Cape Cod Half Marathon

 

Falmouth, MA

Saturday, October 11, 2025

I hemmed and hawed and procrastinated on deciding on a fall half-marathon tune-up.  Last year I ran Block Island Half, which I liked but had the downside of not being very competitive (upshot:  I got on the podium with a 3rd place OA, downside:  running as an island much of the race).  I've never run the Hartford Half nor the Cape Cod Half, and ultimately decided on the latter.

Because I procrastinated until September to sign up, I lost out on a guaranteed shirt (more later), name on bib (free to all signed up by August 1, not like NYC full that wants to charge me to add this), entry price had gone up $30, and much of the lodging accommodations were already gone or exorbitantly expensive, obviously especially those in close proximity.

I ended up staying at the Best Western Cape Cod half a half hour drive away in Hyannis.  Not ideal, but not terrible either, and pretty much a straight shot on Route 28 on race morning.  The drive Friday afternoon was lengthy and had bumper-to-bumper traffic in both Providence (rush hour on a 3-day weekend) and Bourne.  Once I finally got to bib pickup (Friday 3-6pm), check-in was so quick and easy, and also featured a small expo.  Gave me a change to get a feel for the start and finish, which is always nice.

Race day parking SNAFU:  Since I already had my bib, I planned to arrive my standard 1 hour before.  Ran into slow traffic, including pedestrians and runners in road, as I got close to the start, and ended up arriving 45 minutes before.  No problem I thought; park and then plenty of time for a short warm-up.  The problem was there was no single parking lot; there were 12 of them spread out and you had no way of knowing which were full and which were not until you got there.  I had a Plan A parking lot 0.1 miles from start, and in case that was full (it was), I had a Plan B parking lot 0.3 miles from the start.  What I did not plan on was the amount of time to navigate from one lot to another on race day with bumper-to-bumper traffic.  What I also did not plan on was my Plan B parking lot being completely full.  I was turned away with a map of all 12 lots again, and the volunteer could not tell me where the next closest lot was.  I panicked as I did not have a Plan C and I had to keep moving.  I figured I could not afford to go to yet another full parking lot, so I picked one of the farthest ones at 0.85 miles from the start, and reconfigured my GPS yet again.  The good news was there was plenty of parking at the Falmouth Municipal Court; the bad news is it's now 20 minutes, not 45, until race start.

Race start panic:  Between the longer distance to the start and the short remaining time, my warm-up will now be getting to the start itself, and it will be in race shoes, but I'm still feeling upbeat.  I arrive at the race start ten minutes pre-race and I figure it's an easy walk to the start.  Well, it is, kind of.  The problem is there are race corrals all fenced off, they are very narrow and winding around in a circle, and the only way to enter the corrals is from the very rear.  I can't get near the start line because there are two levels of barriers, with volunteers directing me to the back of the line.  After panicking and standing there for a moment, I get started pushing and weaving my way from the back of the crowd.  It's quickly clear that I just don't have time to make it given the slow rate of progress.  With about two minutes to race start, I am "all the way" up to the 10:30 pace marker.  Ugh.  I see two race officials blocking a roped off barrier that's cutting off the long winding corral from a shortcut to the 8:00 minute pace barrier.

I approach the two and plead my case that I am a sub 6:30 half marathon runner, I'm attempting to win my age group outright, and I "need" to be up with the 6:30 pace corral.  The older guy says I still need to wait in the line and points me to get back with the others.  The younger guy explains that age group awards are based on chip time.  OK, that's a little bit of relief and shows he at least understands my dilemma, and I thank him for that, but explain that would still be a lot of weaving for a sub-6:30 runner stuck in a 10:30 pace start.  Nothing.  I said, seriously, as a 60-year old I ran a 2:53 marathon and a 1:23 half last year.  Nothing.  I was desperate and then asked him if any chance when the race starts, you two look the other way?  He looked me up and down and I guess decided I looked like a fast runner (or maybe he was sick of listening to me?) and he said, "You've got 45 seconds to race start!  Go!".  I didn't ask twice, ducked under the rope they were holding, ran to the 8:00 pace sign (the closest I could get), crawled through the barrier to startled (or maybe disgusted?) runners there just to hear one ask another "What time are you shooting for?", the response of "1:55", and the response to that of "Good, I'm in the right place.".  Oh, no.  I pushed forward several more rows and the gun went off.

It turns out there were 10 separate wave starts, each 60 seconds apart.  I completely missed all of this, although it was a on a Facebook post.  So I guess that's on me, but my worries dissipate as I made it into Wave 1.

Race start:  It only took me 11 seconds to get across the start line, and I was only weaving/meandering through slower runners for about 1/4 mile before I found an open line on the far side of the road.  Crisis averted; now calm down and get your head into the race and run the race you planned for.

