I had never experience a race like the Dogfish Dash, and it reminded me very much of the New Belgium Tour de Fat. Both events give back to local environmental causes, aggressively compost and recycle to make for a near-zero-waste event, feature inspired and over-the-top participant costumes and have great live music. And of course, both events have no shortage of phenomenal beer.

Sam, the Dogfish founder and CEO, even gave us a pre-race pep talk. “The sun is shining down on us today,” he said.

The road race course was scenic and mostly flat with some deceptively tough hills thrown in. I kept a pretty steady pace and finished with just enough of a kick to finish 1st in my age group. My goal was to run in the mid-18s, and my official time was 18:32 for the 5K (this review category only allowed me to select 8K). I scored a bottle opener for a medal, which is perfect for the Burton Baton and 60 Minute IPA I brought home.

During my all-too-brief time in Delaware, I was also able to fit in a brewery tour and saw the original Dogfish digs in Rehoboth Beach. Mission accomplished.