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Race Result

Racer: Steve Smith
Race: Mt Penn Mudfest
Date: Saturday, March 26, 2005
Location: Reading, PA
Race Type: Run - Other
Age Group: Male 35 - 39
Time: 1:07:01
Overall Place: 9
Comment: A classic race



Race Report:



This is one of my annual traditions; always held on the Saturday before Easter I make the journey up to Reading to meet friends & do this well-produced, laid-back, challenging run. I've been alternating hard & easy years and this year was to be a race.

Unfortunately, I didn't do much racing ... I started off with the lead pack and quickly find myself on the wrong end of my HRM. The speed didn't seem too fast for me, but my HR was jacked; I was simply not ready for intensity work of this duration. So, as hard as it was ('cause I think there was another multisport guy in the lead pack) I let the front pack of 6 guys go.

After letting the lead guys go, I settled into a very hard tempo run--not quite race pace, but definitely not a training effort. It was kinda neat to spend most of the last 6 miles by myself.

After making it to the top of the biggest & last climb, I considered stopping and taking the beer offered to me. Or perhaps a margarita? Surely I would be the first guy to sit down and throw back some tequila ... I could be first in something for the day! But no, I trundled along ... only to have someone nipping at my heels soon after. The sound of feet shuffling behind me was good incentive to try race pace again, and I sped up a bit. The shuffling sounds would fall back until I hit a small grade and they'd gradually come back. I would push again. Fade. Grade. Shuffling sounds.

We got into the last 100m of trail, where the trail makes two or three hairpin turns before opening up into a nicely groomed baseball field. As I hit the last turn, I slipped & went down; this guy was *right* on my shoulder. Somehow I snapped up immediately, before he realized that I'd even gone down. Once onto the field I hit the gas and put a few seconds between us in the last 40 meters.

Good thing I didn't hang with the lead guys, each of the top three guys had blood oozing out of their lower limbs ... not sure what happened there, but I'd like to know next year.