In 2021, this inaugural race was my second local Pandemic race. And it was a five miler at the time.

I signed up again for this 5 mile race in 2022 because I am a sucker for a race, any race.  Many of my friends had lost interest in racing but I knew that I would know many of the runners at the race from past races. It would be fun to re-connect.

Due to construction,  ARE had to change the course and now it is a 10k race.  I was pretty sure that the weather would have to be better than in 2022.

Pre-Race Activities and Preparations:

My speedwork has been non-existent and my pace has slowed to a crawl.  So I entered the race will zero expectations other than being out there running with other runners.

I was going to wait until race morning to pickup my bib but Deb, who works downtown, volunteered to pick it up.

This time of year is tricky to decide what to wear. It could be winter frigid or what they call in “fake spring.”  I tried to remember what I used to wear to race at this time of year.  (I seems to have dressing amnesia.)

This is what I wore to this race in 2022 (on a cold March day):

In the end, I decided on something very similar:

But of course, the weather is so unpredictable in the spring here…

Race Day:

I got up early, had my habitual race breakfast (oatmeal & coffee) and met Deb and Barb at 8am at a nearby park n ride.

I had been to Mohawk Harbor (where the race started) before but I still wanted to leave early. We arrived around 8:30 and parked in casino hotel parking garage. (The race didn’t start until 9:30.)

And then there was a snow squall.

We chatted with some other runners.  There were many crazy runners like me. We were allowed to wait in the casino hotel and use their restrooms.

So we were nice and toasty warm…

We hung out until the last possible moment.

Around 9:25, I had to head to the race start area and shiver with all the other runners. The snow had stopped but it was cold and VERY windy.  I was wishing that I had something to cover my face.

Course Map:

It was advertised as “mostly flat and relatively fast course uniquely includes 2 crossings of the Mohawk River.” But we all know that means there are hills. I really did not remember the course from 3 years ago.

Believe it or not, I actually wore my Garmin, I didn’t look at it at all during the race since it was only 6.2 miles and there were mile markers.  But I wanted to see my splits afterward.  My goal was to run consistently but not hard. Not slip and fall!!! Or blow away. LOL

I don’t remember the course in detail since it was windy the whole race and quite slippery.  At times, I just wanted to get done. But it was varied and lots of river views.  If it weren’t for the weather, I would have enjoyed the scenery even more.

The last time I ran this race, there were about 450 runners but today about 1200!!

Obviously the start area was very crowded and so Barb & I headed toward the back of the crowd and pushed our way in.

You’d notice in the FB pics below that the faster the runners were, the less clothing they wore…

I must admit that I was cold.  My hands and feet were numb and I didn’t warm up until mile 3. I am rarely cold when I run but it was so windy and it was blowing in my face most of the race..

It was hard to run fast in the beginning but that was fine. It was sooo crowded and the wind was howling.

We were also running uphill for the first few miles.  I tried to run but there were times when the wind was so strong that I had difficulty even walking

We turned off the main road around mile 1.5 but the wind was still in our faces.

I just trudged along, running when I could and walking when I had to.

Around mile 2.5, we turned and got a little reprieve from the wind. It was blowing in the opposite direction and it was pushing us along. Of course, there were many icy spots so you had to be careful and not slip and fall.

I was running mostly alone but around mile 3-4, I caught up with a friend and we chatted while running.  She was telling me about a 10k that she was going to run in the Netherlands,

I do remember a few downhills as we  headed toward the river. There was  a the bridge going over the Mohawk River. I continued running slowly and there were a few times that I almost slipped but caught myself.

The bridge was uphill but then there was a nice downhill.  We were also finally running with the wind at our backs.  I almost warmed up.  (I may have taken off my gloves at this point.)

Around mile 5, we ran through the old Stockade area before we hit riverside again. The river was completed covered with chucks of ice.

I continued walking on the uphills or when it was too windy to run but not as much as earlier since I wanted to get to the finish line and get out of the cold.

Finally the finish line was in sight.

This might have been the slipperiest part of the course. I ran as fast as I could on that snow-covered icy turf.

But I didn’t fall. Yay!

As I crossed, the RD, Josh (who knows everyone’s name) announced my name.

Post Race Activities:

I immediately found Barbara who had finished ahead of me and we took a quick pic.

It was too cold/windy to hang out and cheer on the other runners so we went inside the hotel to wait for the others and get some refreshments.  Previously at this race, you were given a boxed lunch but today instead, there were tables of bagels, muffins, burritos and chocolate milk.  I grabbed a few items but didn’t eat anything since we were meeting others for brunch at a nearby diner. (I heard that a lot runners went to Druthers afterward to enjoy the free beer or ber-mosas. Next year, if it is warmer!!)

We all agreed (well, maybe not all) that it was fun in spite of the weather.

Additional Race Reflections:

This was the first real local race of 2025.  It was so great to be out there and soak up the racing atmosphere again. Now if only, we could get some mild temps for a race…

Positives:

• Discount to ARE members
• Optional race shirt.
• Participant manual and lots info before the race
• Ample parking.
• Real restrooms (in Casino Hotel)
• Dry, warm place to hang out before and after the race.
• Well marked course.
• Varied scenery including river views.
• Sunshine.
• Lots of course marshals.
• Well organized.
• Familiar faces.
• Free photos.
• Post-race food.
• FREE Beer and ber-mosas at Druthers.

Negatives:

• No water stops (in this weather though, it was not necessary)
• The Wind!
• The Cold!
• No age group awards.

Would I recommend this race?

Yes.

It was super well-organized. Special attention was paid to EVERY detail. It will be even more fun when there are nicer weather conditions.

Final Stats:

Obviously this was almost a 10k PW.  I could blame the weather. But we all know it’s that I’m slowing down…

In fact, I was pleased with my time.  I wasn’t expecting much.  I did exactly what I had planned.  Just ran… slowly. I wasn’t ever tired. My feet didn’t hurt. Woo Hoo!

So I definitely think I could have run faster. But there didn’t seem to be a reason to.  No age group awards.  It was slippery. I was just running for me and because it makes me feel good to race. And it’s definitely more fun to share to the experience with your friends.

Next Up:

I plan to run the Rock ‘n’ Roll DC Half Marathon next weekend (where the weather that is predicted to be in the 70s. Gulp!)