Return to the scene of the crime

The inaugural running of the Georgetown 8K was run on May 31. As you can guess from the name of the race, it started and finished in Georgetown. However, the race itself was run on the C&O Canal...yes the very same trail where I fell and broke my foot last October. My really, REALLY bad times can all be traced back to that race. So, I was already nervous about running on this path. But to make matters worse, we had a big thunderstorm come through just a couple of hours before the race, making the course just a wee bit slippery. It was also hot and humid so we didnt have the best race conditions.

What made the race worthwhile was a visit from two friends from DE, Lauren and Mike Digennaro. Lauren and Mike are 2 of the fastest runners in DE and Mike is a nationally ranked runner in the Steeplechase. They have both run 1 marathon each...and they both won them!

Not surprisingly, Mike was the first runner by me that I knew well. He was running in fourth, behind two local Kenyan standouts and also prolific marathoner Mike Wardian. Mike seemed very relaxed and he said hi as he ran by so I knew he wasn't pushing himself to the max.

Lauren was next up. I shouted out to her that she was the 9th woman. She was running in a group with 50+er Bill Stahr. A short while later Jon Palks came by and he gave me a little wave when I cheered him on.

Watching them go by took some of the pain off of my mind but after they passed I was left alone with my thoughts. I ran by where I fell in October just before the turnaround so I actually got to relive it twice! I tried to keep a woman who I later learned was Sara Howard. We kept taking walk breaks and passing one another as one ran while the other walked. She had a friend come back and run in with her over the last mile and that was enough encouragement for her to pass me once and for all. She finished in 1:03:42 (clock time) compared to my clock time of 1:04:40. I did do a little bit better against her if you look at chip times (1:03:06 vs my 1:03:55). Yes, that's right - my 8K time is now worse than some of my average 10K times. Gosh I'm having a bad year!

After the race I ran into Dane Rauschenberg after the race. I was surprised to see him since he moved to Utah not too long ago. He told me he had come in to help Jay Wind with the race. I was also disappointed to learn that his new job in Utah did not work out. It doesn't sound like he's in a rush to move back East though and he said he wants to move someplace new. In the meantime, he is doing motivational speeches around the country where he talks about his adventures from a couple of years ago when he ran a marathon every week for an entire year. Makes me tired just thinking about it!

While talking to Dane, a girl that I passed on my return leg walked in with help. She apparently suffered from heat exhaustion. I told you it was tough out there.

Here are the notable finishers of the race:

Abiyot Abebe (winner) 24:25
Michael Wardian (3rd) 24:48
Mike Digennaro (4th) 25:30
Hirut Mandefro (female winner) 27:46
Bill Stahr 33:06
Lauren Digennaro (8th female) 33:18
Betty Blank 34:45
Karen Young 37:22
Jon Palks 40:44
Barry Goldmeier (the joggler) 55:03

There were 356 finishers. I came in 352nd.

Finally, one of my physical therapists approached me immediately after the race. I was taking of my chip and feeling totally exhausted. I can't find her in the standings so I can't give her a shout out but she said she did OK. We had spoken before during my shoulder therapy about her running and that she lived in Georgetown. I shouldn't have bbeen surprised to see her.


The race started a little late since late registration had to be moved to the nearby running store because of the rain. That gave me a few minutes to talk to Mike and Lauren before the race. Lauren told me she had no goals for the race...she had cut back on her running.

When we finally started, I knew it would be a long day. I had no confidence after my last race and with the conditions I felt it best to just take it easy and survive the race. What I most enjoyed was cheering on my friends, which was easy to do since it was an out and back course.