LONG DISTANCE 2007, Race #12
1st Annual Harborfest 10k
Sunday, June 24, 2007
2007 Harborfest 10k results
1st Annual Harborfest 10k
Sunday, June 24, 2007
2007 Harborfest 10k results
A PR average pace of 10 min per mile! I haven't run a pace that fast since 1999!
What a great course! The Harborfest 10k starts at Ontario Beach Park and runs south along the recently completed Genesee Riverway to Turning Point Park and back. Along the way it runs past the Charlotte lighthouse, under the relatively new O'Rorke Memorial Bridge, along a lengthy boardwalk that traverses the edge of the river gorge through the marshy area of the Turning Point basin, and up into the woods above the Turning Point Basin. Ann and I had been to Ontario Beach Park a couple of times (and found it rather crowded, but that's true of most beaches in the summer!) and the one time we visited Turning Point Park it wasn't terribly impressive. All I can say is, a lot has been done since then and this is now a phenomenal area to walk, run, or ride, and an incredible site for a race!
Met up with Jim and Loretta before the race... Jim's getting to be an old hand at this racing thing, but this would be Loretta's first one. Chatted a bit, then gathered near the start and tried to hear what the RD was saying (no luck!) and then it was time to run!
The first part of the course took us along some roads through the parking areas, past the lighthouse, and under the bridge. Nothing too remarkable there, other than my running the first mile in 10:15 and not feeling like I was going to collapse. After that we had a gradual climb along the paved Riverway path, which was a little bit tougher, though not so bad in comparison to some of the hills I've run in the last week! But then we went down the other side of that hill to the river, and the best part of the course - a 0.75 mile boardwalk through the marsh of the Turning Point basin!
While I was running over the water, I saw ducks, swans, and turtles - how cool is that? I also saw the front runners, who were on their way back toward the finish. At the end of the boardwalk, there was a short, steep hill that I walked up, and then a fairly level stretch past the Turning Point Park parking area, under some pipes that are used to pump dry cement from boats down in the river to storage tanks up on the bluffs, and out to trail with making a much more gradual downhill to water level. That felt pretty good - I was actually able to pick up the pace a bit! Made my way back to the boardwalk, and again had a blast running over the water and marsh - even spotted a couple of turtles floating in the weeds next to the walkway.
What a great course! The Harborfest 10k starts at Ontario Beach Park and runs south along the recently completed Genesee Riverway to Turning Point Park and back. Along the way it runs past the Charlotte lighthouse, under the relatively new O'Rorke Memorial Bridge, along a lengthy boardwalk that traverses the edge of the river gorge through the marshy area of the Turning Point basin, and up into the woods above the Turning Point Basin. Ann and I had been to Ontario Beach Park a couple of times (and found it rather crowded, but that's true of most beaches in the summer!) and the one time we visited Turning Point Park it wasn't terribly impressive. All I can say is, a lot has been done since then and this is now a phenomenal area to walk, run, or ride, and an incredible site for a race!
Met up with Jim and Loretta before the race... Jim's getting to be an old hand at this racing thing, but this would be Loretta's first one. Chatted a bit, then gathered near the start and tried to hear what the RD was saying (no luck!) and then it was time to run!
The first part of the course took us along some roads through the parking areas, past the lighthouse, and under the bridge. Nothing too remarkable there, other than my running the first mile in 10:15 and not feeling like I was going to collapse. After that we had a gradual climb along the paved Riverway path, which was a little bit tougher, though not so bad in comparison to some of the hills I've run in the last week! But then we went down the other side of that hill to the river, and the best part of the course - a 0.75 mile boardwalk through the marsh of the Turning Point basin!
While I was running over the water, I saw ducks, swans, and turtles - how cool is that? I also saw the front runners, who were on their way back toward the finish. At the end of the boardwalk, there was a short, steep hill that I walked up, and then a fairly level stretch past the Turning Point Park parking area, under some pipes that are used to pump dry cement from boats down in the river to storage tanks up on the bluffs, and out to trail with making a much more gradual downhill to water level. That felt pretty good - I was actually able to pick up the pace a bit! Made my way back to the boardwalk, and again had a blast running over the water and marsh - even spotted a couple of turtles floating in the weeds next to the walkway.
Of course, at the end of the boardwalk was another climb, and the 4 mile mark, which I hit at just about 41 minutes... still averaging 10:15 miles. At the top of the hill I tried picking up the pace a bit more, aided by the fact that it was mostly downhill, and managed to reach the 5 mile mark at a little over 51 minutes - which told me I had the possibility of setting a PR pace, if I really pushed the last 1.2 miles. So I pushed as hard as I could, and hit the final loop around the edge of Ontario Beach Park and out onto the boardwalk along the beach wondering if I was going to be able to keep it up to the end, or explode somewhere before the finish. It helped that I could see the finish down on the sand, and passing Ann who took my picture also helped.
What didn't help was when I reached the point where I thought I would be heading down onto the sand and instead was told I had to run around the Community Center building to get to the sand - that left me in serious doubt if I could keep going to the end! But I made it to the sand barely able to breathe and heard Jim and Loretta cheering me on as I "sprinted" across the sand (all my trail running came in handy there!) and crossed the finish at exactly 62 minutes, for an average pace of 10 min per mile!
photo courtesy of Greater Rochester Track Club
Then I staggered around for a while looking for shade, liquids, and food. Chatted with Jim and Loretta, who had done quite well (53:26 and 53:59) and not only had a good time, but also had the same "Oh, crap!" reaction when they found out they had to run around the Community Center to reach the beach. Then it was time to change into dry clothes and enjoy the rest of the morning at the park with Ann.
Needless to say, I'm glad I ran this, even through it was at the end of a strenuous 8 days of races... the course is incredibly cool, and even though I was pretty tired from a long week with not nearly enough sleep, I ran well and had a good time. I suspect this is one I'll be looking forward to running next year!
Next up: tough to say... probably either the Indian Ladder 15k Trail Race up at Thacher Park or the Forest Frolic 15k Trail Race out in the Virgil State Forest... don't know which for sure yet. I'm deliberately taking a break from races for most of July, both to give me time to recover from the last two months and to give me time to train for some distance again.
JMH
2007 EVENT TOTALS
Running 130.4 mi, 31 hr 15 min
Cycling 26.2 mi, 1 hr 55 min
Snowshoe 31.3 mi, 9 hr 11 min
states visited: CT, MA, ME, NH, NY, VT
