The Pure Protein Night Race was my first time racing a 10 km distance so I wasn't too sure how to run it. I was feeling strong and confident after all of the summer training and my recent fast 5km, so I decided to push for the same kind of speed and see how long I could sustain it.
The course starts and finishes at the Canada Aviation and Space Museum and is an 'out & back' 5 km each way along the unlit parkway road. The conditions were hot and humid despite the rain earlier in the day. The race vibe was excellent, with a live DJ and the lights and sunset it was a real party atmosphere. Headlamps are mandatory and most runners had the free flashing lace-lights on their feet, which made for quite a buzz as everyone got warmed up and ready to go.
As the countdown started I was in the first couple of rows, looking forward to getting out fast and trying to hang on to the leaders. By the second KM marker the leaders had disappeared into the night but I knew I was in the top 10, and I focussed on staying within reach of the next runner, and trying to maintain my distance from the headlamp of the runner behind me!
The dark made for an interesting experience. It was almost impossible to see how many runners were in front or judge how far away the leaders were. As we got close to the turn-around I moved up another place and tried to count the runners going back the other way - but it was hard to tell. At 7.5 KM the race merged with the 5km event so the road became crowded, and as the two races mingled I could no longer listen out for the next 10km runner behind me.I held on to my pace and gave a final kick to run the last km in less than 4 mins. I finished 4th overall (3rd place male; 1st place age-group) with an official time of 41 mins 29 secs.
Photos via @NightRaceCA on Facebook
Official timing results on www.startlinetiming.com
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