The 2011 running of the Peachtree City Classic 15K is the third consecutive year that I've run this race. Organized by the
Peachtree City Running Club, the race is well run like all their races, and well attended. Although, in 2010 and again in 2011 they did have some timing issues.
In 2009 I had a good race but it wasn't spectacular. My finish time was 1:17:18 and I placed 190th overall amongst the men. I placed 41st out of 82 in my age-group. Right in the middle. My pace was 8:21.
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| My 2009 PTC Classic 15K Results |
In 2010 my results improved. I placed 20th overall amongst the men and 3rd in my age-group with a time of 1:02:57. My pace was 6:46. The overall results show me as 4th in my division. The other runner was probably moved up to masters or top 3 overall.
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| My 2010 PTC Classic 15K Overall Results |
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| My 2010 PTC Classic 15K Results |
Susan and I arrived right around 8am for the 2011 race. Last year we arrived at around 6:30am. I went alone in 2009 and arrived early as well. This time we had to park down the street instead of at The Fred. Either way we got to registration in time to get our race numbers and get situated.
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| The artwork on the 2011 Peachtree City Classic technical shirts |
Susan's 5K race started at 8:40am after the Men's 5K at 8:30am. The 15K race started a few minutes after 8:50am. The weather was clear and cool. The temperature was in the high 50's Fahrenheit.
I saw a few people I know. Ken Cook, my fellow Ironman Florida competitor, was there and I recognized a few runner's faces from other races.
Before the men's 5K started I took a few pictures. Ultimate Fitness warmed up the runners as they waited for the races to start. DJ Tommy B provided the music.
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| Runners warming up before the races start |
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| Ultimate Fitness warm-up |
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| Before the start of the Men's 5K race |
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| Susan tried to stay warm and wished she'd worn a long sleeve shirt |
At the start of my race I lined up right on the timing mat. In previous races I've found that, if you're a relatively fast runner, it doesn't benefit to start further back. I'm not one to worry about being passed during the race. The horn blew and the race was on. Always the rabbit I took off into the lead. I was in the lead for the first mile. The volunteer called out 5:42 followed by a 5:45 for the runner behind me. Two and sometimes 3 cyclists led the way as 2 runners passed me. Before I knew it I fell back to 5th place. My pace was good but I couldn't maintain the effort. As the volunteers called out my time at each mile marker I knew I wouldn't be running a sub-1 hour 15K this year. Down into the dark tunnels and back up into the light I worked my way through the course. Near the 8 mile mark I was caught by a former Ironman Florida competitor. We had done the 2010 race. We raced together to the finish urging each other to run faster. I could hear the crowd cheering as the runners ahead of me ran down the shoot to the finish line. My new running buddy made the left turn off the cart path and crossed the finish line about 50 feet ahead of me. I had a good race. My finish time was 1:01:35 on my watch although it took me a few seconds after crossing the line to remember to press stop. The clock on the left read 1:13:20, or so, I think. I met up with Susan and we headed toward the amphitheater to get our shirts, something to drink, and check the results.
After waiting about 30 minutes listening to live music performed by the Peachtree Jazz Edition the race director informed the runners that a snafu had occurred with the results and no awards would be presented that day.
Susan and I left Peachtree City stopping at the City Cafe in Fayetteville for an early lunch.
The preliminary results were posted late on Sunday afternoon. They show that I finished in 12th place amongst the men and 3rd master overall with a chip time of 1:01:33. My pace was 6:37. The results also showed that 4 women beat me according to their chip times.
Thanks for reading.
10/23/11 Update: After the results were re-jiggered I moved up 2 places against the women. So, I only got chicked twice. That's better!
