The First 5K Downhill Dash

A fast 5k with a net 432 foot elevation loss from Hopkinton to Ashland, MA along route 135.

• You have from October 16th 12pm until November 15th 11:59pm to run your best possible time on your own schedule.
• The race will have a live leaderboard, scored as an individual and team race.
• Think you have more in the tank? Go out and run the course again! If you log a faster time it'll take the place of your previous attempts.

The course starts right past the Korean Presbyterian Church (2 Main Street, Hopkinton, MA) driveway on the left hand side of the road of Route 135 headed East towards Boston. There is the end of street parking line where the start line is (marked with the yellow star below). There is a blue line on the sidewalk slightly before the "start line" which would be a good starting point to ensure you have entered the course. See picture below.

Start-

Your view of the start-

The first mile and a half has a sidewalk for most of the way with one major street crossing around the first mile. Around the 1.5 mile mark, the sidewalk switches to the opposite side of the road and ends abruptly a quarter mile past that. While it is always safer to run on the sidewalk, when the sidewalk ends you will be running with traffic which is not safe, therefore we recommend you stay on the same side of the road.

The next major intersection comes around the 2.5 mile mark across from the Ashland Community Center, proceed with caution. The last major intersection comes a quarter mile past that on the left hand side. Ashland Middle School may be busy with school and/or activity traffic, proceed with caution.

The race ends right before the Ashland MBTA Commuter Train driveway (of course there’s a Dunks at the corner). Your race is over before that intersection, there is no need to run through it. The last telephone pole before the intersection is slightly past the “virtual” line which is why we suggest running past that telephone pole which is approximately where the blue star is below. The Dunkin parking lot may be a good meeting point if you are planning on having someone pick you up, however please be courteous to the business and do not linger unless you are planning on being a patron of the business.

Finish-

Your view of the finish, do not go past the electric box!-

Rally the troops – you need at least 6 people to log a team score

• Everyone competes as an Individual by default, but you can also sign up as part of a Team (price is the same).
• Teams can be single-sex or co-ed: the results will automatically be computed for Men-Women-Mixed Teams.
• Team scores are determined by the best 6 results on each course:
  • Fastest 6 women on each team comprise Women's Team score
  • Fastest 6 men on each team comprise Men's Team score
  • Fastest 3 women + fastest 3 men on each team comprise Mixed Team score

Of course the thrill of competition is what we're missing the most but if you need a little extra motivation, we have some money and prizes for you. If you have a verified result, you are eligible for:

• Of course the thrill of competition is what we're missing the most but if you need a little extra motivation, we have some money and prizes for you. If you have a verified result, you are eligible for:
  • 1st overall individual (men/women)- $400 each
  • 2nd overall individual (men/women)- $200 each
  • 3rd overall individual (men/women)- $100 each
  • 1st overall team (men/women)- $400 per team
  • 2nd overall team (men/women)- $200 per team
  • 3rd overall team (men/women)- $125 per team
  • 1st overall mixed team- $300 per team
  • 2nd overall mixed team- $200 per team
  • 3rd overall mixed team- $125 per team
  • 1st age group winners (men/women)- $25 gift card to Marathon Sports
    • 18-29, 30-39, 40-49, 50-59, 60-69, 70+
• 
  
  • Raffle prizes of- 2 Premvida Bolt self-massagers, 5 $200 gift cards to Forward Spine and Sport, 5 $100 gift cards for a movement screen at Platinum Physical Therapy, 6 gift cards from Tracksmith.

Do you run with a GPS watch* or a smartphone? Then you're all set for Automated & Verified results. You link it up to a PWR Lab Training App account – this is free, and requires no commitment or subscription to the PWR Lab Training App.

Don't have a compatible device, or don't want to use one? You can manually upload results on the Honor System as well.

*Compatible devices: anything that syncs 'running' activities to COROS, Garmin Connect, Suunto App, or Polar Flow. Smartphone users can download the Suunto App for free, and record runs directly on the phone.

Suunto Movescount, Apple Watch, Stava, Fitbit, or any others are not currently compatible, but can still be used in some cases through a third party (RunGap) or submitted as manual results.

Screenshots, GPX files, or any other device files will not be accepted for results verification.

Persons convicted of a performance enhancing (doping) violation per USATF, USADA, WADA, and others guidelines will not be eligible for any cash or other prizes.

