Anytime Fitness 5K 2011- Full Race Report

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 This past Saturday at the Ashland Dog park was the 2nd annual Anytime Fitness 5K. I wasn't sure if this event would happen this year because I had been suffering all spring with health problems related to a road bike crash. Would I feel well enough the handle the responsibilities of directing a race?   I began to feel better and grow stronger as we entered the summer and I decided I was up for the task. Even though there wasn't much time for us to promote the race due to some snags in the approval process, we ended up having 8 more participants then the year before. I was very happy with the turnout under those circumstances. It was another beautiful day like the year before, but the morning was much warmer and I knew it would heat up fast. Next year, I will plan on having it a half hour earlier when the air is still cool.

The battle is on between Jon Theiring and Tyrone Raber!

Suzanne Ray finishes strong!

The defending male and female champions were unable to make it and I was excited to see who would emerge as our new champions. It was also fun to see some new faces who were ready to start the day off with some good exercise. I tried to encourage athletes of all levels to come out which evolved into a nice mix of runners and walkers. As 8:30am approached, I knew that I would need to get the race going before things got too hot. Luckily, there were no clock issues this year and after some quick instructions, the racers were on their way. After 19 minutes of anticipation, the first runners appeared and it was a battle between Jon Theiring and Tyrone Raber. Side by side they climbed up the small hill back to the Dog park and I nervously waited for one of them to take control of the race, knowing that I couldn't split the trophy in half. In the final straight away to the the finish line, Tyrone pulled ahead and took the win. I was impressed with both Men's efforts. A little over a minute later, the Women's champion appeared, it was Suzanne Ray. She was 3rd overall with a very strong run and that's always what I expect from Suzanne after seeing her race many times. The rest of the field began to steadily finish which was a good thing as the temperature continued to rise. 

The nice thing about a small race like this, is that we send everyone home with some kind of award or prize. This year, the raffle was even bigger then the year before and many great prizes were handed out. There are so many people to thank for making this event possible, if you want to know more, you can read my last post here. It was definitely a fun day and I hope we can do it again next year. You can find the results here and  race pics can be found here and here!

Overall Male Champion 2011, Tyrone Raber

Overall Female Champion 2011, Suzanne Ray