Glen Iris 5K

Last Saturday, an hour and a half out of Rochester, the mercenaries convened in Letchworth State Park near the waterfalls and ravines of what is called the Grand Canyon of the East. It's an embarrassing title, "Grand Canyon of the East," because of course it doesn't live up to expectations, but it is beautiful in its own right.

The race competition more than lived up to expectations. Last year's winning time was 15:50. That earned the winner $500; quite a purse for that speed. The Glen Iris 5K did not fly under the radar this year and the speed demons came out of the woodwork.

I was supposed to travel down with Eric Boyce, but his asthma was acting up. I should have carpooled with Steve Rosinski or Ryan Pauling. Instead I almost, but not quite, missed another race through my very poor navigation skills. I didn't get lost. I just ignored the hour portion of the Googlemaps estimated travel time. That's right. It takes thirty minutes and an hour to get to the race. I planned on showing up an hour early, so I arrived about five minutes early.

A bolt to the starting line is my warm up. If nothing else, my heart is pounding. As I approach, who do I see but Aaron Dallas Rowe, who I competed with for the Columbus Running Company when I lived in Ohio. Rather than a five hour drive from Ohio, Rowe drove up the shorter distance from Edinboro, PA. He is glad to see me, sort of. Pauling bluntly tells me that he was hoping I wouldn't make it.

Without time to even pass around all the introductions the starter makes his calls and unleashes us into the cool gray mist. The race unfolds very simply.

Rowe blasts into the lead. He hammers a hard pace early. I roll up on his shoulder, using the scattered shallow down-hills in the first mile to keep pace. Every other runner fades beyond afterthought as we immediately pull away. The first mile is read out as 4:35. I believe it at the time. We are moving damn fast.

Rowe is unrelenting. He has a powerful stride. I ease just a little up one of the rolling hills and he is suddenly a very big five meters ahead of me. He looks so strong that I don't settle. I push with extra energy, but not too much, to close the gap. I succeed at sustaining the status quo.

The total time at the second mile is 9:33, which makes sense, but calls into question the first mile, because I don't think we slowed.

In the final mile, thoughts of accepting second place must be staked like vampires. There is a steep little down-hill before a sharp right hand turn. I pour myself down the hill and catch up to Rowe. I begin to edge past. He is holding back nothing. I'm bolstered by the fact that I've got the win if I just hold on to the pace.

At full speed I squeeze five seconds into the gap between us to cross the line in 14:49.

Mark Andrews, another harrier I haven't seen in almost six months, pulled away from Pauling for third. Rosinski finished sixth overall, second in the 20-29 age group in 16:14. He is training for triathalons.

Melissa White of Hansons won the women's race over a minute faster than the previous year's time.

Pauling, Rosinski, and I ran a cooldown that didn't quite make up for my lack of warm up, but they did show me the sights, which I might not have otherwise realized were so near. After that I caught up with Rowe over some delicious boxed lunches. There is no sarcasm there. These were seriously good boxed lunches.

Rowe is now an assistant coach at Edinboro U.

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