Swag is the key to a great event which is why our super amazing sponsors stepped up and pulled out the stops. Each participants will receive a pair of goodr sunglasses; from Squad Locker a t-shirt, face mask, and draw string bag; Momentus with a discount code for their nutritional products, and a store discount at Marathon Sports when you pick up your swag bag.

2020 has taught us that community is everything and this race couldn't have taken place without our great sponsors.

Platinum Physical Therapy- Hopkinton, Ashland, Milford

SquadLocker- Custom apparel distributor

Momentus- Nutritional supplements

Premvida- Recovery tools

Oasis Financial Services- Wealth Advisory Practice in Hopkinton

goodr- Affordable and stylish sunglasses meant for performance

Forward Spine and Sport- Chiropractor practice in Back Bay, Boston

Marathon Sports- Shoe and clothing retailer with 10 locations in Massachusetts and another 7 locations in Connecticut and New Hampshire

Start Here: Basics and Essentials

Do I need a GPS watch to participate?

No! We have partnered with PWR Lab to provide you with automated tracking through compatible devices (Suunto, Garmin, Polar, and COROS) but also the ability to manually enter your results and track your progress. All awards will be based on GPS tracking only. PRO TIP: If you do not have a supported GPS device, but carry a phone while you run, you can download the free Suunto App and use their built in GPS activity recorder to sync with PWR Lab. (Strava is not compatible).

What is PWR Lab?

PWR Lab (pronounced "power") is a running analytics company created to help runners avoid training injuries by connecting big data with sport science. The platform helps runners of any level predict risk, prevent injury, and perform optimally. You’re eligible to redeem a free trial on their platform – no credit card info needed, no obligation, no risk – which begins when you create your account. For more information on PWR Lab check out their FAQ, or YouTube Channel for tutorial videos.

Event & Participant Info

How do my results get to the leaderboard?

Once you register for the event there are two options for getting results onto the leaderboard: automatic sync through PWR Lab, or manual entry of your results.

There is a section dedicated to each in this FAQ

Results displayed as “Verified” must go through PWR Lab, and must be recorded on the GPS device specifically as a “running” activity.

Where is the start and finish on the course?

The course starts right past the Korean Presbyterian Church (2 Main Street, Hopkinton, MA) driveway on the left hand side of the road of Route 135 headed East towards Boston. There is the end of street parking line where the start line is (marked with the yellow star below). There is no official marking on the road. We recommend starting a few feet before the line, don't worry your 5k will start once you pass the line.

Start-

The first mile and a half has a sidewalk for most of the way with one major street crossing around the first mile. Around the 1.5 mile mark, the sidewalk switches to the opposite side of the road and ends abruptly a quarter mile past that. While it is always safer to run on the sidewalk, when the sidewalk ends you will be running with traffic which is not safe, therefore we recommend you stay on the same side of the road.

The next major intersection comes around the 2.5 mile mark across from the Ashland Community Center, proceed with caution. The last major intersection comes a quarter mile past that on the left hand side. Ashland Middle School may be busy with school and/or activity traffic, proceed with caution.

The race ends right before the Ashland MBTA Commuter Train driveway (of course there’s a Dunks at the corner). Your race is over before that intersection, there is no need to run through it. The last telephone pole before the intersection is slightly past the “virtual” line which is why we suggest running past that telephone pole which is approximately where the blue star is below. The Dunkin parking lot may be a good meeting point if you are planning on having someone pick you up, however please be courteous to the business and do not linger unless you are planning on being a patron of the business.

Finish-

Do I have to run the course?

One of the upsides to 2020 is we've learned to connect to the world while being physically apart. If you want to participate at home or the gym, you can submit your results however you will not be eligible for any prizes outside of the raffle. Try to find a similar elevation profile to the course which has a net 432 elevation loss over 3.1 miles. Below is the elevation graph-

I signed up after the event started, which results can be counted?

Whether you are using automatic results or manual entries, only activities on or after the date you registered will count. Think about your time of registration as the time you cross the starting line: anything recorded before that cannot be counted, as you were not participating yet!

What is PWR Lab’s free trial & app all about?

PWR Lab is a running analytics company created to help runners avoid training injuries by connecting big data with sport science. The platform helps runners of any level predict risk, prevent injury, and perform optimally.

You’re eligible to redeem a free trial to the platform – no credit card info needed, no obligation, no risk – which begins when you create your account.

There is zero obligation to use the app, purchase anything, or subscribe – your participation in the challenge will continue without an active PWR Lab account. We hope you will find PWR Lab to be a wealth of information and guidance in preparing for, participating in, and remaining healthy beyond this event!

