BUCKET LIST UPDATE No. 181: Run the Senior Bowl Charity Run in Mobile

Over the years, I’ve ran in lots of footraces, everything from 5Ks to marathons, but one race that I’ve always wanted to run was the Senior Bowl Charity Run in Mobile, Ala. I put this race on my official “bucket list” several years ago and finally crossed it off the list Saturday morning when I ran in the 27th Annual Wells Fargo Senior Bowl Charity Run, which included 10K, 5K and 1-mile fun run races.

I put this race on my calendar months ago and signed up for the 10K race last week just before the entry fee went from $15 to $20. On Saturday, I got up at 4 a.m. and left the house before daylight to make sure that I got to downtown Mobile in plenty of time to pick up my race packet and T-shirt.

I took advantage of the free parking in the parking garage adjacent to the Renaissance Riverview Plaza Hotel and then walked the short distance to the Reese’s Senior Bowl Office at 151 Dauphin Street to pick up my race packet, which included my race number, 229. I then returned to my truck, where I could stay warm for a while before heading to the race start area.

The 5K started at 8 a.m. and the 10K started at 8:15 a.m., so I waited in my truck until 7:45 a.m. before heading to the race start point on Government Street, between Jackson and Joachim Streets. Once I got there, I wished that I’d hung out in my truck a little longer because to say that it was cold would be an understatement.

Temperatures were in the low 40s, but it felt a lot colder due to strong winds that whipped through the area. I was literally shivering by the time the race got started. However, it didn’t take long to warm up once the race got going, and before it was over I was pushing the sleeves up on my sweatshirt.

One little rule that I have is that I feel like I’ve failed if I stop even once during a race. This includes stopping just long enough to gulp down a cup of water at a rest stop along the route. On Saturday, I bypassed all the water stops and ran the entire distance without stopping even once. To me, regardless of my final time, this was a successful outing. 

When I got home, I checked the 10K results and saw where a 28-year-old Mobile man named John Brigham won the race, covering the 6.2-mile distance in 31 minutes and 19 seconds. I ended up finishing in 55 minutes and 44 seconds, which wasn’t my best time ever, but I was satisfied nonetheless, especially since my main goal was the run the entire race without stopping.

In the end, how many of you have ever ran in the Senior Bowl Charity Run in Mobile? What did you think about it? What other “bucket list” worth races would you recommend running in? Let us know in the comments section below.