Saturday, November 23, 2013

Santa Scramble 5k

November 23, 2013 2:15 PM
Concord, North Carolina


Time Pace Division Division
Place
Gender
Place
Overall
Place
Bib #
Owen 19:18 6:13 M35-39 3/28 27/335 34/704 328
Michael 19:58 6:26 M11-12 2/27 42/335 53/704 330
Alicia 28:21 9:08 F9-10 15/41 134/369 354/704 332
Malissa 29:54 9:37 F30-34 15/29 175/369 410/704 329
Kyle 30:17 9:45 M9-10 14/27 242/335 420/704 331

Written by Owen:

I chose this race because I desperately wanted to break the 20 minute barrier for a 5k.  So I searched for a point to point 5k that was downhill.  I found this race in Concord.  It is the kickoff event for their Christmas parade.  Because of that, the streets were lined with people who were there to see the parade.  They cheered for us, which really helped.  I've never had that much fan support for a 5k before.

The organization left a little to be desired.  There was no chip timing at the start, only at the finish.  Which causes runners to crowd the starting line and causes a big mess.  But the course support, along with the fact that it was downhill most of the way, more than made up for that.

The weather was cold, which was great for the race, but made waiting for the start a little difficult.  Once the race started, we were warm.  I pushed it hard.  I was determined to break 20 minutes.  My previous PR was 20:28, but I felt like I could do it.  Running that fast is not very fun.  But I'm competitive, and enjoyed the challenge.

When I crossed the line at 19:18 (my watch said 19:08, but my official time was 19:18??), I couldn't believe it.  I am pretty certain that will be my PR forever.  I won't stop trying, but wow, that was fast.

Everyone else had a great race, too.  Malissa and Kyle both broke their PR also.  Malissa was shooting for sub 30 minutes, and she did it!  Kyle crushed his PR by almost 4 minutes!

At the awards, I was somewhat surprised when they didn't call my name for an age group award.  Michael took 2nd in his division.  I later realized they had me registered in the female division.  I'm glad I didn't stick around for the female awards, that would have been embarrassing.  They fixed it and I received my medal, and hopefully the women got their medals adjusted also.






Sunday, November 10, 2013

2013 Outer Banks Half Marathon

November 9-10, 2013
Kitty Hawk, North Carolina

Time Pace Division Division
Place
Gender
Place
Overall
Place
Bib #
Half-Marathon
Owen 1:35:32 7:17 M35-39 7/126 57/972 68/2,717 3185
Malissa 2:24:00 10:59 F30-34 161/278 919/1,745 1,671/2,717 4704
Michael 1:35:32 7:17 M12-14 1/14 56/972 67/2,717 3184
Lu 2:23:59 10:59 F35-39 131/257 918/1,745 1,670/2,717 4729
8k
Grandma 1:01:11 12:19 F60-64 4/12 173/233 336/416 7118
Gramps 41:55 8:26 M45-49 11/22 65/183 80/416 7119
Zach 44:22 8:56 M30-34 14/22 85/183 123/416 7100
Alicia 48:04 9:40 F8-10 2/5 67/233 184/416 7089
5k
Kyle 35:17 11:21 M8-10 44/61 215/322 411/768 8136

Written by Owen:

Well we are WAY late on posting this, so memories have faded, but this trip was a blast.  I absolutely love when family meets us at a race and participates in the fun.  We rented a house right on the beach in Kitty Hawk, NC.  My brother Zach, his wife Liliana, and their two kids Nathan and Lucas joined us along with my mom and step-dad.  We had so much fun playing on the beach in between races.

The view from our beachhouse

I had to stop for a picture at Owen's Restaurant

The blind leading the blind :)

After the Expo

Our beach pyramid
Saturday's participants

Michael made it to the top!

I didn't even come close.

Alicia finishes the 8k

Grandma finishes the 8k
 

Gramps finishes the 8k

Kyle finishes the 5k

Cousins playing next to our beachhouse

Zach and the kids' Veterans Day Chalk Art

The cousins before the half-marathon, it was cold!

Half-Marathon participants
Nearing the end, just after the bridge.

Malissa and Lu waiting for the awards half-marathon award ceremony

Michael won his division




At the Wright Brothers museum in Kitty Hawk

At the Wright Brothers museum