I'm crowded in at the start (about 8 o'clock in above pic)

Trying to sight a line where I can run and pass some of these
runners.  (I'm in blue Block Island singlet and hat)

And what is my plan?  Pretty simple:  run 6:15 splits for as long as I can.  Assuming the actual distance I run is about 13.25 miles (based on not running tangents/straight lines/etc), that would get me just under a 1:23.  Do I expect I can hold a 6:15 for the entire race?  No, but depending on how long I can hold it, a 1:24 or 1:25 should be possible and after my 1:27:06 NYC Half in March, I tell myself I'll be happy with a sub-1:25.

Here you can see the separation between waves, with the next wave waiting behind a rope at
start/finish line.  That would've been awful if I had been stuck in a later wave.

Great first name and all, and congrats for being out there, but I wouldn't have wanted
to have been stuck in whatever late wave with Grandpa Jeff.  That would've been rough.

The first mile is a slight downhill (the biggest downhill on the course!) down to the water, and that plus the adrenaline overcomes my initial weaving and I hit my goal with a Mile 1 split of 6:13.  Ok, good, but a long way to go!  I run past a lawn with ghosts peering out of dunes, and it's pretty cool!

Slight downhill in Mile 1.  I'm partially blurred out in far right of this photo,
running on the double yellow median strip trying to find an open lane to pass runners.

Mile 2 split is 6:16, and Mile 3 6:18 on a bike path.  At the end of the bike path, we have the only awkward turn on the course.  It's not a cone turnaround, but at about 135°, it's not great either.

Course map.  Mile 3 turn in lower left.

Much of the remaining ten miles of the course is right along the ocean, and the water views are great.  We go past the house with the ghosts in the dunes for a second time at Mile 4, and this time the owners are out cheering, so I yell out, "I love your ghosts!".  (I really do!)  They cheer me on as I go past.

Mile 4 split goes by in a 6:13.  I take my first GU.  After the Mile 4 mile marker (all mile markers are highly visible teardrop flags), I notice that I see no one ahead of me, even on straightaways.  I start to worry that I'll be running as an island for the rest of the race, and it'll be like last weekend's Ocean Road 10K all over again.  I tell myself I'm going to have to work harder to push myself to hit my target splits now, all while wondering how long will I actually be able to keep up 6:15 splits.

I really like how this photo came out.  Early miles with plenty of room for me to run now.

Mile 5 is a surprising 6:09.  Mile 6 brings two favorable changes for me:  1) I start to see people in front of me again (that I will continue to for the rest of the race!), so that gives me people to keep up with and even chase down, and 2) we get to an area where many cheering spectators are concentrated, and I hear my name called (no, my name is not on my bib).  I look over to my left and see Brian Coyne cheering me on!  We go past the ferry terminal for the Falmouth-Oak Bluffs ferry, and I know we're approaching the only "hill" on the course.  It's only 35' elevation gain!  If it weren't for the truck towing a long boat trailer that pulled out in front of me, it would be no issue but I worried that the trailer wouldn't be out of my way in time (it did clear in time, but barely).  

Mile 7 is a nice, but short, downhill bringing me into Falmouth Heights, where The Who's "Baba O'Riley" is playing loudly!  I see the road ahead of me painted, as I read the words and realize this is the finish line of the Falmouth Road Race!  Somewhere around here I see a police car with lights coming towards me and the lead runner just behind it.  This is pretty cool as I watch oncoming lead runners for the next mile.

At Mile 8, we start a 1/2 mile loop before reversing direction.  I'll take a small loop over a cone turnaround any day!  Mile 6/7/8 splits:  6:11, 6:14, 6:17.

The return:  It is lightly raining now, as I approach an aid station and take my 2nd and final GU.  I normally only take 1 GU in a half marathon, but with reason to believe I've been underfueling on my longer races, 2 GUs it is this time.  Now it's fun to be running on my way back, with runners approaching me, and many cheering me on.  This is helpful and motivating.  Mile 9 split is a 6:12.  I am really happy I've made it this far successfully hitting my target splits; half of me thinks it's OK to slow a bit now but fortunately the other half of me insists to push on and try one mile at a time to keep up the 6:15 target.

Mile 10 takes us for a 3/4 mile diversion off the main coastal street.  It's up and back on Worcester Court, but not a cone turnaround as the street has a grass island down the middle.  The turnaround is a little awkward as you go up over the curb, left turn onto the grass, and then conversely, left turn off the grass, over a curb, and back onto the street.  Not ideal, but there are plenty of cones and plenty of volunteers letting you know this is coming up.  I imagine I lost a few seconds here, but that's probably about it.  At the end of Mile 10, just about the end of Worcester Court, Brian Coyne calls out to me again with some positive encouragement.  A totally different place than when I last saw him, so obviously he's following someone as they race the course.  Mile 10 split 6:16.

