Wow, 15 miles. I'd be pretty upset about the lack of race too. Cat 5 over here are treated just like the 4s. In fact, I'm not sure if there are any plain ole 5 races.
The trinkets I wouldn't mind as much, less reason for people to do something really stupid
I passed an ambulance on the way to tend to a crash in my race today, payout was only merchandise too (Cat 4).