An event at Daikin Park on Saturday ended in frustration for an assortment of participants.
The Houston Astros hosted the first Astros Race to the Pennant featuring both a 5K and 10K race on a course around downtown before concluding with a finish line on the warning track of the club’s home ballpark. The race’s final stretch didn’t exactly go as planned for either event organizers or the thousands of participants.
An event at Daikin Park on Saturday morning ended in frustration for an assortment of participants. (Katharine Alvarado/via TikTok)
Per multiple videos shared on social media, a mass of runners had to stop as they approached the inside of Daikin Park, where a narrowed course created plenty of congestion and slowed speeds. Many were forced to stop running and simply walk through the final leg of their race, adding unnecessary minutes to their final race times.
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“Bad course, bad finish line, bad water tables, bad parking etc. … I love the Astros and enjoy Methodist hospitals but this is just ewwwww,” Dianna Cervantes, one participant in Saturday’s race, posted on TikTok. Fellow race participant Katharine Alvarado shared a similar sentiment.
“This added like 10 mins to everyone’s finish time,” Alvarado wrote on TikTok. “WHO DID THIS?!”
Hundreds of users commenting on Cervantes and Alvarado’s videos also shared their frustration.
“I was SO annoyed. Everything about this race was a mess,” one user wrote. Another added they were frustrated by the pre-race registration and packet pickup, noting, “it was horrible from packet pickup to ending the race.” Some added reported delays in receiving their post-race medals, while others lamented a lack of efficient and available tables for participants to receive water.
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The Astros did not respond to Chron’s request for comment on the race’s logistics as of Sunday afternoon. Participants paid anywhere from $10 to $60 for the race, while spectators were allowed to enter Daikin Park for free.
Saturday brought the latest dose of frustration at Daikin Park, which hasn’t exactly been friendly confines to the Astros this season. Houston is just 8–8 in its home ballpark this year, with six losses in the club’s last seven home games. The Astros will next take the field at Daikin Park on Monday night when they host the Los Angeles Dodgers. First pitch is set for 7:10 p.m. CT.
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This article originally published at Astros fans angry after charity race ends with massive logjam.