I have walked almost my whole life and I enjoy a nice hike on the trails at 5K/10K Trail Race.
Race registration for the Holliday Lake State Park 5K/10K
My friend, Sharon Grove (who is also Holliday Lake State Park's Conservation Intern) and I had already pre-registered online. We just checked in and picked up our t-shirts and race numbers. Holliday Lake State Park's Friends Group was there with hot chocolate and coffee. Here's Ann Field and Carolyn Morris manning the friends booth.
Ann Field and Carolyn Morris manning the friends booth
It was pretty chilly, but we knew we would warm up once we got moving and boy did we ever! Everyone lined up and listened to the information about the race course and got ready to go. The race director said if you were a fast runner, to get in the front and for the walkers to get in the back. So Sharon and I were in the back, and then we were OFF!
We're off in the 5K/10K at Holliday Lake State Park!
The beginning of the course circled the park road as it makes a big loop around the picnic area. I thought this was a great idea because it separated the faster runners from the slower ones (like me) before we got on the narrow trail. Sharon and I were surprised at the range of ages of the participants. There were many teenagers and younger adults (like Sharon). There were lots of people between 30 and 50 like me (I'm 42-years-old). There were some older people too. This wide range made it even more fun and interesting.
Here we are making the loop on the park road
Then we turned onto the Carter-Taylor Trail. The 10K and 5K people all stayed together at first, then the 5K people made a loop taking us back onto the Lakeshore Trail in the opposite direction. The 10K people continued on the Lakeshore Trail making the whole loop around Holliday Lake.
The course was actually more difficult than I thought it would be. Sharon and I are both very familiar with the trail and thought we knew the course, but it was a little different than we expected. The short detour onto the Carter-Taylor Trail was at a very rough section of trail, with a pretty steep hill. Now, we weren't in this to be the first ones to cross the finish line, but we didn't want to be last either. When a 73-year-old man passed us, we decided to take our pace up a notch. So we kicked it into high gear and kept that 73-year-old man in our sites until we got to the turn for us 5K people to take. To our surprise, that man was doing the 10K!
So anyway, we kept going until we got back to the park road for another circle around and then we could see the finish line!
The finish line was in sight!
We made it in about 1 hour, which is pretty good for your first trail race ever. (Did I mention I'm 42-years old and have three kids? Somehow that makes it sound a little better).
Here we are approaching the finish line
We weren't first in our age groups, but that's alright because we finished and it was fun! Here is Robert Chapman (Park Manager at Holliday Lake) telling everyone what a great job we all did.
You did a great job everyone!
It turned out to be a beautiful fall day. Several people (including me) saw a bald eagle circling the lake during the race. Seeing one of those majestic creatures on any day is a special treat. Here is a picture of Sharon and me after the race. We love the t-shirt design for the race.
Sarah Lankford (that's me on the left) and Sharon Grove
I don't have any immediate plans to do another trail race, but who knows. The race was a benefit for our Friends group, so it was all for a good cause. The plan is to have another race next year. Maybe I'll do it again. I've got a whole year to rest up for it.