7th edition Sole Mates 5k & Brew Fest presented by Shoes & Brews and Left Hand Brewing & Nike 2021

Short review

Shoes & Brews along with our "Sole Mates" Left Hand Brewing nd Nike  present the 7th edition of our fall race series. We could not be more excited to bring this race back, as we haven't been able to rock out since Sole Mates 2019, so it's going to be special this year. 

With a focus on community, running, beer and high fives we put this event on as a celebration. And this year feels like a celebration to the return of races and return of all your smiling faces!

Saturday, November 6th, 2021

A little backstory on our friends and Sole Mates Left Hand Brewing ..... When Shoes & Brews was just a vision and not yet a reality. We asked our friends at LHB if it would be okay to start a run club from there and if they could start a tab so we could pay for their beers after. Their response - "YES,  but  we will pay for the beers!"  Amazing!  We gave them idea of what was to be S&B and them know what we were hoping to start in our community and a need that we felt wasn't being meet and they immediately jumped on board to support us! And then - a beautiful friendship was born of businesses supporting other businesses and a tradition that Shoes & Brews has taken into account on how we look to pay it forward to other businesses and our community.

So, Sole Mates is special. It's a special way for us to celebrate the community that got us started and the community that continues to support us through 7 years of running, beer and friendship. 

Now back to race day and the awesomeness that comes with it.

We like running, beer, celebratory drinks, live music, friends and giveaways! That's really what our 5k race series is. All of our favorite things, jammed into one day of fun and held only twice a year! We will host you in a beautiful 5k run/walk followed by a unbeatable after-race expo full of beer, cider, music, food and giveaways! And EVERYTHING is included in your race entry!

GOODIES:

-Your race entry includes an event customized Technical Trucker Run Hat.

- Chip timed 5k race.

-Free race photos.

-Entry into the race expo including beer, cider and food.

-Swag bag full of fun from all our sponsors. 

-Special discounting at Shoes & Brews including sale and full priced items, with additional markdowns taken for that weekend only. 

-Entry into the raffle giveaway including thousands of dollars in gear, beer and more!

We host two wave starts: 

ELITE wave, starting at 9:30 am for anyone who is feeling fast and fancy on race day! If you believe you will clock in a time under 22 minutes for the 5k, this is the option you will want to select when registering. (note: this can be changed at anytime if you are feeling less then fast on the day of).OPEN wave, starting at 10:00 am for anyone who is feeling fancy and believes they will have a time over 22 minutes for the 5k! Run, walk, jog, skip, pups, kids, everyone is welcome in this heat.Each wave will have prizes for the overall female and male winners. Along with age group prizes. Virtual Wave: Want to be in on the fun and goodies?, but can't make it on race day! Select the Virtual Race option and receive all the same goodies shipped directly to you! You'll be able to track your run on race day from wheree ver you are and you'll have a Free Pint card to come back and visit us for that after-race beer when you have the time! 

Race Start and Finish:

-Race is chip-timed for both the elite and open heats. 

- The race will start and finish at Shoes & Brews. (63 S. Pratt Parkway, Unit B, Longmont CO. 80501) 

-The course is an out and back with a lollipop loop along the beautiful St. Vrain Greenway. Race Map to be updated shortly. 

- After-race festivities will all be at Shoes & Brews.

-Participants along with their friends and family are all welcome to attend the after-race fun! Participants will receive beer, cider and food complimentary with their bibs. Any friends or family will have option to donate outside or purchase inside for any food or drink that day. 

Let's talk about prizes and winning some gear:

If you’re feeling rather fast on race day and you win overall female or male in our ELITE wave, you will be walking away with YOUR WEIGHT IN BEER! That's right, you will walk away with cases of beer from Left Hand Brewing piled up high!! You can keep it all, share with friends, or throw one kick a** party to celebrate!OPEN WAVE overall female and male winner will be walking away with some brand new kicks from our footwear sponsor. Age group prizes: (21 and under, 21-30, 31-40, 41-50, 51-60, 61-70, 71 and amazing): 1st place in your age group gets you a growler and fill from Left Hand Brewing. 2nd place in your age group get you Crowler fill of your choice from Shoes & Brews!Not feeling fast on race day! Don't you worry: we have a massive raffle giveaway for anyone who hangs around through awards. This year, you'll have a special pull tab on your bib that you drop into our raffle basket and then we will be pulling numbers for 100s of prizes: shoes, apparel, beer, accessories, gift certificates and more!If you’re feeling less fast and more fancy, we have added the Best Dressed category to our race again this year. Winners of this category will receive the sublime Left Hand Brewing Beer 4 a Year Certificate, which is obviously worthy of you putting in some effort on that costume you’ve been thinking about. Especially since we are only a few days out from Halloween, put that costume to work! Costume contestants can be individuals or teams. 

One of the best parts of our race series is that you know you are doing good for your community by coming out.

We are excited to announce that this year part of the race proceeds will go to The Left Hand Brewing Foundation. The LHB Foundation has a mission we can get behind: "Commited to brewing a stronger community where we work, live and play." They work with other local non-profits to tackle issues and emergencies right in the Longmont community. You can check out all the details and good they do HERE 

SOME OF THE IMPORTANT DETAILS:

Race Day: Saturday, November 6th, 2021. Wave starts at 9:30 am (Elite) & 10 am (Open). 

Race Start & Finish this year: Shoes & Brews (63 S. Pratt Parkway, Unit B, Longmont Co. 80501) Parking will also be in and around S&B that morning. There will be a team of parking attendants to guide you to designated parking. Carpooling, drop off and biking in, strongly encouraged. 

Race Registration ONLINE or INSTORE @ Shoes & Brews:

$40 through August 31st, 2021

$45 until November 5th, 2021

$50 Race Day - November 6th, 2021

Packet Pickup:

Thursday 11/4 - 3-8 PM @ Shoes & Brews (stick around and join us for shake out run along the course during our weekly SOCIAL run at 6 PM) Friday, 11/5 -   2-8 PM @ Shoes and Brews Race Day: Sat. 11/6 -  8:30- 9:45 AM @ the Shoes & Brews tent. Packet Pick-up is suggested before race day if possible. 

Want to know more about what's happening race day: 

BEER: Left Hand Brewing & Shoes and BrewsCIDER: TBDLIVE MUSIC: TBD AFTER-RACE SNACKS provided be: TBD HYDRATION: TBDWATER SPONSOR: TBDNON ALCOHOLIC: Options to come.  PARTNERS @ AFTER-PARTY:                                                                                                                         

*If you plan on partaking in some +21 beverages that day, please bring your ID with you. We will have staff on hand to I.D. and wristband anyone over 21. 

** Friends and family are welcome to join us on the race course to cheer everyone on and after at the after-race and finish line at Shoes & Brews. There is no fee to enter the after-race expo, but if you plan to partake in an adult beverage or NA options will be inside. We have 20 tap system with beer and cider. We also have wine, sodas, kombucha and sparkling hard seltzer option. Please make sure to have your ID if you plan on drinking adult beverages.

Want to volunteer that day and earn some free beers, food and swag? Email into ashlee@shoesbrews.com for details. 

Are you killer fast and think you've got what it takes to be in our First Wave? We've got a few comp entries available, email into ashlee@shoesbrews.com with some of your times and we will get you in! Limited available to reach out now!

Anything else we didn't cover - reach out to us! info@shoesbrews.com.