Sync Results Automatically with PWR Lab

What email address should I use to sign-up for PWR Lab?

If you want to take advantage of automatic results tracking, you should sign-up for PWR Lab with the same email address you used to register for this event, so that PWR Lab can match your automatic data to your bib number.

If you signed up using different email addresses, you should log into your Race Roster account and update it to match the PWR Lab email address.

How do I sync a device with PWR Lab?

PWR Lab will guide you through the process of linking a compatible device during initial sign-up. You can also reference this video for help in linking a device.

What devices & services are compatible for auto-syncing with the event?

PWR Lab is currently compatible with Suunto, Garmin, COROS, and Polar. Uploading FIT files, GPX files, screenshots, etc. is not supported.

PRO TIP: If you do not have a supported GPS watch, but carry a phone while you run, you can download the free Suunto App and use their built in GPS activity recorder to sync with PWR Lab. (Strava is not compatible)

What activity types will count? Walking, hiking, cardio, steps?

Only activities recorded specifically as a running activity will be imported, analyzed, and verified for the leaderboard.

What about treadmill runs?

When in doubt, you can always upload treadmill results using manual entry. But some watches also support Treadmill modes that are compatible with PWR Lab:

Many newer GPS watches have the option to “Calibrate Distance” after completing a treadmill run. On a Garmin, record the activity specifically as a treadmill run. After stopping the watch – but before saving the activity – scroll down to “Calibrate and Save”, and enter the total distance displayed on the treadmill.

If you record the run and save it without calibrating / adjusting the distance, then it is likely to be very inaccurate. Also note that if you run on a treadmill without selecting a specific treadmill mode, then the distance calculated using GPS will be very small (close to 0), because you’re not moving away from the treadmill.

Note that adjusting the distance in Garmin Connect after you have saved & submitted the activity will not change the data that is sent to PWR Lab or the leaderboard. Examples & Resources: Article, Video

What does the green Verified badge mean?

The green Verified badge is reserved for participants who have uploaded 100% Verified data through PWR Lab.

Uploading FIT files, GPX files, screenshots, etc. is not supported in order to get Verified results.

Why doesn’t my leaderboard elevation gain match across PWR Lab, Suunto, Strava, etc.?

GPS watches and devices are equipped with different hardware and sensors, including barometric altimeters. Watches without barometric altimeters calculate and approximate elevation values differently than those with. Many services, such as Garmin and Strava, will recalculate elevation after importing the GPS data, especially for devices without barometric altimeters. At this time, PWR Lab does not recalculate elevation gain, but uses the values directly reported by your device. Thus recalculated values from other services may not match the value reported by the watch and used by PWR Lab.

What about my Apple Watch?

Apple Watch is not currently compatible, but PWR Lab is hard at work getting it integrated. In the meantime, it is possible to sign-up for Run Gap, and send Apple Watch to Run Gap to Garmin Connect to PWR Lab. Not for the faint of heart!

Can I manually add activities to my Sunnto/Gamin/etc. and sync those to PWR Lab?

No, activities must be recorded on a GPS device and created with underlying GPS data that is synced to PWR Lab for analysis and verification. The activity must be recorded as a running activity specifically in order to be imported, analyzed, and verified. (See other FAQ question for more specific information about approved activity types)

Why isn’t my activity appearing on the leaderboard after I recorded it?

Check to make sure that:

• You synced your device to the app/service (eg Garmin Connect). PWR Lab does not sync directly to your watch, but receives activity data from services like Garmin & Suunto after you sync to them.
• You have waited a few minutes (up to 15) for Garmin/Suunto/etc to send the activity to PWR Lab, and for PWR Lab to process it for the leaderboard after syncing your device.
• You have refreshed the leaderboard page to load the newest data
• The activity was recorded as a running activity, and not any other type (walking, biking, etc). Changing an activity to running after the fact will not allow the activity to sync.
• The activity was recorded after you registered for the event. Think about your time of registration as the time you cross the starting line: anything recorded before that cannot be counted with Verified results.
• You did not unlink your device from your PWR Lab account (you can see this on the Profile page, even if your free trial has expired).

What if I registered multiple people with 1 email address but we want to use PWR Lab individually?

Your PWR Lab account email should match your registration email in order for PWR Lab to send your data to the correct bib number, and a PWR Lab account can only be linked to one participant. Log in to Race Roster in order to change your registration email to an address that can be used to match your PWR Lab account email address.

Manually Upload Your Results

How do I manually upload results?

