IGT Downtown 5K

Providence, RI

Sunday, September 15, 2024

The most popular road race in the US is the 5K, with more than 8.9 million registrants in 2022, according to Running USA.  That is likely due to the shorter distance being especially popular with novice and intermediate runners, but it is certainly not my favorite distance.

But as this would be the third race of the nascent 4-race RI Grand Prix and I had already missed one race (you need three to qualify), I'm in!  I skipped the Wahaneeta 5K yesterday and I know I don't rebound as quickly after a race, but I'll have to think about whether I want really want to skip Run for the Pumpkins on October 5, with the final race of the series (Ocean Road 10K) being the next day.  But I digress ...

Race day:  With a race start of 10am, it was already getting warm when Jana and I arrived in downtown Providence.  We arrived a good 90 minutes early, which in truth was due to Jana's good planning.  Parking was in the Providence Place Mall.  Unlike other race events with garage parking this year in Ottawa and New Haven, parking was so simple, plenty of places throughout the mall with zero driving wait, and a ridiculously cheap price of $2 for the three hours we were there.  Check in at Marathon Sports inside the mall was quick and easy.

The original plan was to run the whole course, but Nick was looking to run two miles and that worked as well.  Gave me enough of a flavor for the course and got the legs ready to go.  I got back to the start, changed into my race shoes and was ready to go with twenty minutes to go.  I'm not sure why the race starts so late, but that meant it was warm (70°F) and open sun.  There were signs indicating where to line up based on 5-minute increments of expected time and I went to the 25-minute sign only because it meant I could stay in the complete shade as long as possible.  Paul Gray told me I was in the wrong place, and needed to move up.  Which is what I did about ten minutes pre-race when the field was filling in.  Went for a few strides and ready to go.

Charlie Breagy was trying to speak three minutes pre-race when AC/DC's Thunderstruck came on and drowned him out.  Works for me!  Unfortunately he asked for the music to be cut (sacrilege!) but he kept his remarks short and with 90 seconds to go Thunderstruck was back on.  Yes!  I saw Molly Huddle two rows ahead of me, which was pretty cool as well.  I am feeling good!

Mile 1:  Despite lining up in the fourth row, as often happens, two guys in front of me partially blocked me in and it was clear these two clowns had no business being up front.  Ugh, frustrating.  I went up on a sidewalk to pass them and after another 1/10 of mile of so I had no more roadblocks.  About 1/2 mile in I checked my lap pace and saw 5:23.  OK, that's absurd and not sustainable, but I also chalked it up to excitement and just having come down a 30' hill.  I saw Adrian a ways ahead of me, and Jared just ahead of me.  The course is a lollipop and splits off at about 0.8 miles.  Mile 1 split 5:30.

Start of the 2024 IGT Downtown 5K 

Mile 2:  We were spread out nicely in the second mile, as I continued not far behind Jared.  The entire road was closed, so we had plenty of room to run.  At 1.6 miles in, we turned onto South Main Street and ran alongside the Providence River as we made our way back.  Towards the end of the second mile, I heard Chariho head coach Bill Haberek call out to me and offer encouragement.  Besides being my 8th social studies teacher way back in the late 70s, he's just such a great guy and has done so much for the sport.  Mile 2 split 5:38.  Fantastic!

Lollipop course with the first and final 0.8 miles being the same

Mile 3 to finish:  I'm feeling good and counting my chickens before they hatch, and am figuring on a great finishing time (for me) of somewhere in the 17:40s.  But I'm unable to hold the pace, and that's even before that massive uphill climb at the beginning of Smith Street slows me way down.  (It's not really massive, and it's more like a "bump" than a "hill", but it sounds better that way, right?)  We go past the Amtrak station and RI State House, with a small downhill back to the finish, but unfortunately my Mile 3 split is a slow 5:57.

I push the best I can downhill, turn the corner and see the clock ticking into the 17:50s.  I think I can make it at least for a sub-18, but the clock and the distance and time required to get there is always so deceiving and I finish dejected as I watch the clock turn to "18:00".

Finishing the 5K,
unfortunately NOT sub-18

Final result:  18:02 (5:48 average pace), 18 of 1,293 overall, 1st of 67 in age group.  Full results here.

I am really disappointed not to break 18, and I don't want to be a "negative Nancy" so I just sit out of sight for a bit to get my pouting and sulking done privately, before catching up with others.

Team WTAC today, minus Jared and Dave
1st place RI Grand Prix team today!

I picked up my award ($25 to Marathon Sports - same award as I got at Branford, so I have $50 now), and then went for a solo cooldown.  Fortunately, I caught up with Adrian Massie and ran and chatted with him for a while, so that helped my mood.  18:02 after all isn't a terrible time for a 60-year-old, and it was enough today to not only be the 1st 60+ but also the 1st 50+ runner out there.  Like Mick Jagger sings:

You can't always get what you want
But if you try sometimes, well, you might find
You get what you need