It is a race run entirely in the Moraine Hills State Park, a beautiful park that has had some crime troubles recently. There was a runner whose car was broken into while on the trail. Her wallet, keys and cell phone were all stolen. Apparently this is a popular spot for some transients during the summer months.
The race has limit of 300 runners due to the width of the trail. There was a staggered start. We started in groups of about 25, organized alphabetically. This led to solo running for most of the race since you do not start with people of your like speed.
2nd place medal
As the name implies, the course was hilly, but this is Illinois so the hills were very tame and I used them as an opportunity to pass while going up and down. I've found people are overly cautious on the down hills, I like to take advantage of gravity and just let my legs fly.
Pops coming around the last turn
Due to my questionable training regimen, I set a goal to finish under 2 hours. I started out nice and easy. The first 10 miles went by very easily, then I opened it up for the last couple miles when I knew I was in no danger of hitting the wall.
The scenery was great, this time of year in the mid-west is easily my favorite. I love the cool/cold weather and the fall colors are unbeatable.
landscape
My finish of 1:50:07 was well under my goal time and earned me 2nd place in my age group. This was very surprising to me since my age group is usually very competitive. I was walking to the refreshments table with my dad after he finished and I heard my name over the loud speaker, luckily I was still there to hear it.
Pops
Aside from the strange start procedure, the race was well organized and a good value. For $45 we got a nice long sleeved T-shirt, finisher medal and water bottle. I love long sleeved shirts.
Finisher medal
I hope to get back into PR shape after this semester, but for now I am happy with my fitness considering my schedule limitations.
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