Gorilla Run

I won my entry and suit through Unilocal and it was a blast. The after party was great, Thirsty Planet was there giving away free beer and your packet came with tickets for the food/​drink places present. Unfortunately most places did not offer vegetarian friendly options, so we stuck with our free beer and we were pretty happy. Supports a great cause.

This is very well organized event for a cause that is not very well known. There are kinks to be ironed out which I will get to.
I won the entry to the event through a Unilocal raffle (thanks Unilocal Austin!). After parking on a chilly day, I headed to Mueller Hangar where I got my suit. There was yoghurt being given out and by the time you got dressed, the contestants were called out for the most creative group and individual. Shortly after that, the run started.
The race was in 3 waves, people on wheels, people who ran to win & joggers/​walkers. The course runs around the community, its relatively flat. I ran with Darth Vader & 2 Jedi who were mock fighting each other, and close to a King Gorilla and a Santa Gorilla. It gets incredibly hot in the suit, despite the chill outside. I had to take my mask & gloves out halfway between the run.
The finish line was back at Mueller Hangar. Incredible Bloody Marys from Black Finn and most of Thirsty Planet’s beer rocked the after party. It helped that Unilocal had a bag check booth. The award ceremony announced the awards for most creative individual & group, and of course, the winners.
What could be improved for better is directions for parking, I headed straight to the hangar as did others, only to to be turned around. There was water at the finish line, but none in the hangar. The food at the end wasn’t great. I know its a fun race, but a race clock is always helpful. There was also no international registration, which had couple of Canadian runners register as Alaskans.
In terms of cost, the first time is $ 100 & recurring around $ 50, with all proceeds going to Mountain Gorilla Conservation Fund.
All in all, a very fun race with a good after party!

A fun run for a great cause. How many of you can say you ran a5k in a gorilla suit?
It’s not a timed race but a true fun run. It’s great for any athlete. It brings a different perspective when everyone is in costume. Some layered costumes (TMNT gorilla, angels, butterfly, ect).
I enjoyed the run. Brought my own running watch. Ran my race, had a beer after. It was fun. Exactly as I expected plus some. Fun is an understatement.