2nd time past the finish line is a charm!
Saturday morning was the WakeMed Distance Festival 5K/10K run. I finished the 10K race in 51:00, but the "official" time for the 10K run was 25:39 minutes - I ran an additional 0.2 miles! I had my headphones on listening to my iPod shuffle, and at 3.2 miles into the race, there was a police officer pointing runners for the 5K and 10K portion. Well, he was directing traffic for a van crossing by, and I heard him mutter a few words, but it was incomprehensible because my headphones were on.
Well, I kept running straight (following the 5K runners) instead of turning left, ran the additional 0.1 miles to where my friend Charles was (he ran the 5K portion). I stopped when I saw the finish line, but everyone ushered me into the chute. When I crossed the line, the announcer said "The 10K winner finished in 25 minutes, an amazing time!" and I realized I had made a big mistake. I immediately turned around and ran back to where I was supposed to turn, and completed the other 3.1 miles.
The second time I crossed the finish mat, people who had recognized me from the first time cheered me on, and I threw up my hands in appreciation.
Technically, had I completed the race without the SNAFU, I would have finished just shy of 50:00, which is the pace I had wanted for the race (~8:00/mile). Overall, I'm happy I ran the race (although I didn't know that Cary in French also means "rolling hills"), and now I have a funny story to go along with it.
Once I crossed the finish line the first time, my chip was deactivated. There was no way for them to score me the second time around, so instead of placing me in first place in the 10K run, they scored me in the 5K portion (47/133 runners). Hypothetically speaking, if they scored me in the 10K race, I would have been 29/101 runners, or 8/15 in my age group (20-29 male).
Wait a minute, in the 5K I scored 3rd place in my age division! Shoot, that meant I got a medal! Actually, had I just run the 5K race, I would have taken 2nd place! Damn it! I better e-mail Inside-Out sports to see if I can get my medal ...
Well, I kept running straight (following the 5K runners) instead of turning left, ran the additional 0.1 miles to where my friend Charles was (he ran the 5K portion). I stopped when I saw the finish line, but everyone ushered me into the chute. When I crossed the line, the announcer said "The 10K winner finished in 25 minutes, an amazing time!" and I realized I had made a big mistake. I immediately turned around and ran back to where I was supposed to turn, and completed the other 3.1 miles.
The second time I crossed the finish mat, people who had recognized me from the first time cheered me on, and I threw up my hands in appreciation.
Technically, had I completed the race without the SNAFU, I would have finished just shy of 50:00, which is the pace I had wanted for the race (~8:00/mile). Overall, I'm happy I ran the race (although I didn't know that Cary in French also means "rolling hills"), and now I have a funny story to go along with it.
Once I crossed the finish line the first time, my chip was deactivated. There was no way for them to score me the second time around, so instead of placing me in first place in the 10K run, they scored me in the 5K portion (47/133 runners). Hypothetically speaking, if they scored me in the 10K race, I would have been 29/101 runners, or 8/15 in my age group (20-29 male).
Wait a minute, in the 5K I scored 3rd place in my age division! Shoot, that meant I got a medal! Actually, had I just run the 5K race, I would have taken 2nd place! Damn it! I better e-mail Inside-Out sports to see if I can get my medal ...