OK, just 5K to go, I tell myself.  Focus on each mile one at a time, I remind myself.  Mile 11 takes us back across the Falmouth Road Race finish line in the opposite direction.  This time AC/DC's Thunderstruck is being belted out as I run through the area!  Awesome!  There is a reason Thunderstruck is played at so many road races:  it's inspiring and motivational.  I go back up and over that 35' hill, pass a couple runners in the process, and am feeling really good!  Mile 11 is in the books with a 6:12.  Happy with that!

Mile 12:  I run down through the spectators gathered at the ferry terminal, as we go up and around the Falmouth Inner Harbor.  I hear "Jeff Walker" called out, followed by some encouragement.  The female voice sounds familiar but it's behind me now and I'm sure not going to  look back at this point.  Then I hear, "My daughter Mary is in the race as well".  Oh, it's Carol Ann Larson!  I look down the stretch and am catching another runner as we approach the end of the mile.  6:18 mile split.

Mile 13 to finish:  I tell myself it's "go time".  I'm feeling good and pick it up for the remainder of the race.  I pass that runner, and will catch and pass one more before the finish line is in sight.  A lot of people are cheering now.  I hear my name called on the PA system as I approach the finish line.  6:01 final mile split, and a 5:46 pace for the final 0.2! (I ended up running 13.21 miles on this certified course)

Final strides, with the finish line mat just ahead of me.

And finished!  Great to finish strong.

Final result:  Gun time 1:22:10, chip time 1:21:59, 20th overall out of 1,955, 1st in age group out of 54.  Full results here.

Free photo at finish, inside a 1970s VW bus!
Courtesy Cape Cod Photobus

What went well:

• Ecstatic with my time!  And the RD just confirmed a $100 check will soon be in the mail to me!  
• I paced this race really well, if I may say so.  A very rare negative split for me.
• Really enjoyed the course.  Flat and very scenic.  Most of the miles had water views.
• Very efficient check-in process.
• Highly visible teardrop markers at every mile.
• Loved the race shirt!  (I signed up too late to be guaranteed one, but ran fast enough to secure one of the unclaimed shirts at the finish.)
• Even loved the race medal!  (And I'm not a big fan of race medals.)
• Free photos!
• Nice to have chowder at the finish.  And the chowder was pretty good too!
  
  
  
  

  

  Race medal and shirt are both pretty cool!

  
  

What could have gone better:

• Parking is just not easy here.  There is no single central parking lot, but rather 12 separate and unrelated lots, all pretty small.  I don't know how the organizers could fix this issue, as it's really out of their control.  If I ran this again (which I wouldn't hesitate to), I think 1) I would get there at least 1.5 hours early, and 2) I wouldn't waste time going to the very closest lot, as it is small and fills quickly and the streets are clogged with traffic and pedestrians on race morning.
• Very narrow corrals with no easy access to faster pace points.  I do think they could be designed much better, and much of my woes in getting stuck back so far initially were tied into the parking issue.  Here as well, arriving 1.5 hours early should solve that for me, although I probably would need to start to get in line at least 20 minutes pre-race, as they were jammed full 10 minutes before race start.
• Bib sizes:  I've mentioned this before, and really it's so minor, but I don't get why bibs are getting bigger and bigger (same beef I have with cell phones, but I digress).  

  

  Bib shown compared to size of Run for the Pumpkins bib.
  Does it need to be so large?

  
  

Overall, really happy with this race and my result.  My fastest half marathon in 3.5 years, and a confidence builder that I needed going into NYC marathon.

Of course, this prize money was a confidence booster
as well!

Ocean Road 10K 2025

Sunday, October 5, 2025

Narragansett, RI

Not really a lot to say about this one, as 1) I've run this before (2024 in 38:28), and 2) it just wasn't an interesting race for me as I ran pretty much the entire race alone and never saw any other runners.  But here goes:

My fifth final race of the 2025 RI Grand Prix.  There are seven races total this year.  I missed the initial race (Aquidneck 10K in March) and will miss the final (Colt State Park Half Marathon in November) as it's same date as NYC Marathon.

Last year, I was fortunate enough to be chauffeured to the start and dropped off by Jana, but this year I was relegated to taking a school bus like the vast majority.  Here was the race day schedule that I had to pay attention to:

My assigned shuttle was 6:30am.  The earlier you signed up, the later your shuttle assignment, as an incentive to sign up early.  I didn't sign up until September 4, or 4.5 weeks before race day.  After picking up my bib, I got on the bus, and one of the volunteers told us repeatedly make sure we show our race bibs to the bus driver.  OK.  I got on, showed the driver the bib, and she asked, "Why are all you runners showing me your bibs?"  I told her because we were told to.  So the bus drivers aren't actually checking bibs, don't know what bib number range corresponds to what boarding time in the race instructions, and thus you can actually board at any time that you want.  Good to know for next time!

It took us about 15 minutes to get to the race start.  I used the porta-jons before the lines increased, went out for a nice 2-mile warm-up, came back, chatted with both Adrian and Katie Garvin, and was ready to go.

