This race morning was not overly hot but it sure was muggy and humid. My morning began before 5 AM in Brookings. We drove down to Sioux Falls and gathered at Howard Wood Field where Anne, Chris, Lars, and many others would start the half-marathon. The marathon start was set for 45 minutes before them. I watched the marathon start to see what it looked like to have nearly 1000 people start a race on a track. It was a disaster and they need to change this somehow. A typical road start would probably be ideal for a race this size. Many people were walking and bumping into each other because it was too crowded. After watching the start I drove down to the finish line where the 5k also starts. I warmed up for a bit and found Eric. We did some strides and analyzed the competition for awhile waiting for the race to start, late of course. Once it started, last year's winner Jeff Stuckenbroker took it out hard. My legs were screaming 'too fast' right away so I just tried to hang in the chase pack. It strung out quickly and was down to myself, Dan Allen, and Eric in the chase pack. Another guy would soon catch us too. The course is very simple and deceptively difficult. It seemed like it was always a small grade up and down. At two miles, Jeff was way ahead and Dan was out of reach too. I was in a battle with another guy that I didn't know. He seemed to be running strong and I was struggling to hang on. Once I could see the finish line, I finally got away from him but he kept it close. I was initially very disappointed in my time but later measured the course to be about 3.33 miles long. It would be nice to have it somewhat accurate!
All in all, it was a good day to see family and friends and run a race. Lars performed valiantly in his first half-marathon and Anne ran well in hers too!
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