to the finish line, I looked at my watch and knew breaking 30 minutes was reachable if I picked up the pace a little.  I proceeded to put in a little extra and was able to cross the line in 29:30.  My buddy Jon was also able to break 30 minutes.

Overall this was a great event and I have to say thank you the NHL, the Carolina Hurricanes and NC Races for putting this on.  It would be awesome to see this turn into an annual event.  Even though the All-Star game will not be here, we could still have this event.

Below are a couple of pictures from today's event and the medal given to the first 500 people that registered for the race..  

It's beginning to look a lot like....

You probably figured the last word of the title for this post would be Christmas. Well, normally you would be correct. In this particular case, the rest of the title is "the All-Star Game".

As I went to have lunch with friends today, I drove threw downtown Raleigh. You see more and more signs of the All-Star festivities that begin on Friday and continue through the 58th NHL All-Star game on Sunday.

As I passed a hotel, there was a coach bus with the NHL 2K video game plastered all over it. Then you get a look at the RBC Tower with the All-Star window treatments. Then, as I headed south out of Raleigh, the logos for the Fan Fair at the convention center could be clearly seen.

This is going to be an exciting weekend for the NHL, the Carolina Hurricanes, the city of Raleigh and all of the Caniacs out there. I know I am excited to see Raleigh shine.

Looking forward to seeing who Staal and Lidstrom draft on their teams Friday night. This a great twist to the format this year. You can check out the fantasy draft on Versus at 8pm EST Friday.

Then on Saturday there are a couple of great events. First of all is the All-Star 5K. I am looking forward to running in this event with my wife and good friend Jon. Should be a blast with all of the Caniacs and other NHL fans who will join us in the 3.1 mile run. Look for a post on my blog soon after the event highlighting all that happened.

Then later Saturday we have the SuperSkills Challenge. Should be special to see all of the skills on display. I am amazed at what these guys can do.

On Sunday it all comes to an end with the game. Some of the big names will be unable to play due to injury (Crosby and Malkin), but this will still be a great event.

Enjoy this awesome celebration everyone. For everyone who is not here in Raleigh, I hope you will tune in to Versus to watch.

2011 NHL All-Star 5K

This January the NHL All-Star Game will be coming to Raleigh!  This is going to be a great way for the Caniac Nation to show how enthusiastic we can be and why we have the reputation for the loudest "house" in the NHL.

Announced earlier this week, NHL All-Star Wide Open will take place January 28-30. 

The “all-star” line-up will feature hockey’s best and a free Friday night show at the Downtown Raleigh Amphitheater from  Three Doors Down.

•NHL Fan Fair - A hockey fan festival featuring interactive games and attractions, special appearances, Hockey Hall of Fame trophy and memorabilia displays, live TV and radio broadcasts, pin trading and trading card zones, music, food, official NHL All-Star merchandise and dozens of other dynamic activities in the Raleigh Convention Center (Friday-Sunday, Jan. 28-30).

•All-Star Live at the Amphitheater: A series of free concerts featuring Three Doors Down (Friday-Saturday, Jan. 28-29).

•All-Star Streets: A street party on Fayetteville and Cabarrus Streets in the style of the popular Raleigh Wide Open spectaculars (Friday-Saturday, Jan. 28-29).

•All-Star 5K - A charity 5K run/walk through Raleigh, starting and ending at the RBC Center, to benefit the Carolina Hurricanes Kids ‘N Community Foundation (Saturday, Jan. 29 at 9:00 am).
 
The 5K is a great addition to this outstanding weekend.  I wonder if any of the all-stars will take part in this event?  I have already signed up and you can't beat a $25 entry fee with no processing fees.
 
Anyone interested can sign-up by going to http://www.ncraces.com/.
 
What a awesome way to actually showcase the name of my blog.  I am a huge Hurricane fan and love running.  Having the All-Star game and a 5K is perfect for the......Running Caniac!