Cerner KC15K Race Report!

The inaugural Cerner KC15K took place this past Saturday in Kansas City!  The course was centered around Livestrong Stadium at the Legends Shopping Center, and made for an exciting finish!  As I eluded to in my pre-race info, there were some "growing pains" with the race being in it's first year.  There was a great turnout (975 participants), with many using the distance for a final tune-up race before the Kansas City Half and Full Marathons in October.

Pre-Race:
I woke up at 5:30am, grabbed some oatmeal, a cup of coffee, and sipped on some Gatorade while I watched on old episode of the Office.  I was ready and out the door, and arrived at the race site around 6:50am.  It was pretty chilly outside, and after standing around for a few minutes, I realized I was there a bit early.  I am used to getting to races as early as possible to get a good transition spot, and get everything set up.  With just the run, there isn't as much to do.  I at least got a great parking spot, but I had a little extra time to stand around and freeze...

Livestrong Sporting Park, home to Sporting KC!

While standing around, I met Jon from Beginner Triathlete, whom I had been messaging about the race.  We chatted for about 30 minutes about the past race season, and the upcoming 2012 season.  Jon was using the race as a final tune up for the Full Marathon, and said he was going to maintain an 8:00/pace for the race.  Since that was what I was trying to do, we ended up running together.

DJ spinnin' at 7:00am. The little girl was getting CRAZY!

Instead of the usual Johnny stop (or stops) before the race, the runners got to use the stadium's indoor restrooms!!! SO AWESOME!  Only one trip for me before the race, a season low....

The finish line, almost on the field... but not quite...

The 5kers started about 30 minutes before the 15k race.  Rach showed up with Max shortly after, and I got to hang out with Max at his first race!  About 15 minutes prior to starting, I downed some Gatorade Prime, stretched a bit, ignored the Aerobics teacher "attempting" to pump up the crowd, and headed to the race start.

Okay, I got into it a bit...

Once again, I was late to the line, and was nested 3/4 of the way to the back with Jon.

My cheering section!

Race:
The race started, and about 20 seconds later, I crossed the starting line and started my Garmin.  The first mile of the race was rough.  There was a massive bottleneck of people right at the start, trying to squeeze through the starting line gate.  The massive group of people didn't really start to fan out until after the 1st aid station (not first-aid...).  Jon and I probably ran half a mile on the grass, avoiding as many people as we could.  When this failed, we weaved in and out of the crowd, and eventually settled into a moderate pace, a bit quicker than my 8:00 pace.

The starting line bottleneck.  The crowd of runners extends about 200 feet out of this photo.

After the 1st aid station, I ran (literally) into Erin from work.  I said hello, she said hello, and then said that she was going to return to listening to "Britney".  Nice jams, Erin.  Although I prefer Ke$ha (not joking...).  I kept trucking along, eventually I slipped away from Jon as I maintained my 8:00/mi pace.

Just running.  I need to learn how to take better pics...

This continued for the next 5 miles.  Just taking it easy on the uphills, picking up my pace a bit on the downhills, and checking my Garmin to make sure I was "close" to 8:00.  The course itself wasn't too bad.  There were some hills, but mostly they were gradual climbs.  The weather was absolutely perfect, and never felt like I was overheating during the entire race.

At about mile 6, I couldn't help but notice I was feeling great!  I definitely was maintaining 8:00/mile, and decided to pick up the pace a bit.  My goal was to catch Jon, who I could barely see in front of me in a bright yellow shirt.  For the remainder of the race, I really pushed hard to try and catch him.  Apparently, he had the same idea, and I was unable to get any closer... Man, holding a 8:00/mile pace my ass...

By the last mile, I was flying.  I could not believe how great I felt.  My legs didn't feel fresh, but I definitely could have done another 4 after the race, equaling a half marathon.  This was the greatest revelation to me, and has given me a lot of confidence heading into the half!

Mustering a smile as I got passed....

As soon I saw the stadium, I kicked.  Hard.  We rounded the corner, headed downhill into the stadium and crossed the finish! Boom!

Time: 1:11:50 (7:43 pace)
AG: 17/83
Overall: 125/975

Post Race:
Immediately following the race, runners had to begrudgingly climb up the stairs of the stadium to grab the KC15K Finisher's Pint Glass.  I used a lot of the arm rails to pull myself to the top... Once I grabbed my glass, I saw Jon and said,"Nice race.  What the hell happened to 8:00??!"  We both laughed, and said the race went really well.  I also got my race results printed out right there!!! Really great!  I found Rach, and tried to locate some food.  Apparently there was some food, but by the time I wondered over to the tent, it was all gone.  I couldn't believe it.  I was so hungry, and all I had for a post race recovery was a 20 ounce bottle of water.  Not cool, Ultramax.  Maybe it has something to do with this being the inaugural run of the race, or the 5Kers completely pigging out, but I personally think having ZERO food is unacceptable.  I ran into Yvonne, another co-worker, in the hunt for food, and she said she had a great time!

Climbing some stairs.  Great post run warm up.

After I was done feeling sorry for myself about the lack of food (I love to eat), I sat down with Rach, stretched, and met Reece from BT and his family.  Nice guy, he had a great race, and is also doing the half in October.  His kids volunteered at the 1st aid station, and I thanked them for not throwing water on me.  Eventually, Rach, Max, and I headed to the car and grabbed a Sonic Burrito as a post race reward!

Peace Livestrong, it's been real...

Race Goals:

• Maintain an average pace of 8:00/mile: MET!  Definitely!  I was ecstatic about the 7:43 pace, and am so ready to see what I can do during the half!!! I was also especially happy to negatively split the race!
• Keep foot under control:  The foot didn't impact the race, but I definitely felt it every step I took during the 2nd half of the race. It was hurting, but nothing like it had been previously.  It feels fine today, so at least I didn't further aggravate anything.
• Keep race nutrition in check:  Check!  I only consumed 1 of my gels during the 4th mile, but decided to skip the second one during my 7th mile because I felt great.  I don't think it will be a problem during the half, but regardless, I will try it one more time during my last long run next weekend.  
• Enjoy the run:  I definitely had a great time. It was nice to meet Jon and Reece & Fam, and really enjoyed the weather/ race atmosphere.  

Overall:
I really enjoyed it the morning, and think Ultramax will correct any of the issues runners had during this first trial.  They had a great post race festival, equipped with a DJ and massage tent.  I have been in a few of their races, and really think they are a great company.  I will be doing this race next year in prep for a fall full or half marathon, as I think it's the perfect distance for a tune up race!

Thanks for reading!