Clarence DeMar (Keene, NH) Race Report (09/27/15)
Great volunteers and runner friendly race. Very well
organized with plenty of pre-race communications. The course is net downhill
with some rolling hills - especially in the second half. The late September
makes it a good time to see fall colors in New Hampshire. My running buddy, Rob,
and I flew to Boston on Saturday morning for the Sunday race. We planned to
have a leisurely trip to the packet pickup, but Jet Blue had something else in
mind. The plane navigation system wasn’t working correctly, so the gate agent
told us they were restarting it – which sounded a lot like “turn off the power,
wait for a minute, then turn it back on”. I would have offered my Garmin, but I
needed to preserve the batteries for Sunday. After a two hour delay (sounds
like the school system in winter), we actually left the gate.
By the time we got our rental car for the two hour drive to
New Hampshire, we were cutting it close for packet pickup. We arrived with
about 40 minutes to spare – that might have been close for a big race, but we
got our packets and were ready to go in less than 5 minutes. Packet pickup was
quick because there were no vendors, meaning we needed to bring our own
supplies (gels, body glide, etc). The race packet included a handy
blister/soreness care pack - probably the most useful thing I've ever gotten in
SWAG, they also gave a free 26.2 sticker and a GU.
Keene State College hosts packet pickup and is the finish for
the race. As a point to point race, they provide (school) bus service to the
start. The busses take runners to an elementary school - where we waited in the
heat/dry for the start. It was a nice time to meet people and stretch. The starting
temperature was 35 degrees, so inside was a huge benefit. As we walked outside
to the start line (10 minute walk), it seemed people were stopping a bit early.
As I got closer, about half the 280 starters were standing around, still 300 yards
from the start. I made my way through the crowd then realized they were
standing in a patch of sunshine absorbing as much heat as possible. The race
starts downhill – not steep, but not close to flat, so a 9:22 first mile
shouldn’t have been surprising, but it was not my plan. I talked to several
people who had run the race before – they explained how easy it is to blow up
by starting too quick. After a bathroom stop during mile 5, I slowed my pace a
bit. The course is very scenic - especially when we ran across the dam. Aid
stations each had water and Gatorade, but nothing else. There were plenty of
volunteers at the aid stations – each very cheerful.
The course is mostly on roads that are open to traffic.
Although the field is fairly small, I was rarely running all alone. The water
stops are regularly spaced, so I was comfortable without my water bottle. I
talked to a few people, usually exchanging comments about how we were
leap-frogging each other. Near mile 20, the course travels through a cemetery. There
were lots of volunteers in the cemetery and it would have been nice to have a
water stop in that section ... I guess that could be weird/disrespectful, so I
can understand. Throughout the course, the police were great escorts at road
crossings - motorists were NOT grumpy (as I've seen many other places –
including Richmond). After mile 24, my hamstring started to act up. I just
couldn’t get my right leg to power me for even gentle uphill sections, so I was
walking unless it was flat. Fortunately, the final half mile is flat. I was able
to get back to a run and then at the finish, the Keene State cheer squad was screaming
and waving pom-poms for each runner. As I approached the finish line, they
announced my name and hometown. After picking up my medal, I slowly walked to
the bag pick-up. Before I got to the truck a very nice volunteer came over with
my bag – she had read my number and found my bag before I got close to the truck
… small races have their advantages.
After a shower at the college, we got on the road back to
Logan for the flight home. Jet Blue tried to scare us a bit with a notice that
our return flight was delayed, then a notice of cancellation – but when we
arrived at the check-in, the flight was on-time. Jet Blue also notified us that
we were awarded a $50 credit to make up for the delay on our flight to Boston –
a nice treat.
I had told Rob before the race not to expect me to finish
until 5:30 – so, I’m really pleased with the run.
Time: 4:47:53
Course: https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/912200639
My Progress to 50 States (and DC)
