I was going to pass on doing a RR for this 15K – I mean really, who wants to read about a pfat old man running a so-so race (one might even say pedestrian).  But the event itself deserves some kudos and I wanted to pass that on to the running community.

This was the Legacy Run 5 and 15K – put on and in support of a small ($800K) non-profit called the Inheritance of Hope.  There were/are several things about the race that make it stand out.  First of all, it had a 15K.  There just aren’t that many of those, especially in western NC and in our small town of 8K or so.  And the organizers really had all the touches you would expect in a much larger event.  E-mail reminders with info, a pasta dinner for runner and guest the night before that was included in the entry fee.  Lime green cotton t with entry, but option to upgrade to a nice tech shirt with some fundraising.  Professional finish line timing by Precision Race (these guys do the outer banks marathon, and the Myrtle Beach Marathon), DJ with all the right music, (dancing in the street encouraged) announcer who lost his voice by the end from all the cheering, inflatable bouncing gyms for the kids, balloon maker and face painters, bag lunches that included a real sandwich (chicken salad or veggie wrap), carrots, banana, and a Kind bar.

And the best part for the runners?  They closed the freaking streets to all traffic.  Not just one lane, and not just in-town.  All the streets.  With only 52 runners in the 15K (more about that later) it was like an apocalypse movie scene.  This included 1 mile of a major north south road between North and South Carolina (can’t wait to see the letters to the editors in this week’s paper).  The 15K was a complete loop run with only the last 100 meters being repeat – so that’s a lot of road closure.

This was a first year event, and the local “talent” for the most part was not there.  The 5K had 244 finishers, which is about average for a new 5K in this area, but the winning time was 20 and change – usually it would take sub 17 or lower.  And the 15K only had 52 finishers.  The winner is a true talent (sub 2:30 marathon) and he ran this as a MGP work out – finished sub 53, but fully ½ of the finishers were in the 1:25 to 1:45 range.  Seemed to be a community type event, with many people running/walking their first 15K.  Kudos to all who finished.  All in all, one of the best organized, and fun for the families race I’ve been in in some time.  I look for this event to grow significantly as the word gets out – hope so.

If you’ve read this far, kudos to you.  You might want to reconsider because it’s just getting longer.

Now for my race report.  My A goal on this was to hit 1:10.  That’s what McMilian said I should do based on a 10K in January.  My B goal was to go under 1:13, which was my last (and only) 15K in my second running life.  I knew the course since I run much of it as part of my normal training – it runs right past my house (how cool is that).  It has 3 interesting climbs – the first is at the half mile mark and is 90 feet in a quarter mile.  Running up Main Street (yep) it’s called Jailhouse hill by the locals.  The second is at mile two and is about 100 feet of climb over .4 mile – so not as steep but longer.  The third comes at mile 8.25 and is a steady rise over the next half mile of about 100 feet.

Like I said, I knew this course, and so knew what to expect.  My goal was to average 7:30 to 7:35 – faster on the down slopes and flats, slower on the three “hills”.

Mile one – 7:48 - this had the steepest grade – slowed to 9:59 near the top.  Pace was about what I expected.

Mile two – 7:31 – fell in with two other runners and chatted at bit.  This was mostly downhill and should have been a little faster.

Mile three – 7:38 – second hill – worked a little on this hill to see if the other two were going to stay with me – they did.

Mile four – 7:21 – mostly flat and I tested the other two again – marker for this at my house – DW was there, I smiled for picture (I think – maybe not).  She had made a sign up the night before – poster size with my face and “Go Don”.  Didn’t see it, heard the two guys behind me say “hey, you have your own sign”.  Lousy husband, (sigh).

Mile five – 7:28 – dropped the two guys at the water stop (they slowed, I didn’t – temp in low 50’s and overcast, no need for fluid).  Not sure how hard they were racing because I could still hear them chatting for the next two miles.

Mile six – 7:28 – mostly flat with a slight rise at the end.  This was the mile on the semi-major road.  Usually lots of traffic (I have only run on this in training once or twice for that reason) – nothing today – eerie.

Mile seven – 7:29 – can still hear the two behind me, but not as much and further away.  Want to look but that’s too telling.  Plod on, know what’s ahead.

Mile eight – 7:41 – my goal on this one was to stay under eight – so success.  No talking behind me now, but I sense someone there.  As I pass a volunteer I ask if there is anyone close behind me.  Answer:  “yeah” - thanks, real helpful.

Mile nine – 7:28 – OK, just hang on.  DO NOT LET ANYONE PASS YOU.  (I get too serious about this shit).  Make a turn back into the College and glance back – someone about 25 yards back.  No way – make final push.

Last .39 (by Garmin – talked to lady who measured later and she said not certified yet, but should be accurate) 2:26 – 7:05 pace.

Fifth overall – first masters ($50 gift certificate from Foot Rx) – time of 1:10:37 (average pace by Garmin 7:30) Hoo Rah – score one for the old farts.  Guy chasing me was 39 and 12 seconds back.  Age graded results are 57:48, so still well off of my overall PR of 54:25, but not bad on 25 to 30 miles per week this year.

If anyone made it this far, thanks for reading.

I read every word, you lousy husband, you. ;-)   Well done!  5th overall and 1st Masters is wonderful.  Congratulations to you!

Enjoyed the RR. Hopefully, you told that little white lie to your DW that her poster made all the difference in your race.

Enjoyed the RR. Hopefully, you told that little white lie to your DW that her poster made all the difference in your race.

Wish I were that quick.  No, it was more like "Oh, was there a poster up there?  I thought that was the mile marker." Dol!

Congrats on the race and winning the old man division! Those are some pretty consistent splits. I wish we had more 15ks around here.

You know we love RRs here, no matter what.  It's cool that you got to do a rare distance run like this...it's a shame there aren't more of them.  Total street closures are awesome.  I've had that once before too, and it was really nice.  Sometimes it's nice to have a race that's not super competitive, and I think that's especially nice for not intimidating the newer folks, like you mentioned.  As for the racing, great job!  It's hard to deal with pacing when you have hills like that, but you seem to have always gotten it back after the climbs.  Nice to score some cash too!

Thanks all.

I think the 15K is my favorite distance.  Challenging but can be done on simple base mileage.  And mentally working to keep even splits makes a big difference.  Gotta love a garmin for that - the ability to see at any point if you are going too slow (or too fast) is a great advantage.

As for other distances - the next step up to a half takes a lot more committment - and the full? -   Ugh.  One more (hopefully) then I can call them done.

"who wants to read about a pfat old man running a so-so race (one might even say pedestrian)"?

Well, I want to read about it....

Great job on the race. and for a great cause.  Congrats on the master's win.