Silver Lakes Park
21 September 2013
29.2 Miles Finished
The Staten Island 6-Hour was my first ever timed race. Sponsored by the Richmond Rockets and the Broadway Ultra Society (of which I am now a member), the run took place at Silver Lakes Park. In my head, I divided the 1.67-mile loop into four parts: the downhill, the dirt path, the concrete, and the final stretch.
From the starting line/timing table, there was a big downhill then slight uphill that was about a third of a mile. At the end of that section, the course ran alongside the outside of the park. Next to the asphalt path, there was dirt, so I ran on the dirt through that whole section, which was about three quarters of a mile. Then there was a stretch of concrete sidewalk along Victory Boulevard. It measured .2 miles and was uphill. Then after that the course turned back into the park for the final half mile of the loop.
(During the final half hour, we ran a smaller loop that was .8 miles. That loop crossed the lake and had nice views, although it had no shade and a killer hill at the end.)
I consistently walked the uphill concrete section and ran everything else, so I got regular walk breaks and didn’t get bored with the course. In fact, I think the course was just about perfect. The day was mostly overcast, but there was enough shade that I didn’t have to put on a hat until late in the race. I was really hoping to squeeze in 30 miles, but I ended up with 29.2 and was pleased with it. They gave trophies to the people who went more than 26.2, so I ended up with 15th place among the women and received a trophy. (It’s my first running trophy!) There was a mix up at the end where they didn’t call my name to get an award and I thought they didn’t have the right distance for me, but it turns out my name was just overlooked on the list of winners.
Overall, I had a fantastic time at this race and would definitely recommend it. I plan to run it next year and/or try another timed race between now and then. It was also the perfect complement to my 50-mile training. I got to push myself a little bit while having a supported training run and good company. I met several people who were super nice and I’ll look forward to seeing them in the future, too.
Pre-Race
Starting Line Instructions
Outside Loop (dirt path)
Inside Silver Lakes Park (final stretch to start/finish area)