On February 12th, I ran the Hot Chocolate 15k with my brother his wife and two of his kids.
The day before I took one of my daughters to the expo to pick up my packet, my brother’s families packet and one for a friend. It was not the expo I expected. There were no vendors there. My daughter and I managed to get the packets with very little waiting and even helped a homeless guy get a coffee and some food.
That evening I delivered all the packets and met my brother at their hotel for dinner. We had a good night and discussed plans for the morning.
I also met up with the Franklin Road Runners for a group picture. Saw several along the route.
It was pretty cold starting in the low 30s with wind blowing about 10 miles an hour. My brother and two of his children were in the first coral and had a quick start.
The race was hillier than I expected and I had an unexpected surprise. As I hit mile 5 I heard someone’s music and than their footsteps and breathing. As I turn around he tells me not to mind him as he was drafting me. Crazy.
Well, I finished in an hour and seven minutes or right at an 6:52 pace. For being a 15k, strava said 9.78 miles and the hot chocolate something different as well. First in my age group and 32nd overall.
Country Road Runner 