Race #219 - Lake Wylie Splash Dash 5k - Lake Wylie, SC - 06/08/13


This race seemed to have a lot more hills than I'm accustomed to, or maybe I just wasn't feeling great. As we stood at the starting line, the lady in charge of the timing announced that if anybody wanted to change races between the 10k and 5k, that we should just let her know when we finish so she could change her records. That's all the incentive I needed to switch from the 10k that I had signed up for to the 5k. Even running half the distance it seemed to me that it would never end, and I could only imagine how things would have ended up if I would have run the longer distance.

My video glasses are falling apart but fortunately they're still working, so I managed to get my viewpoint of the race on video. I'm including a few photos here and on my Facebook page I created a public photo gallery that you should be able to view. Click here for my Facebook photo gallery.





I spent the entire race chasing fellow Gaston County Runner Michael Hershman.
This photo was taken just before the start of the race.

As the race began I made the quick decision to switch to the 5k.
That's the first time I've been offered the option to switch during the race.
That's Chris Baucom in the white singlet on the right. You may remember
that I've been chasing him most recently, but today he was running the 10k.
He didn't know I switched and thought I might be right behind him the whole race.

Shortly after the race began I found myself following Michael Hershman.

The course was like a roller coaster as it traveled through the River Hills
community by Lake Wylie. I guess the "hills" part of the name should have
been a tip-off that it wasn't a flat course.

At this point bout halfway through the race the 5k went off to the right
while the 10k went to the left.

Michael picked off several runners after we split off from the 10k runners
and I managed to stay close behind.

I caught up with Michael within about a half mile of the finish line
at the bottom of one final steep hill. Since we hadn't seen anybody
up ahead I asked him if he was in 1st place. He said he thought
there were more runners up ahead. I looked back and didn't see
anybody, and knowing he's much faster on hills than me I decided not to
kill myself and walked up that final hill as he left me behind.

My favorite thing to see in any race... the finish line!

An even closer look at the finish line. My official time was 21:16, which was
5th place overall behind Michael, who was 11 seconds ahead of me at 21:05.
There were three young guys (21, 16, and 17 years old) who finished ahead
of us for the top three spots in the 5k.

Nice post-race food setup, with plenty of healthy snacks!

Click Here for Race Results

 My Stats:

Time:  21:16
Pace:  6:51
Age Group:  1 of  6
Overall:  5 of  141 (3.5%)
Average Heart Rate:  166
Maximum Heart Race:  179
Age Graded Equivalent Time:  16:57 (76.09%)

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

RACE COURSE
3 - Chip Timing: (3 points if yes)
0 - 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
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
0 - Correct Distance: (0)no  (2)yes [just a little short of 5k]
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)
0 - 65+ group (1)
0 - 70+ group (1)
0 - Top Overall M/F:  (0)none or first only  (2)top 3 or better
0 - 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
2 - Overall Winner Awards: (0)none  (2)yes  (5)excellent
2 - Age Group Awards: (0)none  (2)yes  (5)excellent
0 - Door Prizes or Drawing: (0)no  (2)yes   (5-9)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)
3 - Entertainment:  (0)no  (1-9)yes
2 - Finisher times posted after race:  (0)no  (2)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
5 - Professional Photography: (0)no  (5)yes [limited - 104 total photos]
2 - Prices: (0)expensive  (2)reasonable  (5)cheap! [lo-res download $10]
0 - 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
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:  70

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