Dam run to Irmo 10k
This is a large 10k that has been around for 24 years, usually draws a very competitive crowd. The course is point to point and a net downhill, so pretty PR friendly. It does have one loop through a neighborhood that is fairly hilly, however. Race time temps were 70 degrees and high humidity, not very pleasant given some recent cool temps we’ve had. I had given myself 2 days off in an attempt to really kill my PR (43:18).

The 2 miles are flat across a large dam and then downhill into a neighborhood area. From the gun, I tried to pace myself with two women that run very similar 5k times to me. I had thought I should probably be in the 6:35-40 range for the 10k, though it had been greater than 6 months since my last. With the rest and the pancake flat first mile, everything felt pretty good. They had time callers at each mile, and the guy yells out a 6:18. I thought he was mistaken, but Garmin confirmed it, and that was where I sealed my fate. I was still going pretty strong until pretty near the second mile marker. I had tried to rein it back in and go a little slower, hit mile 2 at 6:38, though the timer told me 13 flat for the two miles. After the second mile marker was that hilly neighborhood area. It really is probably only a half mile loop. The inclines there hit me pretty hard, and the wind sucking commenced. After that loop we came out onto a straight road with a few rolling inclines, but nothing major. I was getting real nervous, because I was laboring a lot worse than I should  not even halfway into a race. Not only was I breathing hard but I was feeling a lot of leg fatigue too. Hit mile 3 in the high 19’s, Garmin shows me a 6:52 now, though I didnt look during the race. I realized by then that I was in trouble, and was hurting pretty bad. I focused on just trying to get to the next mile marker and not think about how far I had to go. All I can say that I am eternally thankful the rest of the race was pretty flat or downhill. It was all suffering from there and I really didnt enjoy any part of the last 3 miles. Hit successive splits of 6:53, 6:48, 6:52. I am really surprised they were this fast. I’m used to negative splits on my races so they felt a lot slower. I did get to 5 miles at 34 minutes flat, so I knew if I could just hold on I would still get a PR. In my last mile I got passed by a few people, including some I regularly beat in 5ks, which added to me basically hating life at that point. Was so thankful to see the finish, saw the 41’s disappearing before me and no chance to break 42 ( which has been a goal for 2010), just zero in the tank to mount any kind of kick. Crossed at 42:11. 30th overall, something like 6th or 7th in my AG. I feel bad feeling this crappy about a good time and a PR of over a minute, but I think I had convinced myself that I could do 40:xx or better. Oh well, I guess this was a good learning experience in what was only my 6th 10k ever. Those two women I talked about finished 38:57 and 39:15 respectively – they clearly are better at the longer distances!

http://www.strictlyrunning.com/results/10Dam.txt

Dry Run 5k
This is a small local 5k that is fairly flat with a few small inclines. One of the better courses to PR on in my area. Turnout was about 70, with a fair amount of decent runners since there was prize money involved. It might have been bigger but the Gamecocks played Georgia at noon, so I’m sure this took some of the crowd. Temps were OK, probably low 70’s, humidity not too bad. I arrived an hour early, as is my routine, but hit a snag when they said I hadnt preregistered. I was almost sure I had, but I guess the online transaction didnt go through. Luckily the race was in the middle of Columbia, so I was able to hit an ATM without too much trouble. Didnt like the stress though.  I only did a mile warmup instead of my 2 miles because of the time. I was kind of nervous at the start because seemingly every decent 35-39er showed up for this one. One of the guys I knew I couldnt beat (Eric A), another (Darrell) has been my target for much of the past 6 months as the gap between us has shrunk significantly. He used to beat me by almost 2 minutes for most of 09.

