Grandin Court Baptist Church Road & Trail Challenge 10k

This past Saturday I headed to the tenth edition of the Grandin Court Baptist Road and Trail Challenge. I actually ran this event in its first year and held the course record for several years, so it was pretty cool to come back for the tenth anniversary. This year they decided to add a 10k to mark the anniversary, and after considerable debate the morning of the race, I decided to compete in that rather than the 5k.

Debating which race to enter wasn’t my first dilemma surrounding this event. I actually wasn’t sure whether or not to race at all due to my hamstrings, particularly the left, being less than cooperative for quite a while now. In fact, after a fairly hard workout on Wednesday, Thursday’s run had been a struggle and just about caused me to pull the plug. However, I felt better on Friday, and with my upcoming schedule being up in the air, I decided to give it a shot.

This race is a combination of roads and trails and isn’t what I would describe as easy. After a downhill start, the rest of the course is rolling, and the trail section is mostly single track and includes plenty of rocks, roots, and even a couple sharp turns. With several inches of rain having fallen over the first few days of the week and then a downpour taking place the night before the race, the trails were a slick, muddy mess. Add to that the fact that trails are definitely not my forte, and I knew this wouldn’t be a fast, or easy, race, especially for 10k worth of running.

The 10k consisted of two laps of the 5k course, and the races started together. I knew the best strategy for me was to run the road sections pretty hard so I could hopefully take it a little easier on the trails, so when the race started I went to the front and pressed the pace. Half a mile in I was running 5:10 pace according to my Garmin, which is obviously much too quick for a tough 10k when your fitness level is what mine is right now, but I knew it was mostly downhill and the effort was more like 5:30. After a primarily uphill second half of the first mile, I split right at 5:30 and was clear of the field, both 5k and 10k. I made it to the trail section with a good gap on everyone and immediately went into “stay on your feet” mode. I tried to maintain a semi-fast pace, but my primary objective was to not wipe out. Fortunately my Brooks Launch handled the slick terrain without any major issues, and a mile or so later, I exited the trails onto a steep, uphill road section. A third of a mile or so later I had completed lap one.

At that point I could tell I was on my own, so I just settled in and tried to maintain a good hard effort leading up to the second time through the trail section. That repeat trip on the trails was slower than the first time through for a couple reasons. First, I admit that I was starting to feel the effort of the race. The course wasn’t easy, and even though I wasn’t going all out by any means, I had done some work. Additionally, at this point in the race I started to catch the tail end of the 5k field. I tried to let people know I was coming and where I was, but it was still difficult to get through everyone on single track. At times I had to slow to a walk and at one point I actually had to jump into the woods to get around a pack of folks. To say the least, I was very happy to get off the trails and know the race was almost over. I crossed the line in 37:19 and was actually a little surprised it was that fast. I know that’s not a fast time by any means, but based on how slow the trail section was, I figured I’d be slower. Results for the 10k are here and 5k results are here.

Anyway, it was a good event, and while I’m just not a trail runner (I made the comment after that trails would be fine if they’d just put a little asphalt or mondo on them), it was fun for a change. I’ll conclude by saying that this was my 150th overall race win. I say that not to brag, but actually quite the opposite. It makes me realize how blessed I am to have been able to compete at a fairly high level for as long as I have and very thankful to all those who have helped and/or supported me along the way, particularly my loving wife. I’ve made a ton of friends and memories through this sport and look forward to continuing to pursue it for many years to come. Onward!