Race #204 - Cupid's Cup - Charlotte, NC - 02/09/13

(L-R) Ralph Shore, Jeff Linson, Rodolfo Sequeyro,
Channel 36 news anchor Dion Lim, Richard Hefner,
and Bob Nelson.
After having made excuses for the last three weeks for not running a race (mostly because it was too cold), I decided that if I wanted to still be considered a runner it might be best if I'd actually run. I was eager to get back into the mix, as the Cupid's Cup 5k has been one of my favorite 5k races for the past couple years and also one of my fastest. I was fairly pleased with today's time of 21:11 (chip time) although it was considerably slower than last year (20:31) and even slower than the previous year (20:12). I do hope that's not a permanent trend but now that I'm 60 and have been running for a few years I'm not looking for a PR and I'm pretty happy to be near the top of the age group and relatively healthy.

Once again I finished second in the 60-64 age group to my friendly foe, Bob Nelson, who got about a 20-second jump on me in the first mile. I could see him for the rest of the race but I couldn't close the gap, and he finished 22 seconds ahead of me with a time of 20:49. Next week Bob and I will both be running the Myrtle Beach Half Marathon, which is always fun and is one of the big races of the year. Also running will be another friend, Roberta Villneff -- Bobbi V -- who started running a couple years ago at the age of 58 and has become quite the phenom since then, now one of the fastest female runners over 60 in the state. In today's Cupid's Cup she won 2nd Masters (that's all females over 40) and her time of 21:56 was just 34 seconds off the North Carolina state road race record of 21:22 that was set 15 years ago by Susie Kluttz, one of North Carolina's greatest runners ever. Bobbi V is still getting faster and I have a feeling she'll own a lot of those state records in the next few years.


Click Here for Race Results

 Click Here for Race Photos from Treasured Events of Charlotte

 My Stats:

Time:  21:11
Pace:  6:50
Age Group:  2 of  13
Overall:  51 of  926 (5.5%)
Age Graded Equivalent Time:  17:02  (75.71%)

***************
* RACE RATING *
***************

RACE COURSE
3 - Chip Timing: (3 points if yes)
2 - Starting Mat: (2 points if yes)
2 - 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
0 - Mile Markers: (0)poor or none  (1)normal  (2)with clocks or time called out
2 - Volunteers:  (0)too few  (2)good
5 - Finish line: (0)mediocre  (2)not bad  (5)very good  (7)spectacular!
0 - Certified Course: (0)no  (2) yes
0 - Correct Distance: (0)no  (2)yes     *(a little short)
1 - 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
7 - Food for Race Participants: (0-10 with 5 being average)
1 - Entertainment:  (0)no  (1)yes
1 - Finisher times posted after race:  (0)no  (1)yes

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

T-SHIRTS
2 - T-Shirts: (0)no  (2)yes
1 - 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
5 - Professional Photography: (0)no  (5)yes
2 - 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
2 - Dedicated race website (0)no  (2)yes
2 - Results or link to results posted on website:  (0)no  (2)yes

OTHER
2 - Shelter from Inclement Weather (needed or not): (0)no  (2)yes
0 - 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:  86

Comments

  1. Dave MungerFebruary 9, 2013 at 5:04 PM

    Great race, Richard! I think Roberta will get that record soon!

    ReplyDelete

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