169 Towns #19: Stratford

March 13th, 2016 · No Comments

#19 Stratford: Max's Shamrock 5K Road Race, 3/12/16

I took the opportunity afforded by a home weekend and the return of races – I’d been busy, but there also really weren’t very many to choose from over the past few weeks – to knock off a nearby town, Stratford. It was just 25 or so minutes away, in a part of town I’d never been to before, a nice little downtown with nearby parking. It was a brisk morning, but it eventually warmed up, and we all took off from under the I-95 overpass, which felt very Connecticut.

The route was a nice little residential loop, and we returned to the start. I went out too fast, as usual, but felt pretty good, and reeled in a few people. I had my eye on a high school-aged kid near the end, and I passed him with a few hundred yards to go. He charged back to try to catch me, and I fought him off through the chute, with the energy it took to hold my lead making me want really to throw up at the end. Blech.

There was no chip timing (“We need another sponsor next year, chip timing costs about $1500”), so no results after the race (my bib was even a leftover from another race), but, nice technical t-shirts and great local beer. It felt a little odd to quaff a Two Roads Espressway Stout at 9:45 in the morning, but it would have felt even more weird to pair it with a corned beef slider, so I drew the line there. It felt good to get back on the course again.

Max’s Shamrock 5K Road Race | 5K | 3/12/16 | 21:51 | 19/169

Tags: New Haven · Running