#21 - 5K Run for the Park: no awards, so I bought rewards

With Jennifer after the race.

My ultimate goal was to race towards the Premium Outlets right after finishing the 5K. And guess what? I did!

The 5K started at 8:15 am, right after the kids finished their race. The weather was surprisingly pleasant: 65F in July, low humidity, cloud cover, and breezy. The organizers advertised a relatively flat course. Yet again, I was blessed with conditions that I thought would help me beat my personal record (PR) of 26:59 (minutes:seconds).

I positioned myself in front of the starting line. It was a wide line, about 2 car lanes wide, so I didn't have to worry about blocking the fast runners.

Devastated, I finished in 29:07. My GPS, however, revealed that the course was longer than a 5K. I kept this faux pax to myself and contemplated on whether I should tell the organizers. I never did tell them, but I might just send them this blog post. An hour at the outlets helped me forget my sorrows. My friends Nike, Reebok, and Under Armour, all came to my rescue At the race, I met other runners: Jennifer and her son Tyler, Michaela and her grand parents. Michaela was training to run a 200-mile marathon relay. I've never ran a relay, and have been trying to form a team for a 26.2 marathon. A 200-mile marathon sounded astonishing. You can form a 12-member team and race through scenic trails and roads from 1 state to another. Find out more about the relay at Ragnar Relay Series. Mile 1 Awarding ceremony Trophies for first place male and female, medals for group winners.

Race Facts Address: Swamp Pike and Ziegler Road Limerick, Pennsylvania 19468 Cause: Proceeds benefit the community park maintenance Course: relatively flat asphalt road. No mile markers. 1 accessible on way out and back Date and Time: Saturday, July 13, 2014 at 8:30 am Kids Fun Run: separate run, plus if you bring your children, the staff can take care of them Parking: Free and plenty Participants: 88 including runners, walkers, dog walkers, stroller joggers, children Post Race Nourishment: water, banana, snack bars Price: $25-30 depending on when you register Prizes: trophies to top 3 men, and 3 women and medals to top 3 men, and 3 women of each of the following groups: 14 and Under 15-19 20-29 30-39 40-49 50-59 60+ Results: immediate; Online results were published Monday after the race Restrooms: park restrooms Shirt: cotton T-shirt Timing: traditional Water Stations: 1 accessible on way out and back Website: http://www.limerickpa.org/departments_parksandrecreation.htm (click here to see page about the race) Course Map and elevation. Click map to see parking and restrooms.