Traditional preparation for a successful road race is to do an easy low-mileage run the day before, and to get a solid, uninterrupted sleep the night before to recharge the batteries and have maximum energy for the race.
Emma Rogers, the winner of the Aug. 10 CDR SuperHero Dash 5K did the exact opposite, yet still won by more than a minute