Race Report: Twins Territory TC 4K

Future hubs and I ran the Twins Territory TC 4K on Sunday, August 7.  Most people wouldn't register for such a short race, but Twin Cities in Motion puts out all the stops for this event.  Your entry fee includes a ticket for a Twins game the weekend of the race (if you sign up after the cutoff date, however, you don't get a ticket and instead just pay for the race).  You get a plain cotton race tee, but the finisher medal makes up for it!  Plus, there's a delicious post-race food spread.  The proceeds from this race benefit the Twins Community Fund.

Mark and I registered for the race after the cut-off date for purchasing the race entry fee with ticket since we already had tickets for the Twins vs. White Sox game that Sunday.  We were excited for the race and for the day, especially because our game tickets were in the swanky Champions Club.

Future hubs and I arrived at the start area about 45 minutes before the race.  I was decked out in a Twins t-shirt and the sparkly red running skirt I wore for the Red, White & Boom TC Half Marathon.

We chatted with Luther and his friend for a while and also saw other Team Ortho people, like Kim and her son Atticus, and Mike S.

Luther, a friend of his, me and Mark

Mark plays with Atticus

Kim and Atticus

I usually don't bring my camera with me when I'm running, but since this was a fun run, I decided to bring it.  This race also provided the rare opportunity for me to run with future hubs.  We hardly ever run together since our natural paces are different, but every once in a while, we run together.

Runners gather near the start

The weather was surprisingly cooler than it had been for the whole summer, which all the runners and I appreciated.  We've been getting very sick of the hot, sticky weather!

At 7:00 a.m., the race started.  TC, the Twins mascot, was at the start line cheering on the runners.

The small start line

TC peeks his head out over the crowd

Mark and I found an easy pace right away.  I enjoyed the slower pace and running next to my handsome fiance.

The iconic blue Guthrie Theater is just ahead of us

Passing by the Mill City Museum... always a fun place to tour

Every kilometer was marked by a "base"... how clever!

Mark ran the race in his Vibrams... you can see his right foot in this photo

Heading towards the North Loop neighborhood

Target Field is just off to the left

Just one kilometer to go!

Nearing the finish at Target Field

Future hubs' goal this year was to run the entire race without slowing down to walk.  I checked in with him often to see how he was doing, and he never wavered.  He ran such a great race, and I'm glad I was there with him every step of the way.

Target Field

Mascot TC high-fives participants just before they cross the finish line

Mark and I finished hand-in-hand with smiles on our faces. :)

Other Twin Cities in Motion mascots (Harry the hare and Shelly the tortoise) greet runners at the finish

Runners head towards the post-race food spread and receive their finisher medals

I forgot to stop my Garmin right after the race, so I'm not exactly sure what our real finish time was.  Mark said he thought we finished the race in 24 minutes.  That sounds about right.

Future hubs and I get our photo taken in the glove

Other runners got their photos snapped with Target Field in the background

I love the statues around the plaza

One kind runner even gave Sid Hartman (the "voice" of Twins baseball for many years) a medal

The swag: t-shirt, bib number, awesome medal, and some of the post-race snacks

Mark and I had a great time at the race this year and plan on doing it again next year.  We also had a great time at the Twins game.  We were so spoiled sitting in the Champions Club... I'm glad my boss is so generous (we got those tickets for free!). :)

After a valet parked Mark's Ford Taurus, we walked into a private entrance featuring a swanky club with fireplaces

Champions Club ticket holders enjoyed a buffet meal with free house beer or wine.  Yum!

Mark and I in our cushioned seats

We were *this close* to the action!

We took advantage of the soft serve ice cream later on in the game...

... along with all the toppings!

A beautiful day for a baseball game!

Twins dugout

I got my photo taken with TC!

Yeah... we had great seats!

What a fun day!  The Twins lost, but we had a great time.  We loved being completely spoiled for the afternoon, and it was a nice break from wedding preparations and packing for the move into the new condo.