That was the quote from RB's dad at 7:55 a.m. Saturday, a quote I heard as I parked my car across from his house. He was airing his disgust with the inconveniences brought about by the road closures throughout Northport Village this morning. I chose not to interject my opinion, because it was the exact opposite - I love the Great Cow Harbor 10-Kilometer Run, and was about to make my way down to the finish line. Having decided a few months ago that I wouldn't run this year, I figured I might as well root on these five thousand-plus who are, in this respect, better than myself. It was about as good a day as you could want - temperatures in the low fifties, clear skies, and a light breeze.
As was the case three years ago, the race was well run. Then, it was a smashing of the course record; this past Saturday, it was the fastest top ten in memory (the top ten male finishers all ran in less than thirty-one minutes). And the men's race was close, with a margin of victory of less than three seconds. The women's race wasn't nearly as close. The real surprise, and certainly a treat, was seeing a twelve-year-old boy finish the race in thirty-eight minutes. That's just an insane time. Once the elite runners come across, then you get to see the flood of men and women who are just happy to be finishing the thing. That flood included at least five of my high school classmates. And for the umpteenth time - in direct contradiction to one of my New Year's resolutions - I did not run. That changes in 2010. I know I've said that so many times before, so take it with as many grains of salt as you like.
Pictures - 2009 Great Cow Harbor 10K