Marietta May Fair 5k

Today was my second attempt at participating in a 5k race and I almost missed it.

It was all I good do to drag myself out of bed and drive 46 miles....( I found out last night that there was a 5k in my town today....aghhhhhh.. It was not listed when I signed up for the one 46 miles away!)

This was the inaugural running of the Marietta May Fair 5k. So there were relatively fewer runners than my first 5k. I liked the larger event!! But this one was still wonderful. It was a Champion Cross Country Course... Very different from my first one. More hills..Fewer Officers :(..

It started out on asphalt, then down a dirt path, a quick jaunt through the woods (very nice), across a grassy meadow and then across a gravel parking area... It was a splendid run, with the exception of the gravel.... I am scared of running in gravel... Prone to twist the ankles!!

The best part of the race was the last 1/4 mile... There was a younger woman running about the same speed as me.. We stayed within 50 feet of each other the entire race.. You could say she was my motivation, and I , hers!! I was determined not to let her "get away".. She was determined to stay ahead!! The last 1/4, I was a few paces behind and nearing the finish, I turned it on a bit... As I caught up to her, she charges forward...hehehehhe ... It was so much fun.. As we approached the finish line, running as hard as we could the spectators were cheering like crazy!! It was AWESOME!! She finished first, but we both received the same time.. Thats how close it was... Damn near a photo finish after that mad sprint to the end...

We both placed 2nd in our respective age groups!! How awesome is that!! And when the awards were handed out, of course the judges had to make a comment on the way we turned it on at the end... "Now, that is how you finish a race!!"

Official Results: Second Place in 35-39 Group Time 30:14

I was very glad I had that birthday... The top finishers in the 30-34 group came in around 25 minutes.. And the top finishing female..... was 11 years old with a finishing time of just over 21 minutes...

Next UP~ Helen Keller Festival and 5 MILE Run!!