The inaugural .US National Road Racing Championships (odd name since
it's sponsored and promoting the '.us' top-level internet domain) took
place this morning, and it was definitely an interesting event. The
event is the flagship road race of the USA Track & Field USA Running
Circuit, offering $100,000 in prize money to elites in various
categories. The elite race included Olympians and world class athletes
such as Shalane Flanagan, Abdi Abdirahman, Molly Huddle, Sara Hall, and
dozens others. The race also featured an open category for everyone
else...which is obviously what I participated in.
Much of the logistics were outsourced to Pacers Events, so the check-in,
bag check, etc all ran very smoothly. I'm not sure if it was the cold
weather, odd distance, or number of other race options in mid November,
but the race was not very well supported at all in terms of runners.
Barely over 700 people, elites included, ran the 12k; that doesn't bode
well for the sustainability of the race. Closing off almost eight miles
of city streets is a large undertaking for less than a thousand
participants. The city itself didn't really come out either, as most
stretches were completely empty of spectators.
The course was a turn-filled trip through Alexandria with some rolling hills. Click the thumbnail below to view the full map courtesy of USATF:
Before I started my race I watched the elite women and
elite men corrals start. Once they were off I lined up in the sub-6:30
corral; the 12k distance, about 7.5 miles, is a really odd race and one
I'm not familiar with. I also wasn't familiar with the course or
elevation profile. So I decided to gun for 6:30, which slots between my
10k and half marathon PRs.
The low turnout of runners
cleared pretty quickly and I found plenty of space to run. The course had very little in the way of
sites or crowds. Sponsor Burke & Herbert Bank had a couple cheer
stations, but other than that it was a very quiet and plain run along
city streets. I clicked through the miles in an even 6:30 pace, feeling
good at the halfway point but still holding back a bit; I was very
concerned either an unexpected elevation change would sabotage my pace
or my body wouldn't know what to do with the odd distance. As I cleared
the 10k mark and hit some hills I picked up the pace to finish and ended
up running a 6:28 pace.
Ultimately, the event ran smoothly although between the plain course and lack of turnout, for both runners and crowds, I'm not sure I'll run this every year. There's a lot of other races on the calendar in that time, most of which are conventional distances with more to offer.
12k :
48:10 | 6:28/mile
Included in registration was a non-technical short-sleeved white shirt with the .US Championships logo. All finishers received a charcoal-colored medal with a sharp ribbon of red, white, and blue. The colors and design of the ribbon and medal were really nice. Additionally, the expo and the race had merchandise for sale from USATF; I ended up picking up a set of red thermal sleeves, a beanie hat, and even my daughter got a little something.
12k Open Medal | 
Baby's First USATF Bib! |
Though it's been cold and my long runs have sapped some of my speed, it's turkey trot season! So since I wasn't at the beach this Thanksgiving like years prior, I took part in two turkey trots this week.
