Note: I mistakenly published this post on Saturday, before it was finished. Here is the complete race report...
The pre-race atmosphere in MacKay Park was jubilant. A DJ played funky, danceable R&B tunes including a few by Prince. There were protein bars, bananas and bagels. The staff and runners were friendly. The post-race celebration even had pizza. Bless their hearts, the Market Place and juice and food cafe did a commendable job organizing its first 5K for the community.
But there was one extremely glaring oversight at the first Juice for Life 5K in Englewood on July 31, and it is a shame because everything else about this race was well-presented and enjoyable.
Plus, it is hard to gripe when I ran my second fastest 5K ever (hot on the heels of my PR in June and my excellent showing at the Sunset Classic) and even completely won the darn race.
Still, the one problem was a big one - the course was not marked at all. Let me repeat that:
The course...
...was not marked...
...at all.
Luckily, I have learned my lesson from previous races that I have run while still in their nascent stages and I emailed the race director for a course map a week prior. This is what I received...
After studying it, there were still some questionable turns that were not clear on the map. So on race day I tried to find a race volunteer who could help answer a few questions. Nobody knew anything about where to make the first turn and where the turn off from Van Brunt Street was.
A feeling of dread crept over me at the start line as I looked around - Oh god, what if I end up leading the pack and have no idea where I am going?
At the go signal, we ran west on Englewood Avenue and those of us at the front of the pack had to make a quick decision, turning right at Elmore Avenue. From that map, no one could tell if the turn was there or at the next block, but either way, we ended up on Lafayette Avenue with a left turn onto West Palisade Avenue. Later, we would determine that it should have been the next block, thereby cutting out two-tenths of a mile.
I broke away from the pack into the lead, hoping for the best, but the next turn was confusing. I knew it was a right onto Van Brunt, but the sign was much farther up than the street and I had my eyes on the sign, not realizing I had actually passed the street and was already at the railroad tracks when I heard someone behind me yell, "Right turn!"
"Shit!" I exclaimed, remembering how a blown turn cost me what would have been my first win at a 10K in 2010, and watching five other guys make the turn before I got back to the proper intersection. Later, I would calculate that I lost about 15 seconds.
I would not, however, stand to lose my lead, so I pushed hard on Van Brunt and somehow made it to the front as we turned left onto Linden Avenue (which was confirmed by runner-up John Milone, whom I assume called out the previous turn), for the loop around Jackson Street and Forest Avenue. After getting back on Van Brunt heading toward the next loop (around Nordhoff Place and the Crowne Plaza), a teenager (possibly Ben Tenenbaum) was clearly trying to pull ahead of me. He got up next to me, but was clearly losing too much steam in the process - grunting and groaning as he tried to keep up.
On the straightaway along Van Brunt, now heading north with no more turns until the home stretch on Englewood Avenue, I passed the runners heading south toward the loop and saw Gloria who was running in the mid-pack and cheered me on as I passed. Later, she told me that the kid behind me looked like he was completely fatigued as I pulled farther away. The humidity was high and it was getting hotter - the poor kid just could not hack it.
And by the time I hit the turn toward the finish, I felt like I could not anymore either, so I dug deep, not knowing how far behind me the second place runner was, and rallied to the finish where I broke the tape under a clock that read 16:44. I knew I had run fast, but I also knew there was no way I ran that fast.
When I found out the true distance - 2.9 miles - I did some extrapolation, but also subtracted the 15 seconds I lost at the first Van Brunt turn, calculating my time to be 17:37, only one second off from my PR a month earlier. Plus, you know, I won. But again, I could not feel like it was a true win (nor a true time) because of all that went wrong.
This could potentially be a wonderful race, especially since the vibe continued to be excellent as the runners came into the finish (Gloria finished beautifully, with what would be a PR, even with the missed distance added back in!). Runners cheered for other runners and everyone came through the finish smiling.
But, lordy, they have got to improve the course logistics! Even spray-painted arrows on the street would have been helpful. Hopefully next year, they will do something about that - so there can be more next years.
Results (based on the shortened course): http://www.bestrace.com/results/16/160731JC5.HTM
A feeling of dread crept over me at the start line as I looked around - Oh god, what if I end up leading the pack and have no idea where I am going?
At the go signal, we ran west on Englewood Avenue and those of us at the front of the pack had to make a quick decision, turning right at Elmore Avenue. From that map, no one could tell if the turn was there or at the next block, but either way, we ended up on Lafayette Avenue with a left turn onto West Palisade Avenue. Later, we would determine that it should have been the next block, thereby cutting out two-tenths of a mile.
I broke away from the pack into the lead, hoping for the best, but the next turn was confusing. I knew it was a right onto Van Brunt, but the sign was much farther up than the street and I had my eyes on the sign, not realizing I had actually passed the street and was already at the railroad tracks when I heard someone behind me yell, "Right turn!"
"Shit!" I exclaimed, remembering how a blown turn cost me what would have been my first win at a 10K in 2010, and watching five other guys make the turn before I got back to the proper intersection. Later, I would calculate that I lost about 15 seconds.
I would not, however, stand to lose my lead, so I pushed hard on Van Brunt and somehow made it to the front as we turned left onto Linden Avenue (which was confirmed by runner-up John Milone, whom I assume called out the previous turn), for the loop around Jackson Street and Forest Avenue. After getting back on Van Brunt heading toward the next loop (around Nordhoff Place and the Crowne Plaza), a teenager (possibly Ben Tenenbaum) was clearly trying to pull ahead of me. He got up next to me, but was clearly losing too much steam in the process - grunting and groaning as he tried to keep up.
On the straightaway along Van Brunt, now heading north with no more turns until the home stretch on Englewood Avenue, I passed the runners heading south toward the loop and saw Gloria who was running in the mid-pack and cheered me on as I passed. Later, she told me that the kid behind me looked like he was completely fatigued as I pulled farther away. The humidity was high and it was getting hotter - the poor kid just could not hack it.
And by the time I hit the turn toward the finish, I felt like I could not anymore either, so I dug deep, not knowing how far behind me the second place runner was, and rallied to the finish where I broke the tape under a clock that read 16:44. I knew I had run fast, but I also knew there was no way I ran that fast.
When I found out the true distance - 2.9 miles - I did some extrapolation, but also subtracted the 15 seconds I lost at the first Van Brunt turn, calculating my time to be 17:37, only one second off from my PR a month earlier. Plus, you know, I won. But again, I could not feel like it was a true win (nor a true time) because of all that went wrong.
This could potentially be a wonderful race, especially since the vibe continued to be excellent as the runners came into the finish (Gloria finished beautifully, with what would be a PR, even with the missed distance added back in!). Runners cheered for other runners and everyone came through the finish smiling.
But, lordy, they have got to improve the course logistics! Even spray-painted arrows on the street would have been helpful. Hopefully next year, they will do something about that - so there can be more next years.
Results (based on the shortened course): http://www.bestrace.com/results/16/160731JC5.HTM
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