With the gun, a fellow age grouper, Eric M, went out like a bolt of lightning and gapped me by probably 15 seconds very quickly. I went out fast too, and was just trying to keep Eric within a reasonable distance. Darrell was out even faster than Eric. I was concerned about my pace until I looked down at mile 1 and saw 6:11. That’s one of my faster 5k splits, so I knew I wasnt going too slow. Felt OK, though was already breathing hard. Pretty soon Eric M just completely bonked and I passed him easily, I imagine he might of done a sub 6 first mile. Darrell was still way ahead of me. Started to feel the hurt in the 2nd mile, but I knew there was a nice sized pack right on my heels. It felt like I was about to be trampled at any second. Hearing all those footsteps behind me definitely made me keep up the pace. Second mile slowed a little, but still at 6:26. I was really hurting in that third mile, but knowing I only have 1.1 left is a huge motivator for me. The course had a small half mile loop at its end, and this is where I decided to absolutely redline it. Passed the one guy near me and then saw Darrell up ahead. I pushed it as hard as I could and I knew he was fading, but he had just enough of a gap on me. He got me by 4 seconds, and I crossed at 19:40. Finished 6th overall, but had to settle for 3rd in age group. Got a nice glass as an award. Did 4 miles with some friends (including Darrell) as a cool down, 8 and change total for the day. I wanted to make a PR attempt but I’m always happy with any time starting with a 19. Went home and crashed on the couch, and thoroughly enjoyed watching the Gamecocks whip the Bulldogs.

http://www.strictlyrunning.com/RESULTS/10DRY.TXT

Crooked 5k – Chapin, SC

This is a small 5k tied in with the Labor Day festival in the small town of Chapin, SC. It usually competes with a very large 15k on the same weekend, so turnout is usually sparse. I placed 4th last year out of 50 some-odd runners with a 22:04 time. I expected quite a few more this year though, because the 15k was cancelled for 2010. Turnout was actually was about the same though, about 50-70 people. This race is hurt by being old school – stamp and mail entry only and no chip timing. Weather was OK, about 70 degrees and sunny. Course winds through a county park – a fair amount of small inclines on paved trail and 3 sections of open grassy field. I was not feeling well yesterday, and this continued today. Dealing with a head cold, cough and some muscle aches yesterday. I felt a little better today but tired. I saw 2 people ahead of time that would beat me for sure and there were 3 military guys (ended up being a group of guys fresh out of west point who ran cross country for them) that looked like they would crush me too. So despite the small group, I knew I had no chance of placing overall. The top female from our running club was also there (amy) whom I’ve been trading places with all year, usually right together with our times.

The first and last half miles were in an open grassy field. With the start the west point guys and the 2 others I mentioned quickly jumped out to the lead, and I was in fifth. By the end of the field I was already breathing hard, so I knew this was going to be a rough one. After the field we plunged into the winding trail portion. I got passed by an older guy near the first mile marker, and I was really gassed as I passed it in 6:22. I actually considered dropping out soon thereafter – I just felt bad and my legs were feeling a lot weaker than usual. Sicne I had driven all that way and had never dropped out before, I instead decided to back off the pace a little. I let Amy pass me as she had been drafting and I knew she was going to beat me today. Backing off the pace just a little seemd to help a lot, and I felt I could make it after that. Second mile featured a long lap around some baseball fields and some tricky footing with gravel, dirt and grass. There were two very small open loops toward the end of the second mile which gave me a chance to assess the field. My friend Tyler and another guy were closer than I would have liked but I still had a decent gap. Hit mile 2 at 6:36. Older guy that passed me in mile 1 started fading a little and I was soon right behind him. I drafted him for about a quarter mile, then passed him as we headed back out into the open field starting area. Saw military guys cross the line (they finished together at 17:57)  as I began the last grueling stretch, where you can see the finish line but have to complete a lap to get there. I was really hurting by this time, not much left in the tank. A third military guy passed me around the 2.75 mile point, which was rough because I always pride myself on finishing strong and never letting any passes in the final mile. I was closing in on Amy but there just wasnt enough room to catch her. As i hit the final tenth, I heard footsteps and I knew it was older guy. I burned it as hard as I could to the finish and finished maybe a step ahead of him. 20:30ish, I think, maybe faster – I really couldnt tell because I was dead set on making sure this guy didnt outkick me. Finished 7th overall and 1st in age group. Happy with the result, especially given the way I was feeling and the cross country-esque course. Won a coffee mug – which was a nice break from medals. Did a 2 mile cooldown on the course with some friends.

….
They also finally posted the Chapin 5k results. I was at a full on sprint the last tenth with that dude on my heels (thigpen)  so I never saw the finish time. It was actually better than I thought – 20:15.
http://www.athlinks.com/time.aspx?eventid=137483

Run Wild 5k

This race is pretty cool – its a course through a state park right next to my neighborhood. Starts off on a grass field, progresses through a campground gravel road, a mile or so of rolling sandy open trail then into a winding single track for the last mile. Nice crowd for this one, not sure how many. Weather was around 70 degrees, low humidity. Actually quite nice. The atmosphere was cool because the open 5k heads off a series of 4 high school cross country races (boys and girls , varsity and JV). Got there about a half hour ahead of time, drove there to avoid last year’s near miss of the start. I did a mile warmup and got back within 10 minutes of the finish.

