This is a really nice race.  Parking is easy which is always a good start and kudos to all of the volunteers who were out on a chilly, breezy morning.  The course is slightly rolling with a long downhill stretch before you finish on the track.  Hence it is a fast course.  And then there are pancakes after the race which is a really nice touch!  Again, thank you to all to volunteers!

 

I knew going into the race that I was short on speedwork and this was borne out during the race.  I felt like my conditioning was good but I was far closer to red-lined than I would like to be for a 5k.  The first mile was slightly downhill so I was pleased with my split of 5:38.  I was also not surprised at my 2 mile split of 11:40 since I knew I was slowing due to a slight uphill and stretch into the wind.  And, of course, the lack of speed preparation was starting to show.  I was able to accelerate somewhat on the last mile but, unfortunately, was not able to catch the 3rd place runner so I finished in 4th.

 

I believe this was the first running of the race and, overall, I thought the organizers and volunteers did a great job.  I plan to run this one again in the future and highly recommend it to others.