Trying to find a Race for June 2010

I am looking for a race to run in June after I complete the Millersville Mile next weekend.  There are several to choose among.

On Saturday June 5th, there are two local races.  One is in Hershey and the other in Harrisburg. I ran the Balloon Chaser 5K last year at the Hershey Medical Center.  The course is about one quarter uphill and another quarter down the same hill.  In other words, half the course is going up and down a steep hill. Commuting costs are minimal and the race entry fee is only $10, sans a T-shirt.  I believe there were over 250 runners for this event last year.

The 7th annual DUI Victims Memorial 10K run is run in Front Street in Harrisburg.   This is a smaller race with about 120 runners.. http://www.padui.org/special_events.htm   A ten kilometer race is typically more competitive because there is not a large base of newbie runners trying to run ten kilometers or 6.2 miles for the first time.  The 10K Run for the Cookies race in ran in February was the most competitive race I have run this year.

After reviewing the race results for the 2009 DUI Victims Memorial 10K run, it was evident this is a very competitive run. Over two-thirds of the male runners averaged less than an eight minute per mile pace for the 10K race. Only nine male runners out of the sixty-one in total averaged a pace of nine or more minutes per mile. There are few recreational runners in this race.  My current personal record for a 10K race is a paltry eight minutes and nineteen seconds per mile. (51:45)



I am leaning toward running the ten kilometer race to benchmark where I am now in terms my training for my August Beach to Beacon 10K race.   I would like to average seven minutes and fifty-five seconds per mile if I run the 10K race. (Translates to a 49:15 10K performance.)

There's a saying if you want to be the best you have to beat the best.  In this case I will be racing with the best in this area. In a nutshell, this race will be more of a personal challenge than the Balloon Chaser 5K in Hershey.


There is a new run in my hometown on June 26th.  It's called the Friends 5K and is sponsored by the Friends of Palmyra Area Recreation and Parks Commission.  I believe it is part of Palmyra's 250th anniversary 'Celebration of Pride' campaign this year.