With the gun, it was total chaos, as a very wide start group had about 100 yards to  make it into the woods/campground area, where there was a narrow bottleneck. I was able to make it up near the front, but it was crazy with all the people jammed in like that. Had no idea what my pace was – my Garmin was unreliable in the woods. Tried to stay with an age grouper that has always beaten me, though I finished ahead of him last race when he got misdirected. He was too fast today. Hitting the sandy trails was tough, it was basically a long slow incline on very soft footing. First mile was called out as 6:15, though the Garmin was coming up about .96 mile if I remember correctly. I was getting pretty gassed on the sand trail until finally we hit a nice decline. I actually got passed by an older guy and Amy, the girl from last report.  I was not happy about getting passed, but I had to defer to the air-sucking lungs at that point. Started to recover midway through mile 2, and my recover I mean not about to die anymore. Mile 2 was right at the entrance to the woods again and some pretty technical trail. They called out 13 flat just after I got there, so I guess 12:50ish for at 2 miles. Just before the woods I was able to re-pass Amy on a sandy hill. I drafted older dude most of the next half mile, when finally I decided I’d had enough and did a Adrian Petersen maneuver and passed him in the little straightaway that existed. I dont think he liked it but I did give him warning and apologized between sucking all the available oxygen in the area. Hit an open field again about 300 meters from the finish. Came up on one of the local triathletes that I’ve never come close to much less beaten. Passed him in stealth mode and we sprinted for about 50 meters but he finally gave way and I was able to hold it to the finish – 19:40. Real happy with going sub 20 again, especially with the trail course and almost 2 minutes faster than last year.  Only got 3rd in AG, but given the field I was OK with that. I’ll post the results when they come out – it wasnt chip timed and there was a 2.5 hour wait for awards! Got in 6 miles in “cool down” which was nice with the great weather.

Gave me 2 more seconds

http://sc.milesplit.us/meets/73251/results/127171

Kiwanis 5k 8/21/10
This was a race that was moved for some reason, and was competing with 2 other races in the Columbia area. I chose it because it was the official “Tour de Columbia” event for this week. Cloudy and 78 at race time, another 100 percent humidity. When I arrived, I was unsure if I was in the right place – hardly anyone was there. As race time neared, it was sad how few had shown up – I figured around 30 – official count was actually only 25. Smallest race I’ve ever done. No elites, except for one of the top female runners in our city (Amy), who has almost identical times to me. With the gun Amy took off and kept the lead most of the first mile. I was just trying to keep her within a reasonable distance. A guy blew past me in the first mile as well and ended up passing Amy near the .75 mile point.
This course was new to me, and its good that it was, or may have never shown up either. Just pure, unrelenting hills. We had a nice drop in the first half mile, but had to make most it up right away. I felt a little gassed at mile 1 already, and saw a 6:15 split, which was really too fast for this course. I paid for it dearly in the second mile – there were basically no flat areas. As soon as I would crest a leg burning incline, I would have to trash my quads on a decline and ascend another hill.  Amy was starting to slow, as well as the lead guy, but I wasnt making up much ground. Second mile split was 6:57. The hills continued in the third mile, but I started to get acclimated to the torture a little. I started closing in on the two in front of me. I could see the lead police car the whole way, which is certainly something new. Hit mile 3 just a few steps behind Amy. Kicked it in the rest of the way, passed her and painfully close to the winner. Crossed the line at 20:33. Although well off my best times, I was definitely happy with the time and result considering the conditions and course. 2nd overall, 1st in AG. Award ceremony was pretty funny – I think everyone got medals with only 25 runners. Masters female winner also finished last overall, and the third place female was a 9 year old girl.