Race time:  The gun went off, a number of faster runners went past me, including Adrian right away and lastly Dan Hawkins about a 1/4 mile in.  The rest of the race was not very exciting for me.  The ocean scenery at various spots was certainly attractive, and interesting, but after Dan went by, I ran the rest of the race as an island.  That is, I never saw any runners in front of me, and none were pushing me from behind.

Start of the 2025 Ocean Road 10K
I'm the runner in blue singlet closest to the yellow median line
Dan Hawkins on my right shoulder, and Katie Garvin on my left

My first mile was my fastest at 5:59 pace.  Not unreasonable given that just last month I ran the Bound for the Sound 10K (certified course) in a 36:51, for an average 5:55 pace.

After the first mile, my pace just dropped for significantly, as Miles 2, 3, 4 splits were 6:07, 6:14, 6:26.  To be fair, mile 4 does have minor hills, but I still think I would have run faster if I had anyone at all running within sight of me at any point during the race.

Mile 5 is a slight downhill coming to South Pier Road and the seawall, and I ran that in 6:12.  I picked it up for the final mile for a 6:02 pace (why couldn't I have done that earlier?), and for some reason was surprised and disappointed to see "38:xx" on the finish line clock as I approached.

Race results:  38:19, 16th out of 1,315 overall, 1st of 22 in age group.  Full results here

What went well:

• I won my age group
• I ran nine seconds faster than last year
• Very scenic course
• Website is very clear, informative, and easy to navigate
• Detailed pre-race instructions

What could have gone better:

• Well, I could have run faster!
• For a race with over 1,000 runners, it seems kind of surprising that I could go the entire race without seeing any other runners!  Just not very deep in competition for me, unlike the recent Bound for the Sound 10K.
• The organizers use EventBrite for registration.  Ugh.  It might be a good platform for social events, but it's certainly not a running platform!  You can't search other registrants, there are no results posted, and no photos or other features like real running registration platforms such as RunSignup.
• It's not a certified course.  This one actually seems to hit the distance, so I'm not really bothered by it, unlike certain other races by the same organizers where the distance seems to be short based on the majority of Strava posts.  In a road race, the majority of runners should have GPS recordings exceeding the posted distance, not significantly less than.  For the amount of runners they get and revenue they take in, just pay the amount to have your courses certified.  Then it's good for ten years!

Nice looking mug for my age group award

Bound for the Sound 10K

Old Lyme, CT

Saturday, September 20, 2025

Final race of the 2025 USATF-CT Road Grand Prix.  Eight races, of which I ran six.  I had previewed this course three weeks prior, and with favorable impressions.  I was excited to race here, with my only apprehension being that I was coming into this with low expectations given that I arrived home the night prior after a 13-day vacation to Newfoundland with not the best eating and nearly 3,000 miles of driving.

I arrived onsite at about 7:10AM ahead of an 8:00AM race start.  I followed the race instructions to drive down Hartford Avenue (finish line) to be directed by parking marshals.  There was a line of cars going both down to the beach and away from the beach, which perplexed me.  The short story here is the parking marshals could've done a better job, as we got down close to the beach only to be turned around one car at a time with awkward three point turns.  (I think the beach parking lots had filled, and they hadn't coordinated very well to have cars stopped further up the road once that happened.)  But it cost me less than five minutes, and I was turned around, and parked at a different lot, so if that's the worst of the day's issues, no complaints!  And knowing the RD Chris C, he'll get it fixed for next year.

Parking was just under 1/4 mile away (if I had gotten there earlier, it would have been even closer).  Check-in was quick and simple, as was shirt pickup.  It was the bathroom line where I lost another 10 minutes.  Pinned my bib to the team singlet I would be wearing, and off for 1.5 mile warmup.

Changed into my race kit including shoes, and jogged to the start line, where Boston's "Cool the Engines" was playing.  I told the RD great job on his choice of music, ran a few strides, and lined up about four rows back just before the national anthem was sung.

Course Map:  Note the author in highlighted text at left of map!  RD Chris, knowing I was
previewing the course, asked if I'd make a Strava route of my preview run, which I was
happy to do.

Start to Mile 2:  My only other issue (besides parking) was the start was a little chaotic where you quickly make a left turn, and I was boxed in a bit and got stuck behind other runners, and then within a quarter mile, you make a sharp right turn and sharp left, but I completely understand that with the roads ending (and starting) at the Sound, there is just isn't opportunity for the RD to plan out a long straight start.  The rest of the coursed I really enjoyed.

Immediate first left turn; boxed in behind several runners
(I'm in red singlet below red arrow)

Somewhere early in the first mile I couldn't help but notice a sea of green ahead of me, representing Manchester Running Club.  I had thought that our own club, Mohegan Striders, would have a large contingency today given our proximity to the race (40 minute drive for me, but even shorter for the majority of members living in SE CT).  But for whatever reason our ranks weren't well represented today.

