Fox and Hounds 5k

For the regulars out there, you know I enjoy a good road race, especially one that has a little something to it theme-wise. Be it costumes on Halloween or a Jammin’ good time, races that are more than running for charity (although charity is still involved) pique my interest. Thus when I heard about the Fox and Hounds 5k (benefiting Cerebral Palsy research) I knew it was for me. Even the race website said it was an event that combined “running, walking, flirting, and fun.” Further perusing of the site revealed the “foxes” would have a 5 minute head start, at which point the “hounds” would give chase. Ummm…yes please!

I got off work and walked home, debating at the last minute whether I was really going to pay $35 (pretty steep for a 5k) to run across a bridge I hit all the time (Editor’s note: those who know me personally are familiar with my ability to waffle on any decision until the last minute, so this is normal behavior). In the end my screw-it-you-only-live-once attitude kicked in and I hopped on my bike to ride over to Newport and register.

These are the days where Cincy weather is awesome; blue sky, a little breeze, humidity below choking level…

I locked up my ride and went down to the registration table where I was hit with a blast from the past….scantron sheets…damn bubbles…but whatever it takes to get instant timing results…

After I registered I started the warm up process, which naturally included taking pictures of QCS…

The pre registered crowd was a little thin, but about 5 minutes after I got all set up it seemed like runners were coming out of the woodwork. I guess, like myself, this was a spur of the moment call for many of the foxes and hounds.

Let me speak about the format a little bit more. If you’ve ever seen me at a race, you know I like to start in the front of the pack. I know I’m not going to win (or even come close) but I hate fighting my way through a crowd. Plus, if you are in front and people are passing you it’s just more motivation to run harder. Doubt crept into my mind as I thought of all the foxes, including the walkers, who would have a 5 minute head start. Here I was for a flat course I thought I could break my PR on, a goal now in jeopardy due to potential bottlenecking (other than the bridge this was not a wide course).

It turned out just fine. By the time they released the hounds the foxes were spread out enough, and most of the laggers stayed to the right to allow the speedier of us to breeze by. In fact, I was (by my standards) flying, as I passed mile marker 1 in 6:26 and mile 2 at 13:00. I was pumped, at that pace I would surely break my 21:00 5k PR.

Somewhere during mile 3 the switch flipped the wrong way, and by the time we made the turn to head back up the Purple People bridge I was slacking. 100 yards from the finish line I couldn’t find that extra gear I kick it into at the end of races. I tried, but my mind was focused on not throwing up. I finished at 21:56, and while I thought I could do better, I remembered staying up until 3 am the night before, and moving furniture for 2 hours that day…not exactly good race prep, so I relaxed and went looking for water.

A welcome surprise, I ran into Liz and her friends and we chatted for a while by the timing board. I glanced over, the list of the top 25 men scrolling across the blue screen. If you were lucky enough to be in that group you won a “Fox and Hounds 5k” etched pint glass. And there it was, my name at number 25…I smiled, all of a sudden happy and not caring about my time. It was good enough for a glass, and that was good enough for me!

Did I mention they had goetta sliders and orange sherbet for us to munch on? Our race bibs also had 2 drink tickets stapled to them…I’m pretty sure post race parties are now a requirement for me to take part in events…

3 sliders, 2 beers, 1 sorbet cup and a bunch of laughs later it was time to pedal back home, albeit with one more shot of the Queen City’s new gem.

For the first annual Fox and Hounds 5k I thought the organizers pulled it off pretty well. Everything went down as advertised, and if I have one gripe it would be that I can’t find the results online. But they had them there at the race, so who cares. Plus, I love the ability to ride my bike to events like this. Suck it suburbs. I can’t wait for next year!

Update: someone was kind enough to point me to the results–thanks!