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I spent Sunday AM working at the Jersey Shore Half Marathon and Lighthouse 5K. I had to lead the 5K on my bike. There was a wheelchair at the race who'd gone out ahead. The weather wasn't ideal, and there was a fair amount of sand on the parking lot we run through. I'd have felt more comfortable on my (road converted) mountain bike than on the road bike I was on. Fortunately, the wet conditions meant the sand didn't move as much as if dry.
Aside from one area where I needed to go around cars while the runners went between them and a curb, there were no real problem spots, but the slowest participants cause a bit of trouble since all the courses overlap. There was a 5-minute gap between the start of the half and the start of the 5k. A few of the 5kers were still on the course as the leaders of the half came to the turnaround. At that point, the half-marathoners were well past the 6-mile point...closer to 6¾. We take pride in being inclusive, but the slowness of some poses interference for the leaders of the half.
Similarly, the finish is near the turnaround, so the 2hr+ gang was still on the roads heavily when the leaders were making their way to the finish. I never cease to be amazed at the number of runners with headphones on, and by shutting out the world around them pose a risk to themselves and those around them. I'm becoming more convinced that races must enforce the no phones rule. All this said, the races came off pretty well, and in light of the rain, the fact that entries were on track and participation was only slightly down should be considered a success.
I always get pumped up by the wheelchair racers. On Sunday, each race had just one, so each was assured a win, but each put in a fairly hard effort. I watched the 5K competitor make a tight turnaround by flinging her inside arm up several times as she cranked the outer wheel. It was an interesting display of practical physics. Watching wheelers always gets me jazzed. There's something about getting out there with a body that only partially works and getting it done that really inspires me.
Aside from one area where I needed to go around cars while the runners went between them and a curb, there were no real problem spots, but the slowest participants cause a bit of trouble since all the courses overlap. There was a 5-minute gap between the start of the half and the start of the 5k. A few of the 5kers were still on the course as the leaders of the half came to the turnaround. At that point, the half-marathoners were well past the 6-mile point...closer to 6¾. We take pride in being inclusive, but the slowness of some poses interference for the leaders of the half.
Similarly, the finish is near the turnaround, so the 2hr+ gang was still on the roads heavily when the leaders were making their way to the finish. I never cease to be amazed at the number of runners with headphones on, and by shutting out the world around them pose a risk to themselves and those around them. I'm becoming more convinced that races must enforce the no phones rule. All this said, the races came off pretty well, and in light of the rain, the fact that entries were on track and participation was only slightly down should be considered a success.
I always get pumped up by the wheelchair racers. On Sunday, each race had just one, so each was assured a win, but each put in a fairly hard effort. I watched the 5K competitor make a tight turnaround by flinging her inside arm up several times as she cranked the outer wheel. It was an interesting display of practical physics. Watching wheelers always gets me jazzed. There's something about getting out there with a body that only partially works and getting it done that really inspires me.
posted by Scooter at 10:27 PM
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