It was a 3.4 mile run that fit nicely into my training plan. It also happened to be the first event held at the new Circuit Of The Americas (COTA). Nice coincidence! Better yet, Formula Run would provide a great opportunity to get a sneak peek of the circuit just two weeks before the the wail of Formula One cars will be heard throughout central Texas.

There was no way that I was going to miss this event. There were 5,000 runners in complete agreement with me, with a large majority of them out for a morning stroll and sightseeing tour. After the run, there was just one word to describe my first thoughts of COTA: wow. This is going to be one amazing race course.

As an F1 fan, and with tickets in hand for the upcoming US Grand Prix race weekend November 16 - 18, I was curious to see what the course design translated into in real life. It is one thing to see overhead photos, or seating charts, or elevation profiles. But it is another to see how it all fits together in the real world.

I’ve been on a number of F1 courses over the years – from Mosport to Watkins Glen, Circuit Gilles Villeneuve to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. I can now say that this multi-purpose facility as a whole is spectacular. As far as racing goes, it has some corners that appear to compare favorably to any of the best that I have witnessed. The rolling terrain lends nicely to some intriguing turns with a number of blind entries and exits. Running the course doesn’t tell the whole story though, and the full truth remains to be seen in a few weeks.

Without question, the most notable is Turn One – which I suspect will soon become legendary in F1 circles because of the tremendous elevation change. From the far end of the front straight leading up to it, the drivers will face what amounts to a wall of asphalt. Imagine a 10 story climb at 180 mph, then a sudden deceleration to a 50 mph hairpin turn, then plummeting back downhill at full throttle. The photo below gives you some idea of what is involved. Note the vertical signage and the people struggling to run up the hill!

Unfortunately, there was heavy fog and almost zero visibility for the Formula Run. This made some of the logistics of moving people into and out of the event a little awkward. Traffic was crazy. With that said, and weather aside, there are still a lot of bugs to be ironed out in order to get 120,000 people into COTA on race day.

The fastest run split was just over 18:00. Lap times for F1 are expected to be around 1:40.

It was great to be a part of the first event at COTA. It certainly wasn’t my fastest 3.4 miles, but it was an exciting prelude to Formula One. With a facility like this, combined with the tech industry and the great vibe of Austin, I will be amazed if Formula One doesn’t thrive here. Austin has all the makings of an impeccable host for Formula One.

Only 12 days until COTA welcomes the world to Austin. I can’t wait!

Photo credits: abesselink