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Rhody 5k (06/06/2010) | |
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Rhody 5k Twin River, RI June 6, 2010 On Sunday, June 6th, CRC traveled to scenic Lincoln, RI for the USATF-NE 5k Grand Prix race - the Rhody 5k. The Rhody features separate men's and women's races spaced about an hour apart, which makes for a less-congested start and proper recognition for the leading women. (This year, only the mean's race was a Grand Prix; the women's Grand Prix is in Providence in the fall.) The course is generally flat, with the first mile slightly up hill on local roads, and the last 2.1 around the access road that borders the sprawling Lincoln Park dog track / casino complex. Like most Grand Prix races, the Rhody is exceptionally well-supported and well-organized. Unlike past years, this race did not finish on the dog track itself (perhaps because rain was in the forecast?). Setting the Stage: While riding down from Carberry's on Sunday morning, members of Team CRC glanced nervously at their iPhone weather apps. A huge green Doppler blob sat ominously to the west of Rhode Island. However, the weather held, and as the men finished their warm up and got into the starting corral, the clouds parted and the sun broke through. Who needs sunscreen? [Jay does, apparently.] Men's Race In the men's race, Bernat got out well and ran a solid 16:30. Behind him, a pack of 5 CRC runners formed around mile 1 and stayed together for the middle mile of the race, before stringing out a little as Kevin pushed the pace near the finish. (Said Justin: "Jay, you should write the race report, since you could see how the race developed... from behind the rest of us.") Our #2 through #6 runners - Kevin, Pat, Justin, Jay, and Eduardo - finished within 12 seconds (and 9 places) of one another. Must have been those new singlets! The Rhody was a great example of why it is nice to run deep Grand Prix races (57 men sub-17:00), and why it is great to get several CRC'ers running similar paces at the same race. During the tough second mile of a 5k, it is easy to lose focus and fall off the pace. Running as a pack helps prevent this, and faster times result. The men's team finished a respectable 8th of 18 in the team standings, despite the fact that Chad abandoned us to run up a mountain and Hank abandoned us to run with the Whirlaway (whose members apparently don't provide carpool services from Carberry's in the morning, as CRC's do...). Women's Race In the women's race, the legendary Dr. Jen Baima ran strong through 3 miles, and then unleashed a savage finishing kick on the unsuspecting field at the urging of her adoring fans. Tirunesh Dibaba wishes she could summon this gear every time her fans cheered for her. For Jen's efforts, she placed 9th in her division, and 28th of 323 overall. And then, poof like Keyser Soze, she was gone. Post-Race After the race, we retired to the oddly disorienting bowels of the Twin River Casino to enjoy a great post-race spread. Many races will feed you bagels and bananas after you've finished. (Yea, a mushy banana is what I crave after pushing my feeble body to its limits for 17 minutes.) The Rhody post-race menu is inspired by the world's greatest elementary school birthday party: pizza, burgers, sausage, dogs (both "hot" and "greyhound" varieties), enough soda to kill an elephant, and Haagen Dazs ice cream. As a bonus, the Rhode Island Arson Watch Reward Program was on hand to distribute free schwag. I scored a headband and nylon bag. En fuego! All in all, a good day at a great race! Race Results on: http://www.coolrunning.com/results/10/ri/Jun6_11thAn_set9.shtml
Report entered by Andrew |