Day 3,539: Course correction? Two Saturday race courses overlap

The above section of the Craft Classic half marathon course is where a 5K will begin on Saturday.

With local races in my neighborhood the first notice I usually get is seeing warning signs along the race route.

I saw several of those yesterday during my easy 10 miles of running and then it dawned on me -- a 5K I ran in last year is going to inadvertently share a street mid-race with a half marathon I've signed up for.

Last year I ran in the Legal Runaround 5K and placed first in my age group. It starts on the edge of John Howell Park and then flies down Virginia Avenue for a few blocks before turning onto a side street. This year the race will begin at 8:30 a.m. Saturday.

I remember how there was a crush of people last year at the starting intersection, which will be a little past Mile 8 on the Craft Classic Half Marathon course.

The half marathon, in its inaugural year, starts at 7:30 a.m. Saturday in Grant Park. Some runners in the half marathon easily will make Mile 8 after the first hour of the race. They likely will run into people (like myself last year) who will be flying down the road at 5K race pace ... and then a bunch of people much slower, including walkers.

I sent an email to the race director of the 5K and posted a note on the half marathon's Facebook page after I wasn't able to find contact information for race officials.

It will be interesting to see what happens. I guess one or both race routes could be altered, neither one appears to be a USATF-certified course. Or maybe some kind of dividing lane could be set up for the separate races, although this might tie up traffic since if I remember correctly, Virginia Avenue was open to cars before the 5K started. (The 5K race also advertises "no road closures" on its neighborhood warning signs).