Race #206 - Kings Mountain Gateway 5k - Kings Mountain, NC - 03/02/13

It's kind of gratifying that I finished this race as 2nd Overall Male (and 3rd Overall since the 1st place female beat me) and I won a big, beautiful trophy, but it's a little troubling that it was my slowest 5k since June 2009. There's no doubt it's a tough 5k -- maybe the most difficult 5k I've ever run, thanks to two long hills, including one that people refer to as "Cardio Hill."

On the other hand, maybe it just seemed hard to me and the hills weren't as bad as I imagined. By the time I hit the first hill less than a mile into the race I was already huffing and puffing. I knew that I had started out a little faster than I wanted to because of the way the race goes down the street at the beginning and hangs a left and everybody falls into single file until we hit the greenway. Somebody warned me ahead of time that you could get into trouble if you ended up behind some slow people so I wanted to get a good spot. If you watch the video you'll see that I weaved around quite a few people going down the hill then fell in place in back of Brad McKee, a fast runner I knew from other races and the eventual winner of the 10k (the 5k and 10k started together).

Speaking of watching the video, last week was my birthday and my wife Linda gave me a pair of Inventio-HD Video Sunglasses, which so far I'd have to rate as my best birthday gift ever. All of the photos and video clips in the video I'm posting were pulled right off of the glasses. I just turned them on and let them go, then when I got home I transferred the video to the computer and pulled out whatever I wanted to use. It's great to be able to provide my perspective during the race, but with all the bouncing around while running I don't think anybody (including me) would want to watch the entire race so I've included more still photos than action video.

I'll let the video tell the story of the race, but congratulations to Gunner Hogston, who was the overall winner of the 5k. He's just 10 years old and not a lot taller than 4 feet, but is already an amazing runner with a reputation for being fast and he's well known in the running community. Also congrats to Kate Crowell. Not only did Kate finish as the 1st place female but her 9-year-old daughter Marlee was the 2nd female and 5th overall in the race!

Here's the video...

10-year-old Gunner, winner of the 5k, just before the race.

This is just a small section of the first winding hill where Kate passed me.
You can see Gunner up ahead of her. By the time I reached the top of the hill
they were both out of sight.

Kate and 9-year-old Marlee after the race (1st and 2nd females overall)

Click Here for Race Results

Click Here for Photos from Gateway Trail Facebook Page (77 Photos)

Click Here for Photos from My Personal Facebook Page (69 Photos)

My Stats:

Time:  23:33
Pace:  7:35
Age Group:  1 of  4
Overall:  3 of  50
Average Heart Rate:  159
Maximum Heart Race:  172
Age Graded Equivalent Time:  18:46 (68.71%)

***************
* RACE RATING *
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RACE COURSE
0 - Chip Timing: (3 points if yes)
0 - Starting Mat: (2 points if yes)
0 - Water Stops: (0)none  (2)normal  (5)extras [Gu, sports drink, etc.]
1 - Course Marking:  (0)bad  (1)good
2 - Course Scenery:  (0)bad  (2)pleasant  (5)extraordinary
1 - Mile Markers: (0)poor or none  (1)normal  (2)with clocks or time called out
2 - Volunteers:  (0)too few  (2)good
2 - Finish line: (0)mediocre  (2)not bad  (5)very good  (7)spectacular!
0 - Certified Course: (0)no  (2) yes
2 - Correct Distance: (0)no  (2)yes
0 - Partly or fully on unpaved roads:  (0)yes  (1)no

REGISTRATION
1 - Cost:  (0)expensive  (1)reasonable  (3)cheap!
3 - Race Day Registration:  (0)no  (3)yes

RESULTS
2 - Posted promptly online:  (0)no  (2)yes
1 - Clear link on website:  (0)no  (1)yes

AGE GROUPS
2 - 3 deep awards: (2)yes (0 for anything less)
5 - 5-year age groups (5 points) (0 for anything less)
1 - 14 and under group (1)
1 - 65+ group (1)
1 - 70+ group (1)
2 - Top Overall M/F:  (0)none or first only  (2)top 3 or better
2 - Masters Category(40+): (0)no  (2)yes
0 - Grand Masters Category (50+):  (0)no  (3)yes
0 - Senior Grand Masters Category: (0)no  (5)yes

AWARDS
5 - Overall Winner Awards: (0)none  (2)yes  (5)excellent
5 - Age Group Awards: (0)none  (2)yes  (5)excellent
0 - Door Prizes or Drawing: (0)no  (2)yes   (3)fabulous door prizes!
0 - Finisher Medals for All Finishers: (0)no  (3)yes  (5)really cool medals

POST RACE
4 - Food for Race Participants: (0-10 with 5 being average)
0 - Entertainment:  (0)no  (1)yes
0 - Finisher times posted after race:  (0)no  (1)yes

REST ROOMS
0 - Porta Potties:  (0)no  (1)limited, long lines  (2)plentiful
2 - Indoor Restrooms: (0)no  (1)limited, long lines  (2)plentiful

T-SHIRTS
2 - T-Shirts: (0)no  (2)yes
2 - Design: (0)not good  (1)not bad  (2)nice  (5)beautiful!
0 - Material: (0)cotton  (2)technical fabric
0 - Discount for no-shirt option:  (0)no (2)yes

PHOTOGRAPHY
0 - Professional Photography: (0)no  (5)yes
x - Prices: (0)expensive  (2)reasonable  (5)cheap!
2 - Free Photographs (newspaper, etc.):  (0)no  (2)yes  (5)lots of free pics!

PARKING
2 - Close to Start:  (2)yes  (0)no
2 - Close to Finish:  (2)yes  (0)no
2 - Plenty of spaces:  (2)yes  (0)no
2 - Free Parking:  (2)yes  (0)no

WEBSITE
0 - Dedicated race website (0)no  (2)yes
2 - Results or link to results posted on website:  (0)no  (2)yes

OTHER
0 - Shelter from Inclement Weather (needed or not): (0)no  (2)yes
5 - Swag (free socks, water bottles, etc.): (0)no  (2)yes, some  (5)excellent
0 - Part of race series or Grand Prix:  (0)no  (2)yes


TOTAL:  68