There are many running clubs in South Jersey, both new and old. Of the vanguards of South Jersey running, the Pineland Striders are among the oldest, which my dad used to be a part of (there's an old man joke in here somewhere, but I'll resist, Dad).
Every year for the past thirty plus years, they have put on the Strider Independence Races (10k and 5k) near July 4th. The races start and finish at Shawnee High School in Medford, and run right past Camp Ockanickon where I used to live and work in my twenties.
I ran the 10k race two years ago and did reasonably well - won my age group and placed 9th overall. This year I recruited Neale and Stevie as my cheering section, and we all made the drive out to Medford on a chilly summer Saturday morning.
Despite this event's long history, each race has less than 100 runners. This means, though, that race morning is not chaotic. Registration is always organized and easy, and there is access to flush toilets in the high school which don't get too crowded.
At 8:30am we took off from the high school parking lot into the surrounding neighborhoods with million dollar homes, some owned by Philadelphia professional athletes. The course is completely flat and mostly shaded, perfect for a summer race. In the final half mile, racers leave the pavement and run a quarter mile across the grass, then finish the final quarter mile on the school's track.
I remember the last time I did this race, I fought hard to pick off runners in the second half of the race and maintain my top ten standing. This time, though, there was no one close to me, either behind or ahead, and it was all I could do to keep up the pace. I did manage to beat my time from the last race by almost a minute.
Final stats:
While I was racing, Neale had a great time playing with dogs and other small kids, not to mention roaming the hallways of the high school.
I received a medal for winning my age group again, but unfortunately there was no accompanying gift certificate to the Haddonfield Running Company like last time.
There was a nice post-race spread of bottled water, bananas, bagels and oranges for all runners, but I didn't partake too much, because we went to get pizza afterwards.
Thanks to Stevie and Neale for cheering me on, and thanks to the Pineland Striders for a great morning of races!
Every year for the past thirty plus years, they have put on the Strider Independence Races (10k and 5k) near July 4th. The races start and finish at Shawnee High School in Medford, and run right past Camp Ockanickon where I used to live and work in my twenties.
I ran the 10k race two years ago and did reasonably well - won my age group and placed 9th overall. This year I recruited Neale and Stevie as my cheering section, and we all made the drive out to Medford on a chilly summer Saturday morning.
Despite this event's long history, each race has less than 100 runners. This means, though, that race morning is not chaotic. Registration is always organized and easy, and there is access to flush toilets in the high school which don't get too crowded.
At 8:30am we took off from the high school parking lot into the surrounding neighborhoods with million dollar homes, some owned by Philadelphia professional athletes. The course is completely flat and mostly shaded, perfect for a summer race. In the final half mile, racers leave the pavement and run a quarter mile across the grass, then finish the final quarter mile on the school's track.
I remember the last time I did this race, I fought hard to pick off runners in the second half of the race and maintain my top ten standing. This time, though, there was no one close to me, either behind or ahead, and it was all I could do to keep up the pace. I did manage to beat my time from the last race by almost a minute.
Final stats:
While I was racing, Neale had a great time playing with dogs and other small kids, not to mention roaming the hallways of the high school.
I received a medal for winning my age group again, but unfortunately there was no accompanying gift certificate to the Haddonfield Running Company like last time.
There was a nice post-race spread of bottled water, bananas, bagels and oranges for all runners, but I didn't partake too much, because we went to get pizza afterwards.
Thanks to Stevie and Neale for cheering me on, and thanks to the Pineland Striders for a great morning of races!
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