From 2009 to 2019, the Fredericksburg Area Running Club hosted a spring 15km in downtown Fredericksburg, Virginia. J Brian’s Tap Room sponsored the race with the finish line in front of their restaurant.
With COVID and other issues, the 2020 race never happened.
Three weeks before the Marine Corps Historic Half Marathon, a 15km or 10-mile race fits into most training programs. In 2023, with that in mind, Heppe Chiropractic resurrected the race using the same course, with a modified start and finish to use Riverfront Park. This year, they changed the race date to Memorial Day weekend, one week after the Historic Half. For my current recovery restriction, the schedule change did not affect performance or effort. I would have been slow before or after the half.
I’ve had seven prior finishes in this race: five before COVID and two since. I measured the guts of the current course in 2015. That year, the Heritage Trail was completed. In 2022, I measured the new start and finish location, altering the first and last 3/4 miles.
The course is fair, starting and finishing at the same elevation. Compared to alternatives, this course is flat with a few short hills.
I was going to use the same routine that I used with the Historic Half, running 30 seconds every 5 minutes, and drinking every mile. Knowing my expected finish time was 2:35, I asked for a one-hour early start. My goal for the race was to finish and keep the streak alive.
I did my usual status monitors when I got up at 4:00 am. All signs were normal.
The race started at 7 am, so I wanted to start at 6 am. After the race, I needed to get to Richmond by 11 am. Knowing I might have to leave directly from the race, I put a change of clothes in my car. I left my house at 5:45 and parked on Sophia Street behind the start line. There was a light rain falling. Earlier in the week, my car thermometer read 101 degrees. I did not expect anything above 55 degrees today.
I wore shorts over compression shorts, a long-sleeved shirt, a neck gaiter, gloves, a ball cap, and my Saucony Triumph 23 shoes. At the start, I also had an overshirt on, which I took off by the second mile. I had to carry my own fluids for the first hour until the on-course stations opened. I wore my single-bottle belt with a UCAN hydrate bottle. Weather conditions at the start were 53 degrees, a dew point of 51 degrees, and cloudy skies. The weather radar had a front with rain starting at 7 am.
They had 100 registered runners with about 77 starters.
I got out of my car by 5:57 and walked to the start line. They were still erecting the finish truss and had not turned on the timers.
I started my watches when the head timer’s watch went to 6 am. Dawn was before 6 am. It was still a little dark with the rainy conditions.
I started with a 30-second run, then headed over to the sidewalk to walk. When my Garmin reached 5 minutes, I started my countdown timer, which beeped every 5 minutes, and started another run segment. I stayed on the sidewalk until reaching Amelia Street, then continued the rest of my journey on the road.
My first mile was 15:47.
The route turns onto the Heritage Trail past Old Mill Park a quarter mile later. The first section is rolling, with ups and downs, including one long uphill under the Falmouth Bridge. I continued along the river and arrived at the 2-mile marker. My second-mile split was 15:34, a little faster than expected.
Throughout my morning, there was a light rain. My shirt did not get soaked. While on the Canal Path, the rain in the trees sounded harder than it was.
My third-mile split was 15:52. The next miles have the most ups and downs. I ran when my timer beeped, unconcerned about whether I was on an incline or a decline. My fourth mile was 16:06. The general field had started 4 minutes earlier. I calculated the frontrunner was 18 minutes behind me.
Around 4.8 miles, the course turns back onto the Heritage Trail, now in a clockwise direction. To no surprise, the leader passed before I reached mile 5. My fifth mile was 16:14. I did take a little time at the fluid station to refill my bottle. I calculated the frontrunner was doing 5:30 miles. Second place was well behind him.
My sixth mile was 15:17. All the other racers I encountered may have picked up my pace. Before I reached the six-mile mark, the leader had made up my two-mile lead, and I saw the last runners in the field. They were doing 12 to 13 minutes per mile.
My seventh mile was 15:36. I didn’t see the seven-mile sign and hit my watch where I thought it should be located.
My eighth mile was 15:02. The last two miles crossed some major roads. I made sure to run across them to avoid making the officers hold traffic too long.
The event included a companion 5km race starting at 8 am. That race merged to run the last 2.1 miles with the 15km. The 5 km frontrunners started passing me with half a mile left in the race. The last half mile is a downhill to the Kenmore Canal, an uphill over Federal Ridge, and a downhill to the river.
My ninth mile was 15:09.
Once across Prince Edward, I stayed on the right side of Charlotte, and the runners in front of me moved to the left side. The last quarter mile is all downhill—many thanks to the Fredericksburg Police staffing the road crossings in this section. Once I reached Princess Anne Street, I ran to the finish.
My last .32 miles was 3:52, a 12:50 pace.
My finish time was 2:24:33, which is a 15:30 pace. I’m happy my pace was consistent. I received a finisher’s medal after crossing the line.
I placed DFL, 77th overall, 43rd among males, and 11th in the 60- to 69-year-old age group.
I was 27 minutes slower than the 76th finisher. The organizers and timers were happy that I started early.
Post-race, I hung out for a little while, then drove home to change for my trip south.
The course was well-marked, and all road crossings were staffed. The people at the water stops were friendly.
Grand Prix races always have the most competitive fields of area races. There was a 9-minute time gap between the first two runners. It could have been the rain or the fact that it was a week after the half-marathon that slowed the field.
Today, my heart rate averaged 105 and maxed out at 125 bpm. I desired to keep my heart rate under 133 bpm (80% of max) to reduce stress while healing.
My Grand Prix finish streak is now at 75 races. By 2028, it will be in triple digits, and in 2035, I’ll catch Nancy Cooper’s record. On-on.