Official Race Results
Every year I tell myself in the final miles of the Cotton Row 10km that if I can hold it together and post a fast time that I will not race the 5km. This is sort of like being hung over and thinking that you will never drink again, only to open that next drink hours later. In keeping tradition, after changing from the 2010 uniform to the one-of-a-kind Fleet Feet Racing uniform I had made for Strolling Jim last year, I jogged around a little to shake my legs out.
Standing at the starting line it was difficult to tell how quality the competition was, given that there were so many people and quite a few run both races and don't really race the 5km very hard. It took forever to get the announcements completed and it was 12 minutes after the hour before the race actually started.
Just as the 10km, I let most the runners go from the start, hoping to ease into a comfortable pace. I wanted to keep friend and team mate Marty Clarke in my sights, knowing that he was planning on going under 18 minutes. My previous personal best on the 5km coming off of the 10km was 18:05 in 2009. After the crowd thinned out, I was able to split the first mile at 5:40.47.
Marty was just ahead of me as we rounded Holmes and neared the 1-mile mark of the Marathon course. I passed a few people in this section, and for the most part had settled into my overall position for the race. I had guessed that I was somewhere in the top 20, not knowing how many people were still ahead of me. The pace had slowed down as I clocked a 6:01.47 in the second mile.
Coming down Randolph once again, I was able to close the gap on Marty and push passed him. I think that Marty was holding steady but I was catching my second wind and had started to pick it up and was making a final march toward the finish. Like a bad recurring nightmare I climbed up to Washington again and made the fast right and left, turning onto the final half-mile stretch.
I was pushing pretty hard, but not all out as I had been in the 10km race. I didn't have anyone immediately in front or behind me, but I didn't let it slow me down. I held 5:40 pace for the last 1.1 miles down to a finish time of 18:00. The clock and my watch read just under 18, but the official time was just over. I probably should have pushed a little harder in the last few meters to be safely under but regardless, it was still a personal best on the course. Later on I would find out that I was 8th overall and 1st in my age group of M30-34, which was a nice bonus. This is my 4th Cotton Row 5km and I have been able to place in my age group with overall finishing places of 8, 14, 7 and 8 and the first time that I have been able to double up on age group awards in both races.