Labrecque Classic 5K: Sep 16, 2007

Kathy, Mary, Mel, Shirley, Nancy, Alka, Lyle

Kathy and Nancy are holding their awards for placing in their age groups.

Women on the Run Win Washington

We decided to do something a little different this time and take in a NYRR race in Washington DC. We drove down in two cars and stayed the first night with Mary's friend, Pam, in Brunswick MD. We had a blast and her hospitality was wonderful. We drove into the city Saturday morning, dropped our cars and baggage at the Marriott Key Bridge, and then rented bicycles in Rosslyn. We crossed the Potomac and had lunch outdoors along the waterfront. We then hit the Lincoln Memorial, the Vietnam Memorial, the Washington Monument, the White House, the Mall, and the Capitol before heading back to Rosslyn. They were having a big anti-war protest at the Capitol, and there were helicopters, police cars, and mounted police everywhere. We took a bike trail on the Arlington side of the Potomac which was very pleasant. We stopped to watch two bald eagles which were gliding in circles above the Potomac in front of the Lincoln Memorial. What an awesome sight. We later had dinner at the Peacock Cafe in Georgetown, which was a nice walk from our hotel.

Race morning, we took cabs to the start at Freedom Plaza (it was too early for the Metro) and picked up our packets. It was cool, with a bright rising sun. We found a warm sunny spot to hang out while we waited and chatted with other runners. There weren't nearly as many racers as we expected. In fact someone commented, "This is like an Ogdensburg race!" It was a welcome change to not be in a crowd of thousands.

The streets of Washington were deserted. What a contrast to the previous afternoon when we we dodging people and cars everywhere on our bicycles. We were very touched as we stood on Pennsylvania Avenue at the race start, with the Capitol ahead of us, American flags rippling on either side of us and listened to the National Anthem sung by an opera singer. It was beautiful.

And then we were off. It was a relatively flat course. Up Pennsylvania Ave. to the Capitol, then past the Capitol, a small loop just beyond the Capitol, and then we retraced our steps. Although an out and back course can be uninteresting, its fun to be able to see the race leaders as they head back for the finish.

We found each other easily after the race and sat on the curb of Pennsylvania Ave eating our bagels and enjoying the good vibes. Kathy went to check the posted times---and came back screaming in disbelief---she had come in second for her age group with a time of 26:58! We did some checking and found that Nancy had come in third for her age group! Congratulations Kathy and Nancy!!

We posed for the above photo, with the winners holding their awards before finding the Metro station and heading back.

It was a beautiful weekend, great race, lots of fun.