Race Report - Bailey's Doggie Dash 5K
This morning Haven and I raced together in the Bailey's Doggie Dash 5K: "a race for owners and their dogs". We ran this race last year as my first ever organized footrace since high school, and it was quite fun. This year was also a total blast! Amanda and Beacon joined us as spectators. (I tried to convince Amanda to sign up with Beacon so they could race, too - it's a combination run/walk event - but Amanda felt more comfortable taking photos. Maybe next year!)
One nice aspect to this event is that everyone is a "dog person" and they understand that dogs excel at barking, dragging their owners, and in general being mischeivious in public. Nobody minds that kind of stuff at the Doggie Dash! It's a rather low-key event, which also makes it enjoyable since no one takes it too seriously. There were fewer than 60 racers signed up.
As we all crowded together at the starting line the dogs could sense the impending excitement and they were all barking and whining so loudly that we could barely hear the race director (Kevin) shouting out his final instructions. Haven was doing her "insistent whine" to indicate that she's run out of patience, prompting the runner next to me to comment "Looks like you won't have any trouble getting her to run!" He was right - Haven loves running.
And we're off! The race director simply said "Go!" and hopped on his bike. Kevin had to ride a mountain bike along the course to act as a rabbit for Joel, the eventual race winner. Joel has a greyhoud who won't run unless chasing something, in this case the race director. Haven loves to chase things, too, and she was pullling hard to go greet all the people and dogs ahead of us! Unfortunately there was an incident between two dogs at the start that forced one to go to the vet! The injured dog needed a couple stitches but was OK; the offending dog finished 2nd overall!
Within a few hundred yards we had settled in just behind Stuart, a fellow tall dude (we're both about 6'4") and kept pace with him for nearly the entire race. The first three were way ahead of us so I just kept on this guy's tail (or rather, his dog's tail!) and figured I could out-kick him at the finish. As we ran, though, I concluded that he looked like a stronger runner than me but I just hung in there as long as I could.
We ran the first mile in 7:30, slower than I had hoped but I was feeling pretty lethargic for some reason. Still, 7:30 is a good pace for me so I wasn't upset. Somewhere around mile 1.5 I heard loud crashing in the woods next to us and I wondered what some racer was doing in there. Suddenly a six-point buck jumped out in front of Stuart and ran across the course! Surprisingly our dogs didn't feel the need to give chase.
Shortly before the two-mile mark Stuart increased his pace and I couldn't keep up, although my second mile was also at a 7:30 pace. He wasn't too far ahead but he sure looked stronger than I felt! As we turned a corner near mile 2.5 I was surprised to see the #2 and #3 runners not too far ahead. Alas, neither Stuart nor myself were able to catch them. In fact, it was at this point that I got "chicked" when a female runner passed me heading up the last hill.
I was really struggling here as my legs just felt so heavy. Amanda got a couple photos of me on this hill and Haven wanted to stop and chat with Beacon but I had to pull her onward! Running down the 200-yard backstretch near the finish I had to pull Haven along, which really sucked because my engines were flaming out. Making the turn onto the homestretch I yelled to Haven "Rabbits! Rabbits!" and sure enough, she sprinted forward looking for rabbits to chase. I started running as hard as I could and amazingly I absolutely blew by the female runner, who must've hit the wall in those last hundred yards.
Haven and I finished in 22:42, good for 5th overall! Woo hoo! The woman behind me finished 1st among the women in 6th place. My final pace was 7:19, so I must've started running faster somewhere in that last mile. Last year when Haven and I ran this race we finished in 24:39, putting us at 10th overall. We PR'ed by almost two minutes! Still, two more minutes wouldn't even get me to my high school PR of 20:08... oh to be young again! Something to shoot for next year.
I didn't hear what Joel's winning time was but it was likely in the 18's - he ran 18:17 last year. The 2nd-4th runners were probably just a minute or so ahead of me. For about a minute after I finished I was totally wiped out trying to recover, but then I quickly began to feel better and within five minutes I was just peachy.
We headed over to the park pavilion where Kevin had an assortment of drinks and munchies (for both people and dogs!) spread out on some picnic tables. I poured some water for Haven, then grabbed a couple biscuits for her and Beacon. Finally I went back and got myself some pink lemonade and a couple small candy bars (mmmm.... chocolate!) and milled around until the awards ceremony.
They started by drawing names at random for prizes - the must've drawn at least half the field but I wasn't among them! Boo hoo! I really wanted one of the home-made dog beds they were giving away. Awards were given to the overall male and female winners in both the open and masters categories, plus awards were given to those who placed among the top three in their age group (overall winners are excluded from the age group awards). Haven and I took home 1st place in my age group! I shoud note, however, that the overall winner is my age so technically I was second, but who am I to complain. :)
The prizes are pretty cool - the human gets a trophy with a dog on it and the dog gets an engraved water bowl! Not to mention that all participants get a cool long-sleeve t-shirt and a plastic pumpkin trick-or-treat bucket filled with dog treats and toys. A nice haul for just a $20 entry fee! While they were handing out the awards I chatted with Stuart and found out that he's a triathlete but is running the Grand Rapids Marathon next week - he's targeting a 4:00 finish so maybe I'll see him at the start as I'll be trying to break 4:30.
I wish there were more dog-and-owner races out there - this one was so much fun! Fun for both people and dogs, and our dogs are now fast asleep due to the exciting morning.
Comments
And you're right, that's some sweet swag for a 5K. Love the trophy!