http://www.strictlyrunning.com/RESULTS/10KIWANIS.TXT

Silver Fox Trot 5k  8/14/10
This is a true technical trail 5k complete with ditches, a monster hill, long grass, hairpin turns and lots of single track. 142 runners, overcast skies, near 80 at race time (8 am) and about 100 percent humidity. Not very pleasant when youre sweating before the gun even goes off. Spent the first half mile dodging people and trying not to run through mud (I opted for the racing flats – I know, dumb). Total chaos until an incredible mountain of a hill thinned out the field severely. Hills are my strength, and this enabled me to pass maybe 10 people, but Garmin read low 9 pace on this monster. Luckily there was a nice flat, open section just after this which enabled me to catch my breath. Seemed like a lot of people still in front of me. Started passing people towards the end of mile 1 – I think a lot of people were unfamiliar with the course and went out too fast (I ran it last year and died in a similar fashion). Split on mile 1 about 6:45, though the Garmin was having trouble with all the woods. The slower pace seemed to work in my favor, as I actually felt better after that point. I started really throwing myself around the turns and into the ditches and creek beds. Passed several more people, a couple who were walking (injured?). I tried to sprint all the downhills and straighaways, as these were the only points to pass people or to build up any good speed. Hit mile 2 right around 7 minutes flat- thought it would be faster, but it was so hard to keep up a good pace with the turns. In mile 3 I started to die a little, the heat was definitely getting to me, but seeing others in front of me start to really slow down was motivation enough. I continued to pass several people, including who I thought was the top female. I eventually broke free and saw no one else in front of me. I knew there was a pack of high school cross country runners well ahead, but the fear of getting passed myself was able to push me to the finish. Never saw the 3rd mile split – just too focused on maintaining my position. I hadnt been passed since before the hill.  Broke out of the forest and the finish line was only about 20 feet away, crossed at 21:33. This race was held to support the local high school CC team (who also ran the race). Ended up in 11th place, 1st in age group, 3rd among non-high schoolers.  I was real happy with the effort – I knew this course added about 3 minutes to your road times and I barely broke 24 minutes last year.

http://www.dutchforkrunners.com/index.php/silverfoxtrailrun-2010/overallresults/

Born in the USA 4 mile and 4 mile relay

This is a nice size race, one of the bigger summertime events, directed by the main running store in Columbia (Strictly Running). I ran it last year as my first race over the 5k distance. I had a decent time for my fitness at the time, around 28:27 or so, and it got me interested in doing the 10k, 15k and eventually the half marathon. The distance is a little awkward, tough to gauge pace. This time around I’ve been looking to do some shorter races, mostly because I view these as my potential strength. So, I decided to do the 2 x 2 mile relay option with a friend this year.  Were at similar abilities in the 5k, so I figured we would be ambitious and shoot for 12:00 a leg (6 min flat pace). I agreed to do the 2nd leg.

I got there about 45 min early and found out there was no transport to the exchange zone, so I just did the first leg as a 2 mile warmup, actually with Mr and Mrs Sig (who were doing the coed relay). When I got to the zone there were quite a few people there, more than I remember from last year. 17 relay teams in all. They had a clock at the zone and race started at 7:30. Weather was amazing for Columbia at this time of year, high 60’s I think at race time, with a breeze. Low humidity. It was nerve wracking seeing the clock start and all of us waiting around. The police car and lead runner came by at about 10:30ish. Its amazing to me to see these guys burning low 5 pace and looking so smooth doing it. A few more passed by and 12 minutes hit without my friend (Tyler) in sight. Finally he showed up just under 13 minutes – he later said he went out too fast and died. As I tagged him and took off, I realized that I was the first to leave the exchange zone. I knew there was at least one super fast guy (low 18 5ker) at the zone, but he hadnt left yet.

I decided basically to run like a bat out of hell and see what happened. There were quite a few rolling hills in the first mile, but I had the sense I was flying because I was passing a lot of the people doing the whole 4 miles. I was breathing pretty hard by the first mile, which I saw was almost exactly 6 minutes. I was a little dissapointed, because it felt even faster. The course evened out a little after that, and I knew the rest was mostly flat with a nice downhill at the end. (the 4 miler is just a lengthened 5k course that is used by 2 other races during the year). At this point I felt a little better, having gotten a little accustomed to the crazy pace. I decided to just redline it the rest of the way. Passed a high 18 5ker who was doing the whole race and was nearing in on another when I saw the downhill finish ahead. Burned down the small hill and straightaway at an absolute sprint (Garmin shows low 4 minute pace in the final 2 tenths or so). I felt kind of pukish, but in the back of my mind I realized no one had passed me. Saw the clock and finished in 24:48, 2nd mile split in 5:50, total 2 mile leg in 11:50.

