Posted by Bill Bowman on March 14, 2014 at 15:04:57:
I know I am not originally from Mobile, but I have been here several years now and I love the Azalea Trail race and have run it 8 times (including 1979). I do not understand why they have changed the course. This is a famous race on the most beautiful street anywhere and it has been a success for years.
There is nothing like running down Government St. with 3000 runners on a spring day and looking up at those great live oak trees the 1st two miles. It is as close to a "runners high" as you can get those first two miles.I still see all the pictures on both facebook and in the PCP newsletter are ones showing the start on Government St.
No one likes ugly Canal St at the beginning or at the end, but at the beginning it is a big log jamb with only 3 lanes at most (with people running on medians and sidewalks) as compared to 6 lanes on Government. The reversed course is nice at the end, but by the last two miles of any race, you are not looking at the pretty scenery any more, you are fighting your body and only thinking about finishing the race.
IF you want to end the race on Government for spectator reasons, why not run out Government, go over to Dauphin ,back to Broad and then finish on Government-it would be beautiful at both ends.
Birmingham messed around years ago with the Vulcan Run-they added a 5k, added a marathon, and changed the course and the race declined from 6000+ down to 400 before they went back to original format and now it is better again. Learn from their mistakes. Azalea is one of top 20 5k's in the entire country-it isn't broke and doesn't need fixing. They wouldn't reverse the Boston Marathon course. Please consider going back to the famous original course.--thanks Bill Bowman