My first official 5k is in the books. I had a good run overall but there were some confusions on the course and myself and several other runners took a turn off of the route that was a tad longer in distance than the certified race course.
If I were to point the finger, I'd point it at the pace bike because it was him I was following when I watched the front two runners jog merrily down a path I presumed was incorrect. But the rules state that each runner is responsible for his/her own knowledge of the course and I discovered that I (along with the race's fearless bike leader), was in the wrong. But I'm not mad at the bike dude. In fact, I think the RD and whoever laid out the course were all on different pages because on our "wrong" route, we passed by mile markers that were in use for our race. So at the end of the day, I don't know who was wrong or right. Honestly, I don't care. This race was about raising funds for cancer research and (heard over the PA system) it was announced that this year's race had record participants. A win for the OMRF, and their work in fighting cancer.
I'm still satisfied. Despite the longer distance, I crossed the finish with a chip time of 20:22, only 23 seconds off my goal time. I still managed to win the age group and take the third spot overall. AND, for the whip cream on top of the sundae, the first and second place overall runners were both in high school and are ineligible to receive prize money of any kind (per USATF rules), so I found myself collecting a handsome gift card to Academy. A good day for a run.
1 comments:
good job at Sonner State games. Too bad I missed it.
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