The race director for this Oak Park event contacted me about this new race and I was delighted to join. I knew I had a half Ironman the next day, but at 8K, I knew if I dialed it back, I could treat this nearly five-mile race as a shake out prior to the Door County Triathlon.
The Hemingway 8K is a themed event that's part of Oak Park's bigger event celebrating Hemingway's birthday. It's themed, so of course, I had to wear horns. I got them on Amazon and got a lot of positive feedback about them, even though they were tough to clip into my hair. The price of beauty, I suppose.
I got there early and parked in a deck about a block away, and had no trouble picking up my packet from race volunteer Erin. I ended up walking back to my car in search of pre-race bathrooms. There were a few real bathrooms at Scoville Park, where the race started and finished, but they weren't open yet. Race swag included a gender-specific cotton shirt and a bib, plus there were tons of vendors on site. I got a pre-race rub down, which I figured could only help me given the level of activity slated for the following 24 hours. I also snagged new water bottles, temporary tattoos, hair ties and all manner of snacks while I waited for the race to begin. And my favorite vendor ever was there:
The race started on time with about 300 participants. It was hot. Really hot. There were a few aid stations on the course and quite a few people out with their kids and dogs watching the race. In the first mile, I made myself slow down because I hit 8:14 and knew that wasn't a) sustainable or b) smart given the miles I would cover the next day. I plugged along through the neighborhoods of Oak Park, listening to music on a borrowed iPod shuffle and thinking about keeping it slow and easy. There were timing clocks every mile and I slowed down even more in the last two miles, rather than sprinting to a finish. I was absolutely soaked from the run - it was muggy and gross and I dumped water on myself to keep cool more than once.
Because of my "take it slow" strategy, I came in fourth in my age group. A mere 40 seconds separated me from placing. Any other day, I feel like I could have rocked this race. Alas, there's always next year ...
Time: 42:23 for an 8K (8:32 pace)
Cost: Free for me
Pros: Small community race, cute theme, easy to get to and park, lots of vendors, better than average post-race food and a cute FREE kids race, very flat course
Cons: No on-course bathrooms, it's really hot this time of year
Would I do this race again? Sure thing!
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