I waited around nervously for the computer results thinking surely we couldnt have won the relay. As it was, my chip time was only 10th overall among the nonrelayers . Maybe someone left the zome before me that I hadnt noticed.  After about an hour wait, after all the age groups were announced, they had the relay results. Sure enough though, we took home first overall in the relay, 50 bucks, a watermelon (!), a medal and a race patch. Pretty cool! It was also a 2 mile PR for me, my only other 2 mi race was almost a year ago at 13:07.

http://www.strictlyrunning.com/results/10BUSA.txt

MLK 5k

I had started to post about this race this weekend but I got distracted and lost it. This was a fairly small race (122 entries), which was rescheduled from March when it conflicted with the Cooper River Bridge Run. However, it is on both the Tour de Columbia race series as well as the larger, South Carolina wide Palmetto Grand Prix. Thus, there was some serious competition showing out for race points. Race temps were hovering around 80, pretty humid but there was a bit of a breeze. This course starts off with a brutal hill about a quarter mile long, does a relatively flat loop and then plunges back down the same hill. I did a 2 mile warm up, which left me drenched in sweat even at 9:30 pace. This was my first race in 3 weeks, which is a rare dry stretch for me. The races get more spaced out here in the summer given the oven like heat of the Columbia summer. Our tourism slogan: “Famously Hot”  – I’m not kidding!

I started out at what I thought was a strong pace, probably low 6’s, but the hill just sapped my strength immediately. I’ve been doing mostly treadmill training, and I’ve been slack about using the incline, so this was a rude awakening. My garmin showed me slowing to around 7 min pace near the top and just after. I was able to pick it up a little as the course flattened a little, though there were some definite inclines before hitting the true flat section. Right away a huge gap developed between the top 9 runners and the rest of the field. Behind the “elites” was me and one other guy, a good ways back. We exchanged positions several times in the first mile, which I beleive was 6:36. I was pretty dissapointed in this, as I thought I was going faster. Unfortunately, I didnt think I could push the pace much, as I was already wilting in the heat and breathing hard. The second mile was pretty even for me, just kept at the same pace, definitely starting to hurt. The lack of big hills certainly helped. I was bummed again at my 2nd split of 6:34. At this point I knew I was going to have to really push it to have any hope of keeping my sub 20 streak alive. I picked up the pace a little, and was able to drop the other guy. It became really hard to gauge pace at this point as I was completely alone. I could see the elite pack way ahead, and I couldnt hear anyone else behind me as I approached the last half mile. I was really dying there towards the end, just sucking wind like it was going out of style. There was an incline right before the big downhill, whcih unfortunately neutralized my plan to really burn it on the decline. I just couldnt catch my breath adequately to push it. I saw the clock in the final tenth, painfully watching 19:40’s give way to 20 minutes, just no way I could get there in time. Actually took a look back to make sure other guy wasnt sneaking up on me but there was no one. Kicked what I could and finished in 20:09.  I was very happy to take first in age group and 10th overall (8th male), but couldnt help being a little dissapointed. I shouldnt expect great times in the heat and hills, but I had hoped to continue the sub 20 streak.

Good to see Mr and Mrs Sig out there!

http://www.strictlyrunning.com/results/10mlk.txt

See Spot Run 5k

This is a first year event with a good turnout, about 250 runners, though it was sponsored by the humane society and running with your dog was encouraged. About 80 degrees and humid at race time, just unpleasant even to walk around. Did 2 miles of warmup at 10 minute pace and was already drenched in sweat. Course is a nice one, with 2 bridge crossings. There were definitely some rough inclines, particularly one right around the 2 mile mark, where you run to the top of a nasty hill, turnaround and come back down. I knew the course from a different race last year, which was helpful. I did that race when I was still trying to break 22 minutes and in a much cooler time of year (April). I felt really fresh for this race, because I took 2 days off to try to give it my best effort. Were about to hit the legendary Columbia SC summer, and the races are few and far between for the next 2-3 months.

