Passaic Chanukah 5K

My final race of the season,  the year, and possibly for a long time (more on that in the next post) was quite anti-climactic.

This new Chanukah race in Passaic, though well intentioned, was not well organized. The director was a super-nice guy, but needs help if he wants to bring it back for a second year.

The vibe among the small crowd gathered at the Boathouse in Third Ward Park on that chilly late-December morning was pleasant. But from the outset, there was some confusion: What, exactly, is the course? Why do I see no markings? Is someone going to direct us?

We were told that the course was three times around the park's loop, but those of us unfamiliar with the park were not sure what the "loop" was. After several explanations, we finally got it, and the race was now running late as we walked to the start line.

But where was the start line? Clearly this was not an officially measured course by the USATF. As we grouped in a designated area, someone asked where the line was. "Right where you are," was the reply, but there was no clear line and we racers like exactitude.

The "go" command was given and we ran the supposed tenth of a mile leading to the beginning of the one-mile loop. As we neared the clock, I saw the Compuscore guy still fiddling with it. He had not started the clock yet!

I finally saw it start just as I was passing. OK, I thought, I'll either have to extrapolate my time one-tenth, or count this as a three-miler.

The three front-runners blasted ahead, but I held my own behind them. I hit the first loop at just under 6:00 and tried to hang on to that pace for the next two. The slight incline on the back-end of the loop was offset by a fast decline, so it certainly was not a challenging course.  Perhaps that accounts for the relative steadiness of my pace as I knocked out mile two at just over 6:00.

Though I was passed by one guy, I was gunning it hard for the last loop, giving it all I had because - official race or not - I wanted to end my year with a bang. Expending all my effort, I was not able to get a definitive look at the clock, but I really thought it was somewhere in the 18:30s. Weird. Had the missed time been added?

I asked the Compuscore guy what the time differential was between the start of the race and the start of the clock. He blatantly lied and said there was none. I did not feel like arguing, so I retreated back to the Boathouse where there were no post-race snacks save for a couple of boxes of donuts. Anything else we wanted, we had to buy. At least we got a nice technical polyester shirt.

I found the race director, thanked him for the race, and left. But if he really wants to make this a worthwhile race for the future, he has a lot to learn. If you charge 25 bucks for a race, we expect a well-defined course, accurate timing, and at least some free bananas and maybe some bagels. I mean, come on - we can run anywhere, any time. If we are paying for it, we want to get something out of it.

The next day, I looked up the results online. My official time was 18:11. I know I trained hard, but I also know I do not have a 5:52 pace 5K in me. I think that time is for three miles, which would mean a much more realistic 6:00 pace. Still not a bad ending to a great year.

P.S. Don't forget to check out my NYC Marathon movie if you have not already!