What a day for a 5k. On Sunday, April 27, close to 1000 runners gathered at Harrisburg’s City Island for the 3rd annual Running for Rachel 5k. With sunny skies and a temperature near 50 degrees, it couldn’t have been better condition-wise!
With a personal connection to the race having grown up with Rachel – read more about her story here – I was so excited to get this race going. It was also my first 5k in awhile! Having just come back from a knee injury, my speed work left a lot to be desired. But boy, for this race, I was stoked.
Here I am bright and early that morning, dressed and ready to go – sporting my Cocogo Ambassador patch, a tank and compression pants, I was set. Game on.
We arrived to the island around 7:30 (race start was slated for 9:00 am). Picking up my bib was simple and The weather was perfect for running around and warming up before the crowds got too intense. The portapotties were plentiful (if you’re new to racing, you’ll soon understand why this matters) and spirits were high. While the music played, we all anxiously awaited the start.
Around 8:50, I made my way to the starting line. Because this is a race with a large number of walkers, I wanted to be near the front…I had a PR in mind :). The race started and we set off across the river. As far as good times go, this course is perfect – flat, out and back, well-marked, everything a good 5K course should be. The wind wasn’t working in the favor of runners, but it wasn’t terrible either.
My favorite part of this course is the out and back feature. On the way back, I passed by many runners still setting off and encouragement was wonderful. Spectators were also lining the course, adding a little more excitement!
I crossed the finish feeling strong, but, having taken my first mile at 6:48, I’d gone out too fast. Still, It wasn’t terrible. I set a new PR: 22:23 and took 5th female overall, 2nd in my age group (congrats to the women up ahead…this was a FAST race!).
Proud at the finish:
Little man showing off “his” medal:
Put simply, this was a great race for a great cause. If you’re local and looking for an event to start training for, whether it’s your first 5k or your 100th, don’t miss out on this one. Learn more at the site: http://www.runningforrachel.myevent.com/. Looking forward to seeing you all out there next year!
Take Two 
Leave a Reply