My plan was to go out in 6:15 and see how I felt. The first mile felt pretty good – there was actually a slight breeze and some shade. I had an age grouper (Eric) breathing down my neck the first mile – I think he was drafting and I could hear every breath. We crossed the 1st bridge right before the frist mile mark, and out into the brutal sun. The heat got rough pretty quick and the breeze seemed to die off. It was nice and flat on the bridge though, so that helped me stay on pace. Hit the first mile right on schedule, 6:13. I was able to lose Eric on the bridge, or at least I didnt feel like he was over my shoulder. The heat and no shade continued throughout the 2nd mile, and I was fighting the urge to slow down, especially with the hill-turnaround ahead. When I hit the hill I was in real fear of completely bonking. Going up a steep incline 2 miles into a 5k with full sun and 80+ temps is pretty much torture. The plus side was that I could see exactly my place in the field with the short out and back section. The first group was way ahead so I didnt pay attention to them, but it was nice to see a fairly big gap on the rest of the pack coming down the hill. I didnt look at my Garmin purposely at this point, but my split was 6:36. As I started the 2nd bridge crossing at 2.15 miles, I saw 2 people, the lead woman and a guy about 50 meters ahead. I could tell the guy was really laboring, and I was gaining on him, so I decided to put the hammer down on the flat bridge. He surged as I passed him, but he couldnt keep up the pace and dropped back. I was also gaining on the top female, but between her early kick and my bursting lungs, I just couldnt close the gap. Hit one last incline before the 3rd mile mark, which absolutely killed me. Rounded the last turn and saw 19:30, which was enough for me to give one last adrenaline push and crossed in 19:48.  I was the most winded I’ve been in a while at the finish, just pukish and sucking air so fast my lungs could hardly keep up. After about 5 minutes I joined some friends for an exceptionally slow “cooldown” by doing the course again, probably 10 minute pace. Got back just in time for awards and was totally surprised I finished 3rd overall male. I had lost track of the first “pack” which ended up being only 2 people. Very happy with the time and finish, especially considering the conditions. Won a 10 dollar gift certificate to fleet feet running store and free registration for next years race. Pretty cool!

http://www.strictlyrunning.com/RESULTS/10SPOT.TXT

Jailbreak 5k

This race has gotten pretty big, and usually attracts some of the top runners because of the prize money. About 350 runners. Race time was 8:30 and it was already getting hot, only mid 70’s temp wise but pretty humid. I wasnt feeling great this am – we had a party at my house which resulted in me getting to bed late and eating too much, and somehow 3 beers was enough to leave me a little dehydrated. I only ran a mile for warmup and was fearful of a total disaster of a race. I decided to lay off the first mile a little because I was hurting big time last 5k when I went out in 6:06. Lined up a couple of rows back to try to make me stick to this plan. I left my Garmin at home unintentionally, so I would be flying blind in this one.

I was not feeling it in the first mile – my usual urge to want to just stop was stronger and my legs felt pretty heavy. Luckily the first mile was almost completely flat, and it was nice there was a clock – crossed right at 6:15. A group of 3 friends that I usually beat by about 15-30 seconds seemed pretty strong at this point, and they actually all passed me in the first part of mile 2. I guess I was slowing down – the heat was getting to me and my breathing was harder than I like at this point. Csab also passed me at this point, and I could see a whole group of 20:xx runners ahead of me that were starting to build a gap. I tried not to panic, but I was fighting some pretty negative self talk at this point, and wondered if I should just pack it in. The second mile clock was around 12:50, so I definitely hemorraged some time there. On the upside my breathing had calmed down some and my legs hurt less. The rolling hills that started in the second mile continued on to the 3rd. There was a particularly nasty incline right around the 2 mile mark which actually gave me some hope, because I felt myself nearing the pack in front of me. Because I ran the race last year, I knew when the last of the major hills were done after this. As we turned on to the straightaway I decided to just redline it the rest of the way. The pack was definitely starting to fall away at this point too. Passed Csab and my 3 other friends with about a half mile to go. I saw a known 35-39er about 50 meters ahead and figured I had to get to himto have any chance of getting some hardware. He must of been hurting bad, because I gained on him quickly and passed him with less than a quarter mile to go and the finish line in clear view. Saw the clock roll over to 19:30 and was able to bust it to the finish at 19:52. I was really spent with the finishing kick but it felt great to come from behind like that. Finished in 16th place, and got 3rd in AG, so it was really fortunate I was able to catch the age grouper (Eric).  Awesome hardware – large, heavy medal. Finally some cold water at the finish and a nice spread of fruit, bagels and cookies.  Did 2 cooldown loops of the course with some friends to finish with 10 miles for the day.

http://www.strictlyrunning.com/results/10Jail.txt