RTU and I timed this race from 2012 to 2019. Like most races, organizers canceled the 2020 version due to COVID restrictions.
Reedville is a small community in the eastern end of the Northern Neck. Initially a fishing community, many people have second homes to take advantage of Chesapeake Bay access. From an aerial view of Reedville’s Main Street, most homes back to water and include a boat dock.
Boats to Tangier Island take daily trips from Reedville.
Today was the 19th edition of the race that supports the Reedville Fisherman Museum. The museum holds the race on the closest Saturday to the fourth of July. Reedville usually has its race, parade, and fireworks on this closest Saturday.
This schedule helps them with the cost of the fireworks. There is a much higher price on July 4 rather than July 3. If July 4 is a Saturday, they will hold the race that day and the fireworks on July 5.
With the 8 am start time, I was up at 3:30 am and left at 4:30, 15 minutes earlier than planned. Going east on route 3, I could see the new day’s light starting to peek over the Potomac.
The projected two-hour drive only took an hour and 45 minutes. So, I was early, arriving at 6:15 am.
There was no parking on Main Street, and water saturated the field where they usually parked cars. Being early, I found a small lot behind Festival Halle. I napped a while and was in the building when packet pickup opened at 6:45 am.
There was no course map online, and an email request for a map did not get a response. I remembered the basics of the maps I had seen in the past and knew the course was not certified. One thing for sure, the route was beach town flat.
I picked up my bib number and saw a map. No paper maps were available. It is a simple course, and I drew a map to use for my warmup.
I started my warmup at 7 am, running the entire course taking a one-minute walking break every 8 minutes.
There was a large puddle immediately after the start, and the same pool had to be crossed just before the finish.
There were not many turns to memorize or tangents and diagonals of concern. The pavement was rough, and the most significant hill went up 2 feet.
After the initial 5 km, I ran another 14 minutes and arrived at the start line with about 4 minutes to spare.
I was the only one there in stars and stripes shorts. My pair are nearing 20 years, and I was concerned during warmup that the elastic might wear out and break. Maybe I’ll need to get a new pair for 2022. My white FARC singlet with blue lettering and red bandana completed my color-coordinated outfit.
For a small town, there was a field of 358 runners. I lined up about 30 feet off the start line with about 75 people in front of me.
The rain on Friday left large puddles on the course and pushed all the humidity out of the area. The skies were clear with a temp at the start of 69 degrees and a 58-degree dew point. The weather was great for a summer race. We have timed this race where the dew point was in the high 70s.
It took me 7 seconds to cross the line after the gun, and I was able to jump the gutter puddle. The large crowd covered most of Main Street, and I had to do a little weaving in the first mile. We turned back on Main Street at about 3/4 miles and the entire field crossed to the left side of the road. Main Street takes a dogleg right. I did not go as far left as the rest of the field. But, I still stay to the left of the centerline. I arrived at the first-mile marker in 8:29.
Continuing south on Main Street, the field moved over to the right side of the road as runners were returning north. I spotted only one runner older than 60 on their return run. I ran past the water station, and just before the 2-mile marker, a gray-haired gentleman passed me with his number on his back. I knew I had to hang near this guy, and my second mile was 8:26.
In the third mile, I started to run minor surges to the next person in front of me, rest, and repeat. I kept the old guy in sight and finally caught him around mile marker 3.
My third mile was an 8:29. Beach flat courses with little wind and few turns help in running even splits.
I pushed the last .10686 miles in 43 seconds, passed the old guy, and tried to build the most enormous gap possible. My finish time was 26:09m which is in line with my current 5 km times. The old guy started behind me and finished behind me. However, his net time was 25:45. He, too, is 64 years old.
I slowly ran for 16 more minutes to push the lactic acid out in preparation for tomorrow’s 5-mile race.
Even splits equal a well-run race, no matter the finish time. I finished 66th overall, 50th male, and 3rd in the 60 to 69-year-old age group.
There was a multitude of last-minute registrations, and Arsenal had a few issues to resolve. The awards ceremony did not start until 9:30 am. I was getting a little chilly and had put on a long sleeve shirt and sweatpants by then. Thank you to whoever provided this great summer running weather.