FIRST ANNUAL GIDDY UP 5K

Review by Stein Langlie

Twas a dark and stormy night for running… no. Just kidding. August 12, 2012 was a sunny warm day and the course was hilly and fun.

Background for the race: “The Giddy Up 5K Run/Walk was started to celebrate the life of Catie Carnes, while at the same time raise money to support the needs of children diagnosed with Juvenile Diabetes. It is our hope that you will put your best “cowgirl/cowboy” on, and come on out to run/walk and remember. The “horsier” the better and prizes for the best costume!” . . . and with that we had a lively crowd.

The runners all got a warm-up with some guided exercises then all went over to the starting line. Thomas N and I stood out with no shirts – but it was a warm day and we had previewed the course; ventilation was going to be key. My plan was to keep up with Adam P – and as noble as that sounds I’m just glad he’s in a different age group. We also had Cindy N, a couple more familiar faces as well as a guy in a horse suit with rolling back legs (whom Cindy handily beat while pushing 65 lbs of stroller).

From the start I bolted to the front, which felt pretty awesome, but unfortunately only lasted for a couple hundred yards. I forgot to ease up on the throttle after counting to seven per Caleb’s direction and the hill quickly slowed me down. This is not the first time I have gone out too fast so maybe there is a lesson in there somewhere . . .None-the-less, the first lap was exciting with a climb for about 1/4 mile then a loop around the Goucher Campus – then the second mile you pass the start and climb the same hill – then veer right out onto the city streets for about a mile and a half. As I mentioned, I started off leading the race – but then quickly got passed by several people, including Thomas who I chased until about the mile 2 mark. I guess maybe we remained in the same basic position from about mile 1.5 and eventually finished within 5 seconds of each other in 7th and 8th overall (me in 20:53 and T in 20:58).

Having family – Gavin, Maeve and Andrea – at the race was awesome as well. Gavin and Maeve ran with me for a couple hundred yards just after the first loop, and their cheering at start/middle/end gave me some needed boosts!

This was my first age group win (40-49) and the “win” capped off a challenging and fun race. Oh and Adam P took 3rd place overall! A big blue ribbon, along with a nice shirt and some good post-race snacks and water, made for a great day and fun race experience.

The race was well organized and I’m looking forward to next year already. Giddy Up!