Thanks y'all. Feel free to add your own comments, perspectives or experiences on preparing for and taking part in your first race. I love stories.
People love to complain about cross becoming too serious, too commercial, too expensive. My hope it to lower the perception that cross is some elitist sport that's hard to get into. Really it's a participation sport in which even casual cyclists can pin a number, line up and have a legitimate race.
I would love to see participation in the sport continue to grow. One data point: Portland Cross Crusade series races routinely draw total fields of 1500 racers (and often nearly 100 in Beginner Women class alone). That's drawing from an area that has a population of only, say, 2 million people compared to the 20+ million in the greater NYC area.