This is a new race for Medford, which is a great thing.
The Medford Kiwanis Super Hero 5K took place behind the McGlynn School in Medford and ran the trail along the Mystic River.
We’ve been waiting for summer to arrive and it finally did on June 8th. It was probably only in the low 70s but the sun made it feel much warmer.
Kids Fun Run
I always enjoy seeing the little kids do their fun run. Some kids are so young they still bounce up and down when they run. Their brains are not yet wired to make their bodies run smoothly.
The kids started at the start line for the 5K, did a loop behind the school and came down the path to cross the finish line. Some were running while others looked like they weren’t quite sure what was going on.
It was of course, totally cute.
The mayor was there and they all got a finisher’s medal.
Later they had a costume contest since this was a “Super Hero 5K.”
I don’t know who most of the super heroes are these days and I heard all kinds of names that I was unfamiliar with.
The race director, Kelly Catallo seemed to know what each costume was.
I think all of the kids were in costume and many adults were as well.
I was dressed as a middle-aged runner. In some books that is a super hero costume!
Running the Medford Kiwanis Super Hero 5K
There was a pretty good turn out for this race. The official finisher’s count was 138 runners.
I lined up about 10 feet from the start line. I had no intentions are pushing it. As I stood there I saw a few kids lining up near the front and I tried to just let it go.
If I hung back a bit for the first quarter mile there would be plenty of room to pass them without getting hung up.
Then I saw a guy with a stroller making his way from the front into the crowd. At first I thought he was lining up in the front which would have been crazy. But he made his way to the back.
At 9AM Kelly gave us the go and we were off.
The first part of the course was the path along the river which was shaded. As we approached the Mystic Valley Parkway the trees gave way to grass and pavement.
I always feel odd running this route as it seems we will have to cross the parkway. But, there is a wooden walkway under the bridge and we totally avoid the Parkway.
As we ran under the bridge I admired the graffiti. The texture on the concrete gave a nice effect to the art work. I didn’t see any trophies though!
As we exited the bridge walkway we were in the Mystic River State Reservation and in about a half mile. The crowd had thinned a lot by now and I found my self passing my friend Mark Rosenblum who is a much better runner than I.
Mark is coming back from an injury but he has still finished ahead of me at several other races. I told him he would probably be passing me in the last mile.
As we wound through the park I admired all of the work the DCR has done over the past year to upgrade the park. It looks like they used granite instead of concrete in some places and there may even be a boat or canoe launch area.
The landscaping looked well planned to avoid erosion and mitigate flooding.
When we got to The Fellsway bridge over The Mystic they had an officer blocking a lane on the bridge for us. I stayed on the sidewalk and only had two people to pass on the bridge.
Then we turned right onto Shore Drive and had our water stop in the DCR boat house park. I managed to get one swallow of water and inhaled half of another gulp.
We took the Rt. 16 bridge back over The Mystic and back into the reservation for a quick loop to the wooden walkway under the bridge.
Super Hero 5K Finish
It was warm in the sun and I was glad I took that cup of water. Soon after the bridge we hit mile three in Riverbend Park behind Hormel Stadium. All of my miles were around 7:45 and I didn’t feel like I had a kick.
As we approached the finish line a guy behind me kicked it in and passed me. I couldn’t tell if he was in my age group or not. The race had 10-year age groups which can make it tough when you’re in the middle.
I finished strong and managed a 24:01 finish time. Nothing crazy, but I’ll take it! My friend Mark Rosenblum finished just behind me at 24:25 and was the male 60-69 Age Group winner! I was 21st overall and Mark was 22nd.
My other running buddy, Jim Gallant, came in 3rd in the male 60-69 AG and 40th overall.
My time was good enough for a 2nd place AG finish. The race awarded medals for the top three male and female runners and AG 1st place runners. I don’t think anyone was disappointed.
We all enjoyed Sicilian pizza and Naked Ox ale which is brewed in Dorchester. There was plenty of pizza for everyone. The beer could have been colder, but it was pretty good.
We all got a chuckle that we were drinking beer on school grounds! And the mayor and at least one city councilor was there! There weren’t any issues, but 40 years ago all of us would have been busted for doing the same!
138 runners is a good turn out for a first year running. This race is VERY family oriented and the kids had fun in their super hero costumes.
If you live in the area be sure to look for this race next June in Medford!
Run well my Friends!
Andy