Race #126 - Caped Crusaders 5k - Boiling Springs, NC - 05/21/11

For Linda and I, this was our first race ever in the Shelby/Boiling Springs area. I'm not sure why that is, and on the way home we talked about running more races here in the future. This race was held on and around the beautiful campus of Gardner-Webb University. As soon as we arrived we started seeing friends from this area who we know from being regulars at the races. There was Bruce Putnam and Bubba Anthony, who both live near the campus, and Angie Burn and Becky Strahler, who finished 1st and 2nd overall in the female division, just a second apart. There were also several from our Gaston County Runners group who made the short trip to Boiling Springs for the race, so although it was our first race in the area it felt like a home-town race with lots of friends around.

From what I was told, the route was the same as several other annual races. There was a small uphill start, which always helps to get the juices flowing, and people jockeyed for position. When we reached the main road I could see about a half dozen people out ahead of me. I managed to pick a few of them off over the ensuing miles. Stephen Phillips and I stayed close during the entire race as we've been doing lately, and once more I confounded him by slowing pulling away. I mention Stephen because he and I are friends in the Gaston County Runners and we've been neck-and-neck for the past few races. Stephen keeps getting faster while I'm stuck at about the same speed I've been for the past couple years, and as I'm approaching age 60 I'll be lucky just to maintain my present speed, much less improve, so I'm hoping to keep him frustrated for as long as possible before he heads on up to the next level.

When it was over I finished 3rd overall, which was great for me since it equaled my highest finish ever from just a few weeks ago in Cherryville. Stephen was 5th overall and fellow GCR member Patrick Green surprised us by finishing 11th overall in his first 5k ever.


Race Rating:

5 - 1-10  Website (Information, results, registration, photo links, etc.)
7 - 1-10  Awards (Quality of medals, trophies, etc.) (1 to 10)
8 - 1-10  Awards Presentation (PA system, winning times, etc.) (1 to 10)
4 - 1-10  Food for Race Participants (1 to 10)
5 - 1-10  T-Shirts (1 to 10 with 5 being average)
4 - 4/6   Part of Race Series (Grand Prix, etc.) (6=Yes and 4=No)
0 - 0/5   Professional Photography (5=Yes and 0=No)
6 - 4/6   Chip Timing (6=Yes and 4=No)
7 - 3/7   Certified Course (by USA Track & Field) (7=Yes and 3=No)
6 - 1-10  Course (1 to 10 with 5 being average)
9 - 1-10  Parking (1 to 10 with 5 being average)
7 - 1-10  Entertainment (1 to 10 with 5 being average)
10 - 0-10  Age Groups (10 if 5-year groups; 0 if 10-year groups)
5 - 0/5   Indoor Shelter from Elements (0 if none; 5 if provided)
6 - 1-10  Bathroom Facilities
0-10  Other 

TOTAL - 89

Race Stats:

1st Overall Male:  Cody Darner (19:14)
1st Overall Female:  Angie Burn (24:56)
Total Finishers:  125

My Stats:

Time:  21:27
Pace:  6:55
Age Group:  1st (Award for 3rd overall)
Overall:  3 of 125

Comments

  1. Larry LinuxMay 22, 2011 at 7:50 PM

    Awesome results! I have to say that since my come back I had pretty much given up hope on ever regaining any kind of speed. At 47 I figured the best I could do was to focus on longer distances. That was until I came across your blog - thanks for the inspiration!

    Chris

    PS - Thanks for adding me to your blog roll. I just added "Old-Runner" to mine.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Richard HefnerMay 22, 2011 at 10:27 PM

    Hi Chris... Thanks for adding me to your blog roll! I'll bet you've got plenty of faster times in your future... at 47 you're just a young'un! Glad I'm able to provide a little inspiration... I'll be checking out your blog to see how your faster race times are coming along!

    ReplyDelete

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