Today was the 6th annual Haddon Twp Turkey Trot. Normally I'm out in Medford running the Gobbler Run 5k at camp, but I decided I wanted to race against my students today instead and went for the more local race.
Unfortunately it was a bit of a debacle. I rode my bike to the race so parking was not an issue, but Stevie drove a little later and between road closures for our town's parade and the 5k, and the massive turnout for both, she couldn't get anywhere near the place. I had never done this race before, so I wasn't expecting such a large crowd. Apparently the race organizers weren't either. I got to the race at 8:35am and got in line to register, but after 10 minutes of not moving we were informed they had run out of race bibs. I found out later they were only expecting 650 people but ended up with close to 900. Those of us in line were told we could just run without bibs, thus making this my first ever race as a fully sanctioned bandit.
The enormous crowd didn't help the bathroom situation either. With the starting time quickly approaching, the line was too long and I decided I would just have to, shall we say, clench and bear it. My bowels were not happy.
The race itself was nice. It was about 40 degrees this morning with a bitter wind, and the first half mile felt like running in a wind tunnel. The race started outside of the firehouse, passed mostly through suburban NJ residential streets, and finished right outside of the Pour House, a local bar that was one of the sponsors.
There were no water stops throughout the course, but there was a great post-race spread inside the bar complete with eggs, bacon, sausages and bagels. One of the benefits of finishing early is that I didn't have to wait in line for the food. Thirty minutes later, however, the line was out the door and around the corner.
I finished in 20:22, which I was disappointed with. Conditions weren't great, but I know I can do better. My dad also ran and finished in roughly 35 minutes, and my stepmother Debbie completed the mile walk in roughly 15 minutes. I also saw a lot of my students, and I'm happy to say I beat all of them.
Unfortunately it was a bit of a debacle. I rode my bike to the race so parking was not an issue, but Stevie drove a little later and between road closures for our town's parade and the 5k, and the massive turnout for both, she couldn't get anywhere near the place. I had never done this race before, so I wasn't expecting such a large crowd. Apparently the race organizers weren't either. I got to the race at 8:35am and got in line to register, but after 10 minutes of not moving we were informed they had run out of race bibs. I found out later they were only expecting 650 people but ended up with close to 900. Those of us in line were told we could just run without bibs, thus making this my first ever race as a fully sanctioned bandit.
The enormous crowd didn't help the bathroom situation either. With the starting time quickly approaching, the line was too long and I decided I would just have to, shall we say, clench and bear it. My bowels were not happy.
The race itself was nice. It was about 40 degrees this morning with a bitter wind, and the first half mile felt like running in a wind tunnel. The race started outside of the firehouse, passed mostly through suburban NJ residential streets, and finished right outside of the Pour House, a local bar that was one of the sponsors.
There were no water stops throughout the course, but there was a great post-race spread inside the bar complete with eggs, bacon, sausages and bagels. One of the benefits of finishing early is that I didn't have to wait in line for the food. Thirty minutes later, however, the line was out the door and around the corner.
I finished in 20:22, which I was disappointed with. Conditions weren't great, but I know I can do better. My dad also ran and finished in roughly 35 minutes, and my stepmother Debbie completed the mile walk in roughly 15 minutes. I also saw a lot of my students, and I'm happy to say I beat all of them.
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| With my dad after the race. |
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