Saturday was a fun day in the lovely city of Menhaga! We started out smiling already in the driveway: ...before waiting a long time for a train that was already gone. Some trick driving my our mom put us right to our race on time. There were definitely a lot fewer runners in the 10K than the 5K. My thought is that the 10K does not get a lot of repeaters due to its rigorous course. Here we are at the start and the competition. Stephanie was quite sure she was going to be the last finisher. I scoped out a few I thought we could beat. As it turned out, I was the "middle" finisher (20 of 39) and Stephanie was a couple ahead of that. The race was fun although adventurous. By mile two we had left the pavement and headed off on a dirt road. A few of our fellow runners almost missed a key turn until we yelled at them to come back. I suspect a couple of runners did miss that turn as the last couple of finishers looked like more experienced runners than their place/time indicated. The only suggestion I would have to improve this race was to use some chalk or spray paint to put additional markings on the course for those who lose sight of the next runner...it happens. As we moved along, the gravel road turned to a grass path and then more woodsy. Just when we thought we might be lost, we spotted a water station in the woods. Stephanie described it as being just like The Amazing Race when the racers encounter a key stop where they get more instructions. We got a smile and a cup of water, just what we needed. The terrain was indeed challenging; mile 4 took us a solid 11 minutes and we were not resting or picking flowers back there! I was glad to get to the gravel and then tar roads for the ease of footing, but it got a little hotter on that stretch. Another cup of water at mile 5 was welcome indeed. St. Urho was a wonderful sight after 10K of adventure. We found our family at the finish area and then a group of sisters who had done the race. I told them we sisters had a running blog and asked if we could take their picture. They were happy to pose for us! There were 6 sisters in their group and they said there "were 7 of us" but I didn't find out why the 7th sister wasn't participating. Their shirts say, "What Happens With the Sisters, Stays With the Sisters!" Stephanie placed 2nd in our age group and I was 3rd so we got medals. Mom and the kids did not place in their age groups, but Mom did knock one minute off her time from Sunnybrook Stomp. Great job!
This race was a great value for the price. The price was $16 and change for online entry including the fees. For an additional $3, I could have upgraded to a tech fabric shirt. The shirts were cute with a reference to the Finnish heritage of the area and St. Urho. The shirts were lime green and said they were "Finn-isher" shirts. We wore them all day! Do this race if you are looking for a different challenge--not quite a mud or obstacle run, but not a standard 10K either. The 5K was a little off-road for some variety, but grass paths, not single file winding trails. Runners in the 10K in particular cannot compare their time to any other 10K, but if we did it again next year, could compare the same course again. I'd definitely try this race again unless I was coming off an injury and then might opt for the 5K instead. Having five from our family running made the day way more fun! Happy running--Missee
1 Comment
Sandie
7/12/2018 07:47:57 pm
It was fun. Thank you all for coming home for the weekend
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AuthorMissee and Stephanie are two Minnesota sisters and moms who love to run. We are not experts in running, parenting or anything else, but we do have years of experiences that may be helpful or entertaining to others. Archives
May 2020
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