I was a little late to start b/c of the packet pickup fiasco. Fortunately, it was enough that most of the crowd had already started, and was at least already moving forward. I spent the first mile weaving heavily and running on the grass so that I could hold a decent pace.

I wasn't really anticipating this a full race effort; however, once I started going, it turned into that. I had no HRM (strap wasn't working) and I spent very little time worrying about my pace; rather I was tactically focused on where to maneuver to avoid getting blocked by other runners.

The 2-loop course worked well, as the first loop gave me an idea of where to pick up the pace for the finish. Second loop was not an issue with crowding, so I focused more on pacing and effort, and made up some time apparently. The split times were (note- not the same distance):

Checkpoint -> 26:58.42 -- 4th fastest in AG
Remainder -> 17:19.58 -- fastest in AG!

Overall, I was really happy with how I ran.

Need to start with the faster runners to avoid the crowds. (Although I loved passing people the entire race. There was always a target ahead of me.)
Probably could have held my finishing pace just a little longer. (So pick up just a little earlier.)

Just grabbed a water and went to find the Glennons. Waited a bit to find Austin's results. There were lots of vendor booths with samples, but I didn't want to wait in the lines.


Lack of recent speed training.
Better pre-race dinner choice. (i.e. not pizza and brownies)



Overall, it was really fun running at night with everyone wearing lights and reflective strips. I was surprised at the # of attendees (it sold out with 3350 people), but think that really added to the experience.

Would have rated this 4 stars if not for the poorly managed packet pickup and crowded finishing chute. Race directors have promised to address the concerns next year.