Run to Win

The L/A Bridge Run was this morning, concluding the 1^st Annual Lewiston/Auburn Triple Crown racing series. Conditions for the race were favorable, with temperatures in the low 60s, overcast skies, and only a very light breeze albeit with a bit of humidity mixed in.

Ethan Hemphill returned again this year to claim the victory, splitting the distance between his performances from the last two years to finish in 15:29, 20 seconds ahead of Nicholas Wheeler. The race was a little closer on the women’s side, where Lauren LaRoche’s 18:40 was only 15 seconds ahead of Tina Meserve.

There were a few guys that went out for the cameras at the beginning of the race but who quickly faded (all but one not even making it to the bridge before falling back,) but a lead pack of 5 runners quickly formed and put a little distance on the field after going through the first kilometer in 3:05.

Towards the end of the second kilometer, I was behind the pack which had whittled down to 3 guys with a few others starting to string themselves out. I ran it in 3:12, slower than I wanted to go but still on pace.

Everything fell apart by 3k, though and I barely managed to hang on for the rest of the race. I got passed by a few guys and finished in 6^th place overall with a time that was at least 45 seconds too slow. Most of the people that I spoke to felt that they had all run slower than they thought they would going into the day, but that is small consolation.

I did secure a 3^rd place finish in the Triple Crown Series, however.

Here were the final standings for the 3 races:

(Full Results – Triple Crown Results – Photo Credit: Erin Moore – Penta Photos: Kids Race – Start Line – Finish Line 1, 2, 3 – DCY: Photos & Video)

There are a lot of prizes up for grabs tomorrow morning at the L/A Bridge Run, the 3^rd and final triple crown race for this summer in Auburn. The series began with the L/A YMCA Fit Fest in June and continued with Emily’s Run at the end of July. If you have already run both races, then you should definitely go to tomorrow’s Bridge Run because not only are there prizes for the top 3 overall in the 3 race series, but there are also prizes for the top 2 in each age category. If you did not run in both of the races, there are still all of the normal prizes for the Bridge Run itself.

This list here is not at all official or definitive, just me trying to figure out who the top people are. It is shaping up to be a tight race for 3^rd place in the men’s race, which I can hopefully carry through given that my goal time would have gotten me 3^rd at the Fit Fest and would have won at Emily’s Run.

The race for 3^rd is pretty tight in the women’s race as well, although with fewer runners vying for the spot.

(More Info: Greater L/A Triple Crown)