Use the manual upload tool to record any activities for this event. You will need your bib number and the email address that you used for registration in order to access the upload tool.

How do I view/edit my manual entries?

Use the manual manual upload tool to see a list of all (and modify any of) your manually uploaded activities for this event. You will need your bib number and the email address that you used for registration in order to access the upload tool.

How do I find my bib number?

When you registered for The First 5k Downhill Dash you should have received an email with you bib #. If you didn’t, check The First 5k Downhill Dash participants page on Race Roster.

I recently registered but why can’t I get into the manual entry tool?

Make sure you are logging into the manual entry tool with the same email address that was used for registration, and the bib number that was assigned to you. Incorrect combinations will not be allowed to access the tool.

There may also be a slight lag time between your registration and when you are fully added to the event and recognized by the manual entry tool. Normally this should take effect within a few hours, and never more than a day.

Don’t worry if there’s a lag time before you can access the submission tool: once you gain entry, results from any day (between your registration day and today). Contact us if you continue to have trouble beyond 24 hours.

Other Misc. Questions & Info

What if someone’s results seem completely unrealistic?

We ask that you keep the most important pieces of this event in mind: Community! All manual submissions are completely on the honor system. Unrealistic results are often honest mistakes, and are often correct.

Filter the Leaderboard to see Verified results in order to eliminate honor system entries, and view only the results that are backed up by GPS data that is verified by PWR Lab.

All results that are eligible for prizes will be specifically validated for any inconsistencies.

What if I need to change my email address?

You should log into your Race Roster account and update any information that needs to be updated or corrected.

What about mistake in my age, gender, etc.?

Just like with emails, please update information via Race Roster. Don’t worry, we’ll make sure PWR Lab gets your updates.

What happens when my PWR Lab trial expires if I don’t want to subscribe?

Your free access to most of PWR Lab’s features is expiring, but your participation in the event is not! Your GPS data will continue to automatically upload to the leaderboard, even if you choose not to sign-up for PWR Lab. There’s absolutely no obligation.

The specifics are included below, and you can always reference PWR Lab’s privacy policy & terms of use

• When signing up for PWR Lab, you can authorize a connection between another running data service (eg Garmin Connect) and PWR Lab.
• This allows that service to send them activities that you have recorded on your watch/phone and then uploaded. PWR Lab does not actually connect to your watch or track you: your activities are simply pushed through your Garmin Connect, Suunto, COROS, Polar, etc. account to the platform.
• This authorization remains intact until you choose to disable it. Your account is not actually deleted at the end of a free trial, just locked. Thus it can continue to send your results to the race leaderboard.
• You can disable the link between PWR Lab and your connected services at any time.
• After connecting your service to PWR Lab, a green link/unlink icon will be displayed on your Profile page. To unlink your account at any time, navigate to the Profile page, scroll to the bottom, and select “unlink”.
• You can access the Profile page and do this at any time, even if your free trial has expired.

Why are all my historical running activities imported when I link a device?

PWR Lab is a running analytics company created to help runners avoid training injuries. The app is designed to import historical running activity, learn your personal baseline, and then give you completely customized training guidance and injury risk forecasting.

We are extending a free trial of PWR Lab to all our participants, which you're welcome to use for automated mileage tracking during the event. If you do not wish to redeem your free trial and link a device, then no worries at all – there is a manual entry option and none of your data will need to flow through PWR Lab. If you do choose to link your device, PWR Lab will import your historical activities for the sake of establishing that baseline, and linked services will continue to push us new activities until you decide to deactivate the link.

I have questions or need help beyond this FAQ?

Send us an email: support@pwrlab.com

Safety is our top priority and we want it to be yours as well!

To be clear- the course is open to traffic and pedestrians and there is no support from the race host. You are responsible for your safety which is why we recommend running on sidewalks when possible (please see the FAQs before running the course) and against traffic. The sidewalks and sides of the road may have debris on them, be aware of your surroundings. Wearing headphones while running can also be dangerous and we do not recommend them for this race.

Additionally, we recommend avoiding the course during peak traffic times which are Monday through Friday- 7am to 9:30am, and 2:00pm to 6:30pm.

We recommend letting a family member or friend know when you're going to be running if you are not being supported.

Specifically related to COVID-19, we are asking for no more than groups of 2 and waiting 5 minutes between runner starts. Note the State guidelines on COVID-19. This event can only be successful if you adhere to these safety guidelines. Please read the terms of the waiver for further questions related to your safety.