Race Route at Stanley Park
(Photo Courtesy of Vancouver Falcons Athletic Club)
The Spring Classic was renamed this year in honour of a fellow runner, Dave Reed (1954-2008) who passed away last year after succumbing to a staph infection. I never knew him, but by all accounts Dave was an enthusastic and talented runner with a zest for life who was taken too soon. There are a lot of tributes to Dave Reed online at Trainharder.com on the MastersTrack.com blog. Here's a quote about Dave's running by George Gluppe I found at the latter site:
"While Dave was a good runner when he was young, he didn't really blossom until he became a master and he was more dedicated to the track. He ran a lot of top-quality races, producing a 2.00 min 800 at age 40.He also ran superb mile races on the road, He was a graceful smooth runner and a great competitor.
The race itself started more or less on time at 9am on the seawall in Stanley Park right next to the water park (which is closed for the season). The first mile starts on an uphill climb as the route cuts across the park, past the Aquarium, and to the Coal Harbour side. The bulk of the race thereafter takes place along the seawall. Some interesting sights you run by are the Totem Poles, the 9 o'clock gun, the statue of Canadian sprinting champion, Harry Jerome, and the lighthouse.
As far as my race went, I had the idea of going out pretty fast, finding a sustainable, yet challenging pace, and saving enough energy for a good push the last half mile or so. As it went, my first mile was my fastest (7:55), my second mile was pretty fast (8:10)...And after that I sort of lost some of my enthusiasm. When I looked up at the clock reading 24:52 I knew I wouldn't make it under 25. My final time was 25:17, putting me 6th in my division, 157th overall.
This was a well organized event with a good turnout. You can't beat the scenery and there was also a generous spread of home-made cookies and other treats to help restore one's spirits after the race.
6 comments:
What a nice way to honor Dave.
Despite losing your enthusiasm you still ran a fast race!
Congratulations!
Job Well Done, my friend!
Well done account of the race Nicole. I love the pics of the area. It makes me want to visit Vancouver area sooner rather than later. Looks great. Nice detail on the description of your strategy. Great job on the race.
Good job on the race!
That was fast. Congratulations! Thanks for the background too. It's nice to see a talented runner being remembered.
just catching up, I haven't been out in YVR in almost 10 years...now I know I'll have to go back.
Hi Nicole! Thanks for the warm welcome to TP2!
Sounds like an excellent race. Can't say I've ever been offered homemade cookies afterwards!
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