Get the Lead Out 5K Results

As I drove the ninety minute trek toward Ambler, I noticed my in dash outside temperature gauge was reading 29 degrees.  In preparing for this race earlier in the week,  I had laid out a T-Shirt and shorts for race day. I now was wearing three T-shirts, a beanie,  and long compression pants. I forgot my gloves, which I have found I need to wear in sub 40 degreee temperature weather.

The Wissahickon high school was very easy to find with the aid of our  Garmin 750 nuvi  automotive GPS. The race registration headquarters was located within the building inside the stadium  used for vending refreshments. I ad arrived about an hour early so I retrieved my race goodie bag and retreated to the warmth of my vehicle.

The racing bibs for this race were unique as they did not have the customary tear-off tab at the base of the bib. The bibs contained a second layer.  This layer contained a sheet of yellow paper with thin wire around the perimeter, all enveloped in clear plastic. I later learned you were to run through a rectangular shaped archway made from metal piping at the finish to automatically record your finishing time.

I decided to begin warming up at 8:35 am..  I ran several laps around the track.  Generally I felt good and ready to run.  I then made my way to the race starting line which was only about fifty yards outside the stadium.  I was able to start the race within the first couple of rows of runners.  The race was held up for a couple of minutes for one runner who could not get his race bib on and needed assistance.   The starter counted down from five to begin the race and had a starter's gun which malfunctioned at the command to begin the race.  Some of the starter's guns are deafening if you are too near.

 There were two races being run simultaneously, a five kilometer and a ten kilometer race. The 5K runners were instructed to take the first left hand turn while the 10K runners were to use the second left hand turn.

I typically do not remember much of a course after I run them but this course was relatively flat and fair.  It is going to be tough to find a  race that has no hills in this area. There were stretches of loose gravel, but on the whole I liked the course.

I finished 15th out of 213 runners for this race, good enough to garnish a first place in the men's 40-49 age group..  My time was 22:58, barely eclipsing the twenty three minute mark I had set as a goal for this race.