5.5 km Makes No Sense

If you were designing a run course on a Rails-to-Trails, why would you make it 5.5 km. The turnaround is not a special event, just a painted X on the trail and this race had no one manning it. You could have made it any distance, which I guess is what they did. Oh well, You take what they give you.

With that being said, and not wanting to have a good news after Matt's bad news, I will lead with my bad news. I wanted to break 27 mins. for the 5.5 km Heroes run. I did not. I was 27:04.

Now the good news (remember I led with the bad), this equates to 7:56 min/mile pace, matching my best pace in a race (a 5k I did last October, plan to do this race again in two weeks). It took me about 20 mins after the race to be able to figure out my pace (oxygen deficiency I believe), but I was pleased once I did. I believe about 70 runners did this race. They had a total of 168'ish, mostly walkers. The race was a scholarship fundraiser in honor of two young military guys who died in Iraq and Afghanistan. Very nice event.

Overall I was 21st. I ended up being 2nd in my age group (35-39). Their are 4 people listed in my age group, but that didn't count the top two guys overall, who were in this age group, but got the big prizes so they left the scraps to me. I got a nice railroad spike painted black with the events name, year, and my age placing. The overall winners got canteens painted with similar info.

You can check out the results at the link below, if you want to see where you might have placed if had done it with me. I was also pleased I beat a guy I knew, Andy Zimmer. He nosed me out at the Rainday 5k, I had him by a minute here. I also hung with a guy I have had trouble hanging with in the past for about 1.5 miles. He has an awesome kick at the end, so he pulled a way pretty easily, but I'm getting closer.

http://www.smileymiles.com/2007/RES%2007%20GREEN%20RIVER%20TRAIL%20HEROES%20RUN.HTM