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HerRealName · 05-02-2015, 01:56 PM

My son and I signed up for a race this morning pretty last minute. He ran the 5K and I did the 10K.

This was a small, local event in its first year. The 5K and 10K started together on a paved trail, the 5K did a turnaround at the 1.55K mark, and the 10K continued on until the 5K mark before returning on the same path.

The event suffered from all of the issues that you would expect. The trail wasn't closed to other traffic so I had to weave through normal pedestrian traffic, a lot of 5K walkers walking side by side blocked the trail, and both turnaround points were poorly marked.

I started way too fast in an effort to get around kids and other slower traffic at the start line. I got through the 5K turnaround area and lost some time dealing with the poorly marked path. I saw 2 other runners in front of me at that point, it turns out both were 5K runners that didn't navigate the turnaround correctly.

I caught both of the 5K runners over the next mile or so and I didn't see anyone else in front of me. I hit a water stand at about 3 miles, saw the poorly marked 10K turnaround, but ended up running an extra 50 feet or so when I misinterpreted the instructions. You would think there would be someone posted at that turnaround but they didn't. Running the extra distance wasn't a big deal since the off course 5K runners were thinking their race was ending and not at the halfway mark. They both took a walk break and I didn't see them again until after they finished.

I had to weave through a lot of traffic on the path back to the Finish line but I won the race by quite a bit. I didn't see any other 10K runners behind me so I'm not sure how close the second place runner was.

I'm pretty sure the fact that I won a race automatically invalidates as an actual race but it was fun anyway. My son won a close 5K so it worked out well for both of us. I doubt I'll ever win a race again but it was fun while it lasted.

I ended up with a 45:24 but my watch only measured 6.17 so of course it doesn't count as a 10K on Strava. It was a certified course so I'll claim the PR though. I was hoping to get under 45:00 but considering my bad start and all of the weaving around traffic, I'm fine with the time.

05-02-2015, 01:56 PM	#1967
HerRealName College Benchwarmer Join Date: Dec 2002	My son and I signed up for a race this morning pretty last minute. He ran the 5K and I did the 10K. This was a small, local event in its first year. The 5K and 10K started together on a paved trail, the 5K did a turnaround at the 1.55K mark, and the 10K continued on until the 5K mark before returning on the same path. The event suffered from all of the issues that you would expect. The trail wasn't closed to other traffic so I had to weave through normal pedestrian traffic, a lot of 5K walkers walking side by side blocked the trail, and both turnaround points were poorly marked. I started way too fast in an effort to get around kids and other slower traffic at the start line. I got through the 5K turnaround area and lost some time dealing with the poorly marked path. I saw 2 other runners in front of me at that point, it turns out both were 5K runners that didn't navigate the turnaround correctly. I caught both of the 5K runners over the next mile or so and I didn't see anyone else in front of me. I hit a water stand at about 3 miles, saw the poorly marked 10K turnaround, but ended up running an extra 50 feet or so when I misinterpreted the instructions. You would think there would be someone posted at that turnaround but they didn't. Running the extra distance wasn't a big deal since the off course 5K runners were thinking their race was ending and not at the halfway mark. They both took a walk break and I didn't see them again until after they finished. I had to weave through a lot of traffic on the path back to the Finish line but I won the race by quite a bit. I didn't see any other 10K runners behind me so I'm not sure how close the second place runner was. I'm pretty sure the fact that I won a race automatically invalidates as an actual race but it was fun anyway. My son won a close 5K so it worked out well for both of us. I doubt I'll ever win a race again but it was fun while it lasted. I ended up with a 45:24 but my watch only measured 6.17 so of course it doesn't count as a 10K on Strava. It was a certified course so I'll claim the PR though. I was hoping to get under 45:00 but considering my bad start and all of the weaving around traffic, I'm fine with the time.