Team Ortho Monster Dash 5k - Race Recap

Katie and I ran the Monster Dash 5k today.  This was Katie's first stand-alone 5k ever, and her first race since the tri.  It was my first 5k since the Haiti Hustle a few years ago.  I signed up for the race as a way to end my post-marathon recovery period.  (Oddly enough, I'm 70% sure I saw Hal Higdon running the 5k).


Katie and I headed over a little early, not knowing how far away we would have to park.  We had a little walk from the car to the Lake Harriet Bandshell, but it wasn't too bad.  We marveled at all the crazy costumes, including a whole set of Legos, farm animals, the cast from the Wizard of Oz, and a dinosaur.  


We warmed up and stretched, and then had the big surprise of the day: no bag check!  I understand not offering a bag check for a race like a 5k, but the race website just said "bag check", and we assumed it was for everyone.  Turns out it was only for the 10 mile and half marathon.  So, with about 4 minutes to the start, we had to scramble to find a place for our bags.  We shoved them in some bushes and hoped for the best [they were fine].


I bid farewell to Katie, and we each found a spot at the start.  I was hoping for a faster race and was able to get a spot about 10 feet behind the line.  There were a lot of people, so I knew it would be tough to get moving.  Nonetheless, a sub-25 was my goal.


The race starts, and most of the people between me and the starting line were all people who should have been much farther back.  It was a tough obstacle course, but within a half mile I was able to get moving pretty well.  The 1st mile marker wasn't out, so I had no way to check my splits.  I just kept pushing and tried to gauge my position based on how far around the lake I was.  We merged in with the half marathon finish, so that required a lot more weaving and wasn't great for time.


I finished in 19:35.  Just kidding.  The first clock I saw ended up being for the 5K-9 (with dogs), and they started about 4 minutes after we did.  As excited as I was about a sub-20 finish, I'm happy with my actual 23:16 finish.  I was beat by a chicken, but no vegetables, so I count this as a major victory.

Katie had a great race too—right around 32 minutes.  We stretched, snapped a picture, and headed home.  Good race overall, but there were too many people for the venue.  Next year I'll need to look into the 10 mile or the half.