This year was the 17th edition of this race held in memory of Baron P Braswell II (Deuce), who was senselessly murdered on January 20, 2006. His parents, Gwen and Baron Braswell have managed this race all 17 years, with the 2020 race canceled due to COVID.
Without all of the volunteers, this race could not exist and is one of the largest races in the area.
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?
In the days leading to the race, we had a break in the summer humidity with dew points dipping into the 50s. Race morning was no different, with a 57-degree dew point.
I arrived at Courtland High School around 7 am, allowing me to run a 45-minute warmup. I could not pick up my race shirt until race morning due to supply chain issues. I roamed around the stadium for a while, chatting with a few friends.
I started my warmup at 7:35 and did five repeats of a 2-minute walk and 6-minute run intervals. After a stop at the restrooms, I got to the start line with about 5 minutes to spare. At that time, the temperature was 58 degrees with sunny skies.
I’ve always thought this course was flat. The course starts and finishes on the track and runs out and back on Smith Station Road. There was a gradual downhill after mile one that I needed to return up toward mile 2.
My goal for the day was not to pull or strain a muscle. With my age group of Males 65 and over, I did not expect a podium finish. I started toward the middle of the pack. There were many teenagers and younger runners in front of me. This crowd did help keep me going slower at the start.
It took the entire first mile to thin the field of runners going out too fast. I went through the first mile in 9:02. This was the first year I noticed the ups and downs in the first mile.
As I approached the turnaround, I did not notice the runners in my age group. I knew of at least three in front of me that I saw at the start line. I decided to stick with my goals.
After the turnaround, the course turns uphill for a half-mile—this half-mile hurt more than in previous years. I still ran an 8:58 second mile. Just before the two-mile sign, I felt like I was dragging a train.
The uphills in the last mile felt steeper. I thought I was running an 11-minute mile. However, the third mile was a 9:33.
The three-mile sign was at the entrance to the track, which made the last .10686 miles flat. I covered that distance in 54 seconds for a finish time of 28:30. I finished 101st overall, 71st male, and 4th male of 15 aged 65 and over.
All my body parts are still in one piece. My breathing was labored in the last mile, even though I took a dose of Pro Air 3 hours before the race started.
My time was 85 seconds slower than in 2021. However, I felt better this past spring when I ran 12 seconds slower in a 5km.
2022 is the 29th year of the Fredericksburg Area Running Club Grand Prix. Coldwell Banker Elite has sponsored the Grand Prix for the past 28th year. Today’s race was the 300th race in the series. I’ve completed 189 of those races. I hope to be running the 400th race in 2031.
I’ve helped Gwen and Baron for the past 16 years and emceed the awards ceremony. Post-race, I hustled down to Richmond to pick up my oldest grandson and got to the UVA football game before the 2 pm kickoff.
Up next are a few marathons in October.
Disappointed I did not
get to see you Saturday! I loved hearing and watching you emcee!
Didn’t know you were at the race. I got out of there fast after I was done. I may have exceeded the speed limit on 95 to Richmond