At about 1/2 mile in, you turn onto Shore Road (Route 156) for a very short stretch, before crossing Shore Road to the north and starting a long, quiet loop, with basically the first 1.5 miles uphill at an easy grade.  My Mile 1 split was 5:56, but I was thinking there was no way I would be able to hold that and would soon be looking at 6:15 or worse.  

At the start of Mile 2, we turn onto Mile Creek Road, the only part of the course with lane restrictions, as you needed to stay on the left side of the road.  There were cones on the far left side of the road, and most runners were staying inside the cones, but that looked a bit too congested for me, so I stayed just to the right of the cones but always to the left of the center medium line.  I passed teammate Jared here briefly, but he repassed me and I kept him in sight.  At the end of Mile 2, we start the only hill descent that is greater than 5%, and there are no inclines greater than 5%.  Mile 2 split 6:01.

Mile 3 to 4:  We have an 80 foot drop in which I pass five runners, including Jared again and surprisingly Ryan Murdoch.  Once this leveled out a bit, four out of the five runners re-passed me, which was not surprising.  The rest of the mile, or I should say the rest of the race, was basically flat, with a few small rollers but nothing over a 25' drop or incline.  The only perceptible hill climb remaining was in the fourth mile up to and over a railroad bridge crossing.

Mile 3 split 5:48!  (downhill first quarter mile)

Mile 4 split 5:58

Mile 5 to Finish:  I am thrilled with my continuing fast splits, but I also know the game is far from over.  In Mile 5, we cross Route 156 (thank you police for stopping traffic) and run a quiet road parallel to Route 156 and then the final mile (Mile 6) is on Route 156 itself.  On the final mile, there were 1-2 runners that passed me, but none even close to my age group so I just focused on my own race as I kept looking for "Where is that final turn off?!"  Mile 5 split 6:02 (slowest), Mile 6 split 5:54.  With the finish line is sight, I kicked it in as best I could, with a pace for the last .22 miles of 5:24.  I was happy to pass two runners in this final section.

With finish line in sight

Final result:  Gun time 36:53, chip time 36:51!  Average 5:55 pace!  1st 40+, 1st 50+, 1st 60+.  Full results here.

This was my fastest time ever on a certified, non-downhill 10K.  I went into this race with a little bit of apprehension, wondering if I'd break 38 minutes, and everything just clicked in this race.  Fun, well organized race.  I'm not sure why it didn't attract more runners than it did.

I really enjoyed this race, and would definitely put it on my repeat race list.

With the rest of the team that showed up.  I'm in blue cap below the "I" in "STRIDERS".
We didn't have a lot of depth today,
especially in 40+ age groups.

New Haven 20K 2025

 

Sunday, September 1, 2025

New Haven, CT

My 4th consecutive New Haven Road Race, all in the 20K distance.  The first two years had miserably hot and humid weather, but both last year and this year were favorable.  59℉ and 84% humidity, although there was a 10mph wind out of the east.

Arrived in plenty of time this year.  Checked in, visited the bathroom, and got a 1.5 mile warm-up in with Striders teammates and Brady.  Lined up probably about 8 rows back with Matt Sweeney and awaited the gun.

I'm several rows behind the elites.  Well, and the Jesus guy.

At the gun, I took off a little to fast with a 6:05 first mile, but settled in to 6:15s where I remained most of the rest of the race.  Saw Matthew about 6 miles in and Jana and Brady about 7, as well as a large Strider spectator contingency, many of whom had run the 5K.  I was slower into the wind and uphill for Miles 9 and 10, but picked it back up in the final two miles of 6:12 and 6:13, and final 1/2 mile at 5:36 pace.  Really felt pretty good throughout.

Mile 6
 (Photo by Matthew)

Mile 7
(Photo courtesy of Jana)

Final result:  1:18:14, 119th of 491 overall, 1st of 24 in age group.  Full results here

Finishing strides

And done!

1st place age group:
New Haven embossed glass,
split of champagne,
$20 gift certificate to Woodbridge running store

Sneekers 4-Mile Road Race

Groton, CT

Sunday, August 17, 2025

My first time ever running this race.  For the past few years, I've been away on a family vacation during this time, and would've been again this year if we hadn't moved the vacation later due to an unrelated conflict.

Although I had never run the race before, I did run much of the course several weeks back, so I had an idea what it would be like.  I noticed that parking would not be available at the start / finish, so I arrived close to 1.5 hours early instead of my usual 1 hour target.  But parking was only 1/4 mile away and it was not an issue, so I had plenty of time for a 2-mile warm-up, and to get back to the car.  The bigger issue was the weather today, as it 75°F at start and climbing on an open sunny course and in high humidity.

Mile 1:  After changing into race shoes and a dry singlet, I walked with plenty of time to reach the start and listen to race instructions.  This would be a gun start and chip finish, so I made sure to get very close to the start (2nd row).  We had the full width of the road to start, and even though this quickly narrowed (kind of like Clamdigger), I never felt crowded in.  Mile 1 is pancake flat, the only mile in the race which is flat.  After 1/2 mile, we make a right turn onto Thomas Road, and this is the first of many sections that is just wide open to the sun, especially as it goes through a marshy area.  Somewhere in this section I caught and passed Dave Goodrich.  Mile 1 split 6:06.

Start of Sneekers 4M 2025 race.
I'm in second row, far right, behind Linda Spooner in yellow.

Mile 2:  And now the hills come in.  Nothing crazy, but noticeable with about a 130' hill climb over the next mile.  On the hill Paul Trehern from SoundRunner goes past me.  I'm often ahead of him, but I'm also pretty sure he's not 60 yet, so I don't fret over it.  There is one section of road where we are coned off to the far right, but I still have plenty of room the few times I need to pass someone.  Mile 2 split 6:33.  My slowest of the race, but makes sense to me given the hill.

Mile 3:  I am really feeling warm now.  This is my least favorite mile, as a lot of it is in an industrial area and all open to the sun.  We have about a 50' drop, followed by, well, a 50' hill climb.  The worst turn on the course comes up, as we have a sharp turn of more than 90 degrees onto a busy road (Benham), and I can't help but to run into traffic.  There is a person to my left even further into traffic, and a car driving fast does move further into the middle of the road, but still it's an uncomfortable turn onto an uncomfortably busy road with no cones to separate runners from cars.  Mile 3 split 6:27.

Worst turn on the course.  Not because of the ugly industrial
areas and parking lots you're looking at (although that doesn't help),
but because of how awkward the angle is (more than 90 degrees),
and that you just naturally veer into traffic as you're racing.
It think the GPS exaggerated how far I went into traffic lanes
before reverting to the right hand side of the road, but it
does show the point.

Mile 4:  And this was my favorite mile on the course!  Not only because it was the final mile, not only because here you actually did have cones separating the runners from the cars, but because it was a big downhill finish!  After about 1/4 mile meandering through neighborhood streets, you begin a fast descent on an elevation drop of more than 100'.  At the start of the descent, a runner goes by me from rival Sound Runners.  Not so fast, this downhill stuff is my territory!  I quickly retake him and a few others on the downhill stretch and as it levels out for the final 1/4 mile, I just step on the gas to cruise to the finish and stave off other challengers.  Fast Mile 4 split of 5:43!

Final result:  24:56.  26th of 199 overall, 1st of 20 in age group.  Full results here.

Team results:  We were way off on Men's Open team results, 2.5 minutes off on Masters,
but won the Grandmasters and less than a minute off on Seniors.

What I liked about the race:

• Registration page / info:  Great info here, including course map.  Well done.
• Club FB and club e-mail promotions:  Well covered and timely, including impending price increases.
• Certified course:  Fantastic.  We’ve all had our share of running short courses, and that isn’t fun or fair.
• Course Map:  Very clear and easy to follow.
• Parking:  Very efficient, ample and safe parking, close to start/finish, nice to have cheery Paul A (a/k/a "A to Z") as parking marshal.  Top marks.
• Check-in:  I wasn't sure how it would go seeing the old style paper check-in, but it was quick and efficient.
• Bib and shirt:  All fine.
• Price point:  Very reasonable price (and that's even with me missing the first price increase!).
• Volunteers:  All that I encountered were cheerful and helpful.  (As a minor note, just to include all my observations, the one exception I saw was a young guy in a safety vest halfway up a driveway on Benham Road waving his flag in circles; he could have been put to better use on an actual course turn that was unattended).
• Porta-jons:  With 4 units for 200 runners, I never saw a long line.
• Race start / remarks:  All good.
• Police:  It was nice to have Groton City Police at the two intersections where you crossed traffic.
• Downhill finish:  I really liked this!  Fast, and the coned lane to run in made me feel comfortable on a somewhat busy road with cars coming at you.
• Timing company:  Always love it when the SNERRO crew times and Way announces!
• Water at finish:  Loved the ice cold water in kiddie pool at finish!  BUT when I finished my cool-down, the cold water was gone and it was just very warm left.  Could be good to have more ice water, especially as I wonder if the cold water was gone when back-of-the-packers were finishing.
• Watermelon:  Fantastic summer offering!
• Awards ceremony:  All went smoothly and efficiently from my perspective.
• E-mail with link to personal results:  Nice!  I need to talk to Melinda to figure this out for races I direct.

What I didn't care for:

• Course:  This was described on Mohegan Striders FB as a "scenic" course, but personally and respectfully I just can't agree.  It's mostly an open sunny course, with a number of industrial and non-descript sections, and other than the marsh / cove on Thomas Road, there were no water views.  That's OK for a local race, but now that it's a USATF-CT race and runners are coming from farther away, wouldn't it be nice to showcase some of the truly scenic areas we have in SE CT?
• Difficult, borderline dangerous turn:  The turn from Morse Ave onto Benham Road is greater than 90 degrees (not desirable) and also not protected.  Is it possible to use a side street that avoids this awkward turn?  Or if not, is it possible to protect this turn with cones separating runners from vehicles?  I was running with a few other runners veering into the road while a vehicle was moving fast very close to us.  No near collision or anything, but certainly uncomfortable.
• Finish area / awards area:  Hanging around on a hot summer sunny morning on exposed hardtop pavement in a parking lot is just not attractive or fun.  There are a lot of hot summer races around (think New Haven or Branford or Blessing of the Fleet [RI] or Kelley Half), but the finish / awards / food area for those are all at parks or beaches.   And I don’t think it’s the best look to finish right by an adult video store.
• Trinkets / gummies:  Just not my thing, but that's a subjective item and the least consequential, as I don't go to races based on awards.  Maybe others love them.
• Race communications:  All of the other USATF-CT races I've run over the past year e-mailed out pre-race communications a day or two before, and/or post-race communications on the day of the event.  It's not a huge deal, but just a nice touch.
• Race start time:  Given that it's mid-August, is it possible to move it up earlier?

To be fair, some of the items like course and finish area might be constrained by sponsor commitments.  Overall, it was a good race.  But was it one of my favorites?  No.

Bobby Doyle 2025

Narragansett, RI

Sunday, August 10, 2025

Having struggled recently trying to remember details as I write race reports from six weeks ago, I actually smartened up on this one and am writing it on race day when I actually remember stuff!

This race served as the USATF-NE 5-Mile championship.  I have run this race several times before, but I have never run this course before as it's a new course this year.  The change was forced by Point Judith Country Club as they no longer allowed the Bobby Doyle race to run on their private Windermere Road as the race had been run there in the past few years.  I don't know the background of what precipitated this, but regardless it's a shame.  I don't love the new course, but it also wasn't as bad as I feared.  More on that in a bit ...

New 2025 course:  no cone turnarounds,
but a fair amount of OAB and three more turns than last year

My usual goal (not always met) is to get to races 1 hour early.  In this case, knowing from past experience that bib pickup lines and bathroom lines have been long, we opted to get there at 7:45am, which we were successful at.  Parked at the high school for the short walk to the middle school, where packet pickup and race finish would be located.  (Note:  we didn't really have a choice in where to park.  It seemed that parking marshals filled the middle school lots first, and then had subsequent car arrivals park at the high school.  Very efficient, by the way.)

Bib line was pretty short, and the portajon line was pretty long, but not horrendous.  Was thankful for the earlier arrival, but if I were to run this race again next year and if it were again a USATF-NE race, I would opt to arrive even earlier.

After a 2-mile warmup with Brady, I turned him over to Jana and we headed to the start.  Ran a couple of strides and lined up about ten rows back.  I catch up with a few runners I know, and when asked about my time goal, I mention that anywhere between 31 and 32 [minutes] I'll be happy with.  Had I run this race last year when I was running faster, I might have attempted the M60 course record of 29:56, but I feel that window has passed.

Mile 1:  It's a crowded packed start, and as the race starts, I get elbowed and pushed.  Norm is right behind me, and says, "Looks like you are really getting pushed around, Jeff!".  Indeed.  Norm passes me, and I remind myself to run my own race.  It's basically the same first mile as Blessing of the Fleet, downhill on South Pier Road to Ocean Road.  I watch Norm move ahead and tuck in just behind Scott Grandfield, both of them my age group competitors.  Again, I remind myself to run my own race.

Start of 2025 Bobby Doyle
I'm probably about ten rows back

Mile 1 split 5:43.  That was a bit spicier than I planned, even for a downhill mile.

Mile 2:  After a very short distance on Ocean Road, we turn inland and begin the only perceptible hill.  We are in open sun now, and with a temp at start of 74°F, it feels like about 80° here to me.  I am surprised to catch up to David Principe here.  I run beside him for most of the mile, dodging and passing other runners along the way.  We are only supposed to run on the left side of Kinney (the shaded sylvan road I'm used to from the Blessing), and it's coned off as runners will be returning on the right side, but a number of runners are seemingly slowing down here (as I'm not speeding up!) and they're in my way, so since no runners have come back yet, I occasionally cross the yellow line to go past them.  Wow, that was a long run on sentence.

Mile 2 split 6:10.

Mile 3:  As we make a left onto Old Point Judith Road (running in opposite direction as Blessing Mile 6), looking to my right, I can just see a RI State Police vehicle coming from that direction with flashing lights.  I had hoped to see the top runners coming at me, but the timing didn't quite work out.  I am dreading the next right turn, as it's puts us onto the infamously sunny and hot and worst part of the Blessing course (Rt 108), BUT it's only 1/3 mile and nearly completely shaded this time of day, so no issue at all.

As we make the right turn off of Route 108 and onto Kinney, we are at the highest point of the course.  At the turn or just after, I'm happy to hear Chris G call out to me, and I see "18:22" on a clock at the 3-mile marker.

Mile 3:  Glancing at photographer Chris Garvin
as I hear my name called.  Kinney Ave.

Mile 3 split 6:13.

Mile 4:  Mile 4 is pretty much entirely the length of Kinney Ave.  Shaded and a very slight downhill.  I can still see Dave P in front of me, but again I'm just running my own race, and actually feeling pretty good here.  Sometimes you can just tell when you're going faster, and in retrospect now looking at my splits, I did pick it up just a bit.

Mile 4 split 6:06.

Mile 5:  My watch beeps and displays "4 miles" just as I turn onto Gibson.  This is again a very slight downhill short section.  As we round the corner from Gibson to South Pier for the stretch home, I'm thinking we have half a mile to go and am dismayed looking at my watch to see 4.3 miles.  I'm hoping for any kind of landmark to break up the remaining 0.7 miles with a slight incline, but South Pier is kind of non-descript until you get back to the school.  I'm pushing hard, even passing a few runners, when I see a "1/4 Mile to Go" (or something like that) as we get to the school field.  The rest is a blur as I do my best to "kick" to the finish.

Just before the finish

Final result:  30:32 (average pace 6:06), 256 out of 1,018 overall, 5th out of 60 in age group.  Full results here.

So against my goal of 31-32, for once this year I ran quite a bit faster than I expected.  Obviously, my goal was somewhat arbitrary, so I decided to dive in to the stats a bit more:

Geek stats:

• Number of runners ahead of me at 3-mile split, but finished behind me:  10
• Number of runners behind me at 3-mile split, but finished ahead of me:  2

(In other words, I improved my position from Mile 3 to Mile 5 by 8 places.)

Age Grade Results:

Subjectively, I felt this race went really went for me for this year.  But how could I measure this
objectively across multiple distances I've run this year?  And then an idea popped in my head!
Age-graded is a formulaic leveling across ages and distances.  I included all certified road races
I've run this year.  This resulting chart reaffirms my gut reactions:
Boston Marathon was by far my worst performance this year,
I ran well at Clamdigger, 
and my best performance was at Bobby Doyle!   

Sure, I'm not forgetting that I finished 5th in my age group at Bobby Doyle, but other than NYC Half and Boston, this is by far the deepest and most competitive age group field I ran in this year.

Race performance take-away:  After this analysis, I am feeling even better about my performance in this race.  Maybe this will be the proverbial "lighting a fire under my a$$" that I need to end my wallowing self imposed torpor and get some training and confidence in my racing.  I have no illusions of battling against Father Time and I'm also not saying I'll ever best my 2:47:57 marathon PR from three years ago, BUT maybe, just maybe, with a little guidance and a better attitude, I can still (or once again?) be real competitive in my age group.

---------------------

I'll wrap up this race report with my own personal take on pros and cons:

Pros:

• Pre-race e-mail communication was very good.
• Parking was very efficiently managed.  Parking marshals were great.
• Course is USATF certified (it is a requirement of races in the USATF-NE races).
• Price was really good at $25 for a 5 mile certified course.
• Race is popular and super competitive.
• Course was closed to traffic.
• Fun post-race get-together with food on athletic fields.
• Ice cold water at finish!
• Refreshing fire hose at finish!

  

  Post-race mingling on athletic fields

  

  That fire hose was very refreshing!

Cons:

• Registration site:  I had never even heard of GetMeRegistered, and it's not the friendliest, including that you can't see who else is signed up, and there is seemingly no provision for posting results or photos.  I think you can't beat RunSignup for road races, and then you also have the advantage of being able to see all your registrations in one place for multiple races you've signed up for.
• Results site:  RaceWire is OK, but not the easiest to navigate.
• Environmentally friendly:  Or rather lack thereof.  Paper registration day of, plastic cups at water stations.
• Website refresh:  The race website itself is good, but two days post race, it would be nice to see some mention or photos of the race that took place, as well as a link to results.
• Check in process:  Unlike many races (especially of this size) using more modern and efficient processes including check-in on phones or computers, this race still uses paper check-in and you have to go to a table according to the letter your last name starts with.  I ended up waiting in an albeit relatively short line, but there were other tables that were empty with idle volunteers.
• New course:  It actually wasn't terrible, but it also wasn't the clean loop of the former course with fewer turns.  (Understandably a course change had to be made.)
• Shirt design:  I know this is subjective, and I certainly don't need more running shirts, BUT at least to me this is a pretty ugly shirt destined for the scrap pile right away (either next clothing clean-out / donation or wear it to the starting line of a colder late fall / winter race to keep warm pre-race and then discard it)
• Generic bib:  Obviously not a deciding factor in the race, but in a race of this size and depth, it would be nice to get a bib that actually referenced the race!

To each his own,
but not for me, thanks

I just don't find the RaceWire results platform to be
very appealing or easy to navigate.  And yeah, that pace
might be just a little bit off!