Race Report: Oktoberfest Classic 10K

Just got back from the booming metropolis of Minster, Ohio where I ran in the Oktoberfest Classic 10K, one of the more competitive Ohio races due to a lot of prize money for the top guys. The weather here was definitely on par with Chicago, which makes me really glad it was only a 10K!

I ran really well in probably the worst conditions I've ever raced in. The race didn't start until close to 10:00am because the organizers didn't have it together. It was supposed to start at 9:30, which is way too late anyway, but they were letting people sign up too late and they waited for the sole wheelchair entrant who called and said she was running late to show up! It reached a high of 92 in the afternoon and was probably over 80 and super humid when we raced. On top of that, there was no shade whatsoever. Just wide open country roads and blaring sun. Anyway, I ran 37:47 (6:03 pace?) and was first in 40-44 and 37th overall. I knew a PR was way out of the question so I just ran smart and conservative and did my best to hang on. My splits were 6:06, 6:06 (12:12), 5:59 (18:11), 6:01 (24:12), 6:02 (30:14) and 7:33 for the last 1.25 so probably another 6:02.

My initial plan was to try and blast the last 2 miles in 11:30 or so, but by the halfway mark it was a death march. My legs were feeling like rubber and I really had to gut it out to hold pace. A couple of guys ahead of me just stopped and started walking. One guy ran to someone's lawn on the side of the road and just laid down in it! Another guy pulled over to the side of the road and passed out! In any case, I'm really happy with the race. I know I can run much faster for 10K. I think in perfect conditions 10 seconds per mile faster wouldn't have been out of the question. In any case, after the first few minutes no one passed me and I probably passed over 50 people or more in the course of the race.

This was the first time I've won an age group title in an Ohio Grand Prix race. I won a nice medal and a pair of shoes as well! The local sporting goods store kind of sucked but they did have a pair of the Nike 30/40's, which are named after Pre's famous workout so I opted for those. They feel a bit like the Elites as far as lightweight trainers go. My wife took some good pictures so I'll update this report in a day or too!

More photos and a detailed description of our weekend visit can be found on my wife's blog at:

http://artyfarty.vox.com/library/post/oktoberfest-minster-ohio.html