WWC Memorial Day 8 Miler

 After a few months away, I was back on the trails at the WWC for their Memorial Day races. I was running the 8-mile distance. 

With the rain the latter part of the week, I suspect that the trails would be muddy. While there were some spots that I needed to watch my step, most of the trail system was in good shape. I guess this goes back to the WWC maintenance guys, and how they build and maintain the trail system. 

The 5- and 8-mile distances started at 8 AM with the 3-miler starting a few minutes later. For my race, we ran over to Academy from the Pavillion, came back then detoured on to Figure and North Main while the 5 milers headed directly back to the Pavillion. 

With the course being wet, I made sure to monitor my steps. If it looked sketchy, I took my time. Losing a second or two to get through a rough section is better than taking a fall and attempting to recover from it. 

I spent most of the race yoyoing with some other guys. They were way more aggressive on the downhill than me. However, I seem to be able to recover the distance on the up hills. We played this game until we top the ridge on North Main. There, I got in front of them. Given how they were running, I was probably holding them up until we go over next to the river when the hills kick in again. This time, however, I was in front of them and created a gap that they could cover to the finish. 

I finished 6 overall in 66:05 and picked up first place in my age group. 

Due to the race being postponed by day, this hurt their turnout. At least, this was my read given the number of shirts still setting behind the registration desk just before the race. But what else could they do, the weather was forecast to be storms, yet nothing really materialized. Those of us that showed up on Sunday had a good time and enjoyed getting in a trail run. 

The Cool Down Runner