Where have all the fast people gone? There is no way that I should finish fourth overall in any Grand Prix race. Back in 1997, in the four-mile Grand Prix race, I ran 26:16 and finished in 57th place, 12th in the male 40-44 age group. Today, that time would have been good for fourth place.
From 1996 to 2004, the first race of the Coldwell Banker Elite Grand Prix was a four-mile race held at the old James Monroe High School. The race was held in March and sometimes featured a St. Patrick’s Day theme.
In 2008, I resurrected the race, running in February from Curtis Park with a sweetheart’s theme. That race continued until 2017, moving to the YMCA and Pratt Park in 2013 when the Belmont-Ferry Farm trail was completed.
In 2018, I stopped managing that race, and the YMCA changed its John Robbins race from an 8km to a 4-Mile and used the course that was run today until 2020. Since then, the course has been used only once. On July 4, 2020, Arsenal Events hosted a socially distanced Independence Day race, even as others were still afraid of COVID. That year, I ran 35:25 and 36:44 on this course.
For 2026, Arsenal Events decided to host a 4-mile race on Valentine’s Day, February 14. It was the second race in the 2026 Coldwell Banker Elite Grand Prix. However, a snow and ice event on Jan 25, 2026, changed the first series race to a virtual race and postponed today’s race by a week. With higher temperatures this past week, most of the snow from the storm had melted, and the parks were open again. Believe it or not, there were still a few patches of snow on the course, 26 days after the storm.
Ten days from now, I’m having my second cardiac ablation procedure. The side effects of Flecainide are not pleasant, and I don’t want to stay on the drug forever. The side effects impacting me are shortness of breath, nausea, lightheadedness, and dizziness. That shortness of breath thing makes running for extended periods difficult. After the procedure, I need to remain on the drug and keep my heart rate below 60% of my maximum (120 bpm) for three months. I’ll have to do a considerable amount of walking to keep my heart rate down.
My plan for the race was a 60-pace run and 100-pace walk pattern. Of course, I would run any downhill sections. I intended not to stress during the race. All I wanted to do was finish and keep my Grand Prix finish streak alive.
This course is flat. Not beach-town flat; there are a few short ups and downs. It is a simple out-and-back, starting by the YMCA front entrance and using the road behind the pool until connecting with the paved path around Pratt Park. Running clockwise, that path connects to the Belmont-Ferry Farm Trail near the tennis courts. The route stays on the BFF until the turnaround at mile 2 in St Clair Brooks Park before reaching the steep switchbacks.
The start line is a half-mile from my house. With a race start time of 8:30 am, I left my back door at 8:20 am, mixing 30-pace runs with 60-pace walks, until reaching the YMCA around 8:27 in time for the national anthem.
Today’s goal was to finish without any medical issues.
At 8:20 am, the temperature was 42 degrees, the dew point was 31 degrees, the skies were cloudy, and the winds were light and variable. I wore shorts over compression shorts, a singlet over a long-sleeved shirt, a neck gaiter, gloves, a ball cap, and my Saucony Triumph 23 shoes. During my warmup, I had an additional overshirt that I tied around my waist during the race.
I lined up in the middle of the group and did not hear any commands until the start horn. I started with a run segment. However, after 60 paces, there were too many people near me to start walking. I ran some more until there was an opening on the side. The group around me was a mix of walkers and others who ran more than walked.
I noticed the biggest issue I had in the first mile was that my walking pace was slower than those around me, while my running pace was much faster than theirs. Though I was not pushing, I was still running under 10-minute miles. Thus, I would run up behind people moving together and had to slow down. And I worried that my walking was impeding those running behind me. I went through the first mile in 13:25.
Within the next quarter mile, the front runners were returning. Some of those running outbound still spread across the trail, even with the yellow stripe down the middle. The usual puddle blocked the trail in a sharp turn. I was able to bypass to the right. Finally into the woods, outbound runners were still spread across the trail, even when there was space to the right. That included the woman pushing the stroller. Fortunately, I did not see any collisions or returning runners having to slow down.
About a quarter mile from the turnaround, there was enough space between runners that I felt I was not impeding anyone while walking. My running segments were gaining more ground on those around me than I was losing when walking.
My second mile was a 13:02, for a 2-mile split of 26:28. Yes, my 4-mile PR is faster than that.
Turning around, there must have been a little breeze as my face and ears were getting cold enough that I pulled my gaiter up over my ears.
I kept trading places with a few runners near me for the next mile. My third mile was 13:53, and I went through 5km in 41:27. FARC held a 5km training program for the first six weeks of the year. Many were using this race as their training goal. Thus, a 5km timing point was added.
Finally, in the last mile, I stopped passing runners only to be repassed. I caught a few, never to see them again. I ran more than 60 paces on the one downhill in Pratt Park. Passing the pool, I knew where the last tenth of the mile was and ran from there to the finish. My final mile was a 12:37, with a pace under 8 minutes per mile, even though I didn’t feel stressed.
My heart rate averaged 119 and peaked at 135 during the final segment. I was happy with what I ran. Post procedure, I’ll have to go slower.
I crossed the finish line at 53:00, 154th overall, 65th male, and 11th of 12 in the 60-69 age group. Rather than a medal, the finisher’s award was a cocoa mug and a handful of Hershey Kisses.
I hung out in the finish area for a few minutes. Then I walked and ran a little bit back home.
This race was my 230th and 72nd consecutive finish in Coldwell Banker Elite Grand Prix events. With my birthdate before the cutoff, I’m in the Grand Prix’s 70- to 74-year-old age group. Pushing, I could do well in that age group. However, I should heal rather than push. There is a lot of walking in my future and heart rates under 120.