Complaints from the Back of the Pack: A Race Report

Yesterday's race was both rewarding and incredibly insulting.  I'm not exactly sure what to write about either feeling.

I arrived at the fairgrounds for the Michiana Relief Sale 5K about an hour before start time.  I checked in, made some small talk with the other runners.  Sipped on my water.  Agreed that yes it was chilly but it was going to be a good run.  Then someone asked where I was going to be stationed.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"Aren't you volunteering for the race?" he said.

"No.  I'm running."

The slightest pause passed, just enough to notice.

"Good for you!"

This happened three times.  And it really pissed me off.  Each time the person got a silly smile on their face, like they wanted to pat my head and buy me a pony.  Yes, I'm a fat guy that's gonna run.  How about "What's your goal?" or "Hey, great!  Good luck in the race!" or "Been running long?" or any of the other banter I heard all around me?

But it wasn't going to spoil my run.

As the fates would have it, a treasured friend from high school happened to be in town and attended the race.  My friend is, I believe, 6'5" and as lanky as a cat.  In fact, back in the day, we were known as Calvin and Hobbes.  But that's another story.  Hobbes found me and we immediately fell into the familiarity of old friends.  We agreed that he need not stay with me through the race, but he did want to come back and find me after he had finished.  He wanted to pace me as I finished up.

There was a lot of people there I knew.  It's a small town and the relief sale is put on by my denominational church, so there was even a greater chance of meeting someone I knew, or was related to.  It was great to see old friends besides Hobbes, but I will admit about being nervous about running with, and embarrassing myself in front of so many I knew.

We lined up and started off after the 2K walkers left the track.  The route took us around the half mile horse track twice, then out into the parking area, back into the fair grounds and then back to the track for the last half mile.  I got lapped by the leader just shy of the first half mile.  No problem.  I knew that was going to happen.  I knew I was going to be at the back of this pack.  As I was finishing my first lap, the timer was calling out pace times and I remembered that the organizer said that he'd be doing this.  Half mile in 7 minutes.  Not great, but about my average.

By the second time around, the timer wasn't calling out the pace.  He was off to the side drinking coffee.  That pissed me off too.  I may be slow, but I deserve the respect that was afforded the faster runners too.  It wasn't as if I was in last place.  I had 5 runners behind me.  Nor was it as if I hadn't finished in the 1 hour allotted to the race time.  This happened throughout the race.  Volunteers that were posted to guide runners through the fairgrounds left their post by the time I came through.  That pisses me off.

Still, it really was a good run insofar as the pace was good and hard.  I was about a mile from the finish when Hobbes joined up with me.  We chatted a bit, though my pace was a little higher than would allow a comfortable conversation.  This was, after all, a race.  He kept me going, encouraging me, asking how I trained and what else I was doing this summer.  And we talked about his training for a half marathon he was running in a month.  I really enjoyed that last mile.

His longer stride did push up my pace a bit, but it wasn't anything I couldn't handle.  And before I knew it, there was the chute.  I did kick it for the last 100 yards or so even though there wasn't anyone to race ahead of.  Crossed the line at 40m47s.  It was nearly a minute and a half off my race last weekend.  I was really pleased.

But I was disappointed that other runners had already walked off.  Some had already picked up their prizes and were walking around the sale.  Now, I'm not being a whinny ass here.  The other runners don't owe me anything and I certainly didn't expect everyone to stick around at the finish line for the back of the pack.  But there was no one.  Except Hobbes.  Where was the congeniality of runners that I've been reading about?

So, what a mix of emotions.  A good hard run.  Great time spent with an old friend.  A marked improvement in my pace and time.  Didn't come in dead last.  And yet, I experienced condescension, apathy and downright been ignored.

After posting this, I am letting it go.  I met my goals and I will be there next year.