Race Name: Heritage Festival 5 Mile
Race Location: Fredericksburg, VA
Number of Years Finished: 22
Years Finished: 1990, 1992 to 2007, 2011 to 2014, 2021
Best Finish Time (Year): 33:38 (1996)
Course Description: Of all the courses I’ve measured, this one has the most versions. I submitted eight for USATF certification, and there were a couple more for slight adjustments during construction years.
The courses have three things in common; they start on Caroline Street near the Visitor’s Center, finish on Charlotte Street, and use a counterclockwise loop.
This race has been in existence since the late 70s. First, as a 10km, crossing the Chatham and Falmouth Bridges and then a 5 Mile race staying in the city.
Before 1998, the 5 Mile course turned left onto Progress Street and then right onto Fall Hill Avenue.
The course turned uphill from Fall Hill Avenue on Jeff Davis Highway to College Avenue. We stayed on College Avenue to William Street.
Then we zigzagged on Littlepage, Monument, Kenmore, Prince Edward, William, Princess Anne, then right onto Charlotte Street to the finish.
The race was on July 4th, which usually had hot weather. Impacted by the heat, local runners swore the course was 5.1 miles. When I measured it for USATF certification in 1995, the route was only a few feet longer than 5 miles.
By 1998, the Canal Path construction was complete. With the field growing to over 300 runners, the city asked us to route the course onto the path.
By 2015, the Heritage Trail construction was complete, and we measured the current course layout. We now start at the train station and run Caroline to Old Mill Park. The Heritage Trail, Canal Path loop begins there.
Exiting the trail on Washington Avenue, it is a short distance to Mary Ball Street and Kenmore Avenue.
Turning off Kenmore onto Wolfe, then Prince Edward, the only uphill section of the course is followed by a straight downhill run to the finish.
What makes this race a special memory: Since the early 70s, I could find a race to run on the 4th of July. It became ingrained that July 4th and running went together.
I may not have done well in those early years, finishing last in a 2.1318-mile race (1776 yards + 1976 yards) around Gypsy Hill Park in Staunton in 1976.
During my not much running years, I’d be pushing Meg in her stroller near Kenmore Avenue as the race passed.
In 1990, this was the first race I ran since a 15km on the Quantico Marine Corps Base in 1983.
I started my string of 16 consecutive finishes in 1992. As my training improved and the club formed, my times dropped to match my training.
I missed running on July 4th during the teens with timing responsibilities and pandemics.
My time in 1996 was surprisingly 2 minutes faster than any other year. That year was one of the best weather summer running conditions that I remember, with temperatures in the low 60s and a dew point of 46 degrees.
The Fredericksburg Lions club managed the race until the pandemic, and Fredericksburg Fallen Heroes now operate it. No matter how hard they tried, the Lions never got enough water on the course. As we started helping them mark and set up, their supply did not get exhausted.
Cutting out the hill going up Jeff Davis Highway on the sidewalk improved the course. The initial route used the sidewalks on Jeff Davis, College, and William. This course became impractical when we started to exceed 300 runners.
The race start time has shifted from 8 am to 7:45 am. Although most of the course is in the shade, starting at 7 am could avoid many sunny sections.
There have been brutal years and lovely years.
A response to a survey done by the Lions after a brutal year recommended moving the race to October. Would that take an act of Congress?
A July 4th race is on my schedule, whatever the conditions or course.
Over the years, I’ve run 143 different races and finished some of them multiple times. To some, this is not a large number of various events. Over the years, I’ve had some memorable races and have been able to rank my favorite races. If I couldn’t visualize the course and remember how I felt, I moved a race down my rankings.
Other races on my list