Honoring Vets at the DAV 5K!

Happy Monday friends! I hope you had a wonderful weekend! My weekend was so awesome and it started off with a bang. I had the opportunity to run the DAV 5K in Kemah which is only a few minutes from my home. While I am still not 100% with my injury, I still wanted to participate because this is a great race that benefits a good cause. It was an interesting perspective to do a race as a walker but it was really neat!

Disclaimer: I received free entry to the DAV 5k race as part of being a BibRave Pro. Learn more about becoming a BibRave Pro (ambassador), and check outBibRave.com to review find and write race reviews!

The DAV 5K is a national race series presented by DAV (Disabled American Veterans). These races are held to raise money and awareness of the issues that ill and injured veterans race every day. It’s also a great way to extend our gratitude for all those who have served and are currently serving. I believe this was the inaugural event in Kemah, Texas but it did not disappoint!

Packet pick up with intimate but it was very well run! Local races in the area usually have super nice volunteers and this one was no different! I checked in and picked up my goody bag with my t-shirt and race day instructions. They had separate bibs for veterans so you could easily pick them out. I think that was really neat because it was so awesome to see families with both sets of bibs. Something about seeing them supporting their veteran just made me smile.

One thing I will note, because this race aims to raise funds for an awesome cause, they did not provide timing chips. Honestly though, the race organizers and the city of Kemah will made you feel awesome and like a rock star, no matter what your finishing time was! They did provide a clock so you got to see the gun time if you didn’t track it on your watch.

Race morning came and the weather was in the 50s at the start. Since I was walking the race, I decided to go with the sleeves. However, this race is along the water for the latter portion of it so there was a nice breeze but the sun kept is pretty comfortable. The crowd was a good size and parking was close and free! Seriously, Kemah looks out for their visitors. There was a Starbucks open nearby where many people grabbed a cup of coffee or used their bathroom. The facilities in the boardwalk were also open so there was no lack of places to go!

One thing that I really liked was the many volunteers helping with check in, sign up, and directing the runners. There were also a couple of local ROTC groups from high schools in the area that were participating. That alone was pretty neat. I saw an Air Force vet chatting with a few of them and I don’t know why but that made me so stinking happy. I was in the Corps of Cadets at Texas A&M and while I didn’t follow through with my military career path, I really enjoyed my time there and I have much respect for those programs and our military.

The race started on time and we were off! I didn’t take many pictures while walking because I was very committed to power walking. However, the streets were completely blocked off for runners and walkers. There were friendly Kemah police officers at every intersection and helpful volunteers at the water stop and turn around point. Most of the course runs through a neighborhood and it’s an out and back course. There were signs at every mile and a great group of runners and walkers alike! One of the ROTC groups ran in block formation for the first mile and it was super neat to see that!

It was super neat to run on the Kemah Boardwalk and under a HUGE American flag towards the finish. I had picked up the pace by then and I definitely broke into a sweat. I was very happy to have finished and I think it was a pretty speedy 5k even though I walked it! After the finish, there were many more volunteers handing us water and sooooo many snacks! The title sponsors USAA also handed out neat reusable water bottles too!

Another thing that stands out about the DAV 5K is that only veterans and servicemen get medals. I think that’s really neat because that’s what the race is about! We are there to honor them and it was super sweet to see vets get their medals.

The race also had a pretty sweet red carpet where you could get your picture taken. The line was very long and everyone was so excited for their picture. Guys, it just made me so so happy to see service members of all ages get loved on before, during, and after the race. They’ve done so much for us but I think they were definitely touched to be treated like rock stars. I have nothing but positive things to say about this amazing race and great cause!

Even though I had to walk this race because of my calf, I truly had fun. The atmosphere was great, the weather was on our side, and the race organization was absolutely amazing! I truly hope they have this race again next year because I will tell all of my friends and I will definitely be back!

There’s still a few races being held this month! Check out their website and see if there is one near you!