NAME: The 8th Annual Officer Stewart Savage 5K Road Race and Family Fun Run
DATE: May 4, 2008
LOCATION: Start at Babson College in Needham, MA.
WEBSITE: http://www.wellesleypolice.com/Savage%20Race/Stewart%20Savage%20Race.htm
CONDITIONS: Overcast with a light drizzle.
RACE:
Course Difficulty: Easy – Mostly flat and downhill, gradual climb for the last portion of the race
Course Appearance: Pretty, Suburban – Winds through the pretty back roads of Needham/Wellesley, MA.
Race Organization: Good – Started on time, people called out mile-time at several splits, one water spot
Course Safety: Good – Street remained open, plenty of cops at intersections
Support: Bad – Probably due to rain, very few people along course other than the finish line
Recommend: Yes – A nice race for the beginning runner looking to get his/her feet wet
RESULT: 39/242 – First in age division (Complete Results from Cool Running)
BACKGROUND: On March 18, 1995, Officer Stewart Savage of the Wellesley Police Department suffered fatal injuries in the line of duty. In 2001, the Wellesley Police Department began this race in his memory. Many police departments from around the area participate in this event, and it makes it a special one to be a part of. Office Savage enjoyed staying fit, so the proceeds from this event go to youth organizations in the town of Wellesley and towards maintaining the Wellesley Police Department fitness center.
MY EXPERIENCE: Given the fact that I had only had three training runs going into this race, I obviously had modest expectations for myself. Wrong. I always place high expectations on myself, and, while I wasn’t anticipating winning in this race of some 250 participants, I wanted to do well, possibly placing in my division.
I had a little trouble getting there (my GPS took me to the wrong entrance at Babson), but once I got there, everything went pretty smoothly. I registered, paid my $20 and began warming up around the indoor track in Babson College’s athletic center. After about twenty minutes, I headed outside to do some final warmups before the race started. It was chilly and there was some drizzle and fog with little to no wind.
After some pre-race activities (including the singing of the National Anthem) I headed towards the middle of the pack to start the race. The siren went off and the racers poured out onto the street following a police motor cycle to clear the way.
Before I continue, I must say that the police presence around the course was very good, and not once did I have to concern myself with watching out for cars, and I could just focus on running, which was very helpful given that this was my first race.
The course started out slightly downhill to flat. The all road course took us through the pretty suburban neighborhoods of Wellesley and Needham. When I approached the first mile marker, there was a man with a sign calling out times to runners as they past. My first mile was at a pace of 6:54, which surprised me a little, considering most of my miles had been in the 7:10-7:15 range during the week.
While the pace didn’t last, I was able to maintain a solid speed throughout the course. The final mile seemed to be mostly up hill as we ran through the Babson campus up to the athletic center where we started. I crossed the finish line in 22:12 (a 7:09 pace) – a success for my first ever race.
The post race activities were fun as well. They were unfortunately moved indoors due to the cold and rain, but that was ok. A nice (but limited) spread was laid out for the runners, featuring burgers, hot dogs, chips, oranges, bananas, and various drinks. The awards ceremony was quick. I ended up winning my age division (18 and below – male) which was really an awesome thing. To be honest, I was expecting it since I saw very few runners that appeared to be in my age bracket throughout the race.
Overall, a great experience. Honestly, if I had had a poor time during this race (talking about experience rather than results), I am not sure if I would have had continued. Thankfully, I had an awesome time. Thanks to everyone at the Wellesley Police Department that helped put on a great race!
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