On April 4th Heather and I went up to Concord, NH for the SEA 5k Road Race. The second race in the CARS series. This course is very flat and fast, the only thing slowing this course is the abundance of sharp turns along the course. It was also getting pretty warm out, something we haven't adjusted to yet. A very different experience from last weeks cold and challenging race experience at Gilmanton. Being that this was the 2nd race of the CARS series there were lots of familiar faces and I knew most of those who would be in contention. In addition to the usual crowd the Concord High XC team showed up. They always have a few Kenyans on the team....not sure how that works but I knew there may be a few of them up a the front of this race. Mackenzie Kilpatrick was also there and he leads the CARS series after the first race, followed my myself in second and then Taylor Annett in 3rd and Tim Cox in 4th. The goal today would be to try to stay with Mackenzie and minimize the damage. He is in good shape and I came into the series sick and not in top form, so at this point I am trying to stay close to him and then try to get some time back in the later races this season. Just to note, Mackenzie beat me pretty good last week, getting me by 31 seconds. After Heather and I went out for a warm up around the course it was time to line up for the start.
Right off the start Taylor Annett shot to the lead and pulled away at what looked like a suicidal pace. Of course the entire Concord High XC team also shot out quick, as young runners always do. So there was a pack led by Mackenzie, myself, and five or six Concord high kids (including 3 Kenyans), and numorus others right behind us including Tim Van Orden and Tim Cox. We were all following Taylor who had put a bit of a lead on us. Nobdy really seemed concerned about it, and neitehr was I. I knew he would come back to us pretty quickly. Not too long into the race a chase pack had established itself with Mackenzie, myself, and two of the Kenyan high schoolers. Just before the one mile mark we caught Taylor and went through the mile in 5:00 flat. The next mile has some very tight turns including a box shape around a parking area. The 90 degree turns made things interesting as we kept bunching up pretty good resulting in some contact and maybe a couple elbows around one corner. Taylor was hanging in with us but soon after the tight corners he was out the back of the pack. Not long before the 2 mile mark Mackenzie, Steven Ndisabiye (one of the Kenyan high schoolers), and myself broke away from everyone else and were making our way back towards the finish. We hit the 2 mile mark with a 5:16 mile. I was still feeling pretty solid at this point and happy with how the race was going. But I was also getting concerned with the finish. I knew if it came down to a sprint I was dead against both these guys. So I really started pushing the pace and trying to break Mackenzie and Steven, but I was not having much luck. Both these guys were very strong and it became evident this one was going to come down to a sprint. It was also around this point that I heard Dave Dunham cheering on Tim Van Orden who was not that far behind us at all. Just before the three mile mark Steven made a push and got a small gap on me and Mackenzie. I tried to go, but the legs weren't having it. Mackenzie also made a move and I said "Go get him" as he went by. I hit 3 miles with a 5:07 mile split and was doing my best to push to the finish line. But third place in 15:55 was all that was in the cards for me today. Mackenzie ended up catching and passing Steven. Mackenzie finished in 15:48, Steven in 15:53, I just could not get him in the end. Tim Van Orden was 4th in 16:12. Taylor, the early leader finished a distant 10th in 16:46.
Overall I was pretty happy with how the race went. I was 2 seconds faster than I was last year at this race and got $25 for my efforts. I also felt really solid the whole race and really got a chance to race some good runners. I just need to get to the track and get in some workouts so I can close out my races a bit better. Heather also ran a very nice race finishing in 1st place ($100) in 18:56, her little sister Emily finished in 2nd place ($75) in 19:52. Heather leads the CARS Series after 2 races, with Emily in second place.
Right off the start Taylor Annett shot to the lead and pulled away at what looked like a suicidal pace. Of course the entire Concord High XC team also shot out quick, as young runners always do. So there was a pack led by Mackenzie, myself, and five or six Concord high kids (including 3 Kenyans), and numorus others right behind us including Tim Van Orden and Tim Cox. We were all following Taylor who had put a bit of a lead on us. Nobdy really seemed concerned about it, and neitehr was I. I knew he would come back to us pretty quickly. Not too long into the race a chase pack had established itself with Mackenzie, myself, and two of the Kenyan high schoolers. Just before the one mile mark we caught Taylor and went through the mile in 5:00 flat. The next mile has some very tight turns including a box shape around a parking area. The 90 degree turns made things interesting as we kept bunching up pretty good resulting in some contact and maybe a couple elbows around one corner. Taylor was hanging in with us but soon after the tight corners he was out the back of the pack. Not long before the 2 mile mark Mackenzie, Steven Ndisabiye (one of the Kenyan high schoolers), and myself broke away from everyone else and were making our way back towards the finish. We hit the 2 mile mark with a 5:16 mile. I was still feeling pretty solid at this point and happy with how the race was going. But I was also getting concerned with the finish. I knew if it came down to a sprint I was dead against both these guys. So I really started pushing the pace and trying to break Mackenzie and Steven, but I was not having much luck. Both these guys were very strong and it became evident this one was going to come down to a sprint. It was also around this point that I heard Dave Dunham cheering on Tim Van Orden who was not that far behind us at all. Just before the three mile mark Steven made a push and got a small gap on me and Mackenzie. I tried to go, but the legs weren't having it. Mackenzie also made a move and I said "Go get him" as he went by. I hit 3 miles with a 5:07 mile split and was doing my best to push to the finish line. But third place in 15:55 was all that was in the cards for me today. Mackenzie ended up catching and passing Steven. Mackenzie finished in 15:48, Steven in 15:53, I just could not get him in the end. Tim Van Orden was 4th in 16:12. Taylor, the early leader finished a distant 10th in 16:46.
Overall I was pretty happy with how the race went. I was 2 seconds faster than I was last year at this race and got $25 for my efforts. I also felt really solid the whole race and really got a chance to race some good runners. I just need to get to the track and get in some workouts so I can close out my races a bit better. Heather also ran a very nice race finishing in 1st place ($100) in 18:56, her little sister Emily finished in 2nd place ($75) in 19:52. Heather leads the CARS Series after 2 races, with Emily in second place.
SEA Results
After 2 races the CARS Standings look like this: (Average Points)
1) MacKenzie Kilpatrick 1000
2) Chris Mahoney 980.5
3) Tim Cox 953.5
4) Taylor Annett 951
5) Rod Viens 949.5
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