This year was the 19th edition of this race held in memory of Baron P. Braswell II (Deuce), who was senselessly murdered on January 20, 2006. His parents, Gwen Martinez and Baron Braswell, have managed this race for all 19 years, with the 2020 race canceled due to COVID.
Without the many volunteers, this race, one of the largest in the area, would not exist.
With the uptick in violent crime, we need to get the message out that issues need to be resolved by means other than violence, bullying, ranting on social media, and disrupting civil protests and meetings. When will we ever learn?
This race was the goal of this summer’s “Are You In?” training program. When I started the program, I could not run a mile without walking. My goal for today was to run the entire 5km without walking.
We had a reasonable day to race with a 64-degree dew point, 68 degrees, and sunny skies.
I arrived at Courtland High School around 7:10 a.m. I was the announcer for the post-race awards ceremony, so I roamed around for a while, reviewing the awards and chatting with the timers to ensure they had the correct reports to give me. On my drive in, I noticed the one-mile and two-mile markers and turnaround cones were in the correct locations. I visited the course a couple of weeks ago and painted marks for these three locations.
A course certification is good for ten complete years. I measured this course in 2014, so it is valid for one more year. Two of the landmarks I used for reference no longer exist, so I visualized the locations from other reference points. I’ll see how I did.
I started my warmup at 7:35, running 30 paces every 3 minutes for 30 minutes. My first few running steps were wobbly and weak, and I wondered how I would get through the race. By 12 minutes, I felt strong enough to run the entire 3 minutes.
Returning to the start, I ran another 3-minute segment after 24 minutes.
I’ve always thought this course was flat. It starts and finishes on the track, running out and back on Smith Station Road. After mile one, there was a gradual downhill that I needed to return up toward mile 2. This year is the first time I noticed the uphill before mile 1.
I wore shorts over compression shorts, my white FARC singlet, a ball cap, and my Saucony Triumph 21 shoes.
It took the entire first mile to thin the field of runners going out too fast. There were a few roadblocks to get around, with younger runners not running at a consistent pace. I went through the first mile at 10:16. I got tired on the uphill before mile 1.
The one-mile marker was one of the landmarks that was missing. My Garmin went off before I reached the sign.
The turnaround landmark was the other missing landmark. My Garmin estimate was good at 1.56 miles.
After the turnaround, the course turns uphill for a half-mile. I hurt on the climb. My second mile was 10:45, and my Garmin went off precisely at my paint mark.
I hung on in the third mile. The uphills were challenging. By the time I got to the three-mile marker on the track, I knew I could finish without walking. My third mile was 10:58. I ran the .1 miles on the track the best I could, which was not very fast: 65 seconds.
My final Garmin distance was 3.11 miles. I like the location I placed the turnaround.
My average pace was 10:40 per mile, and my heart rate maxed out at 145. I hope to change my meds soon to remove the governor.
My final time was 33:06. Since I did not get my Garmin until after my heart procedure, Garmin does not know about my pre-procedure times. This race was my Garmin 5km PR.
I finished 187th overall, 115th male, and 10th of 16 in the males aged 65 and over.
2024 is the 31st year of the Fredericksburg Area Running Club Grand Prix. Coldwell Banker Elite has sponsored the Grand Prix for the past 30 years. I’ve completed 213 of the 324 series races, and my current finish streak is now at 54 races.
I’ve helped Gwen and Baron for the past 18 years. After a 16-minute cooldown, I emceed the awards ceremony.