Well crap.The race started fine (aside from all the people who never intended to run who started at the front of the pack) and I settled into a steady pace pretty easily. It was a little faster than I'd intended, at 11:10 rather than the 11:30 I'd planned. But I felt ok, it was a cool morning 75* and there was a nice breeze that happened to be blowing just nicely. The first part of the course was mostly downhill, with one small uphill in the middle. By the time we hit the uphill portion, most of the people who'd gone out too fast stopped to walk, and were easy pickings. It was here when we looped back towards the start that I saw the lead runners returning already--like 11 minutes in. That should have been my first clue.
The second part of the course was relatively flat, and aside from being nearly taken out several times by a woman pushing a jogging stroller that kept leap frogging me after she had to stop to walk, I felt really good and I settled into a 10:30 pace. The third portion of the course was a marked uphill/downhill, out and back dog leg that I was looking forward to. I figured the hill would cause even more people to walk and I felt really strong and looking forward to attacking it, (thank you intervals!), and then the downhill was running directly into that blessed breeze.
Only, we never made it.
The volunteer course marshal turned us around at the point we should have headed out for the dogleg, and sent us back towards the start instead. I argued with her for several seconds (having run the course several times) but she was not hearing it.
Realizing that it was going to be a very short course, I immediately attacked the pace, dropping below 10 minutes and pushing the less than a mile back to the start/finish.
Unofficial results put me running the entire course at a ridiculous 8:17 pace. Too bad it was a lie. In actuality it was 2.46 miles/10:32 pace. Mile 1, 11:11; Mile 2, 10:31; Mile 3, 9:10.
I'm really kind of upset--when I got home and talked with my wife, my eyes welled up a bit. It's a pretty big let down. Grr!! It was going so well!! And I felt so good. And...and...
Waiting for my refund check from my prorated entry fee in the mail.
I won't hold my breath.
Edited to add: Official results are in, and based on the numbers they've now corrected for the altered course distance. Officially I ran a 10:34 pace. Overall 192/514, 102/182 males, and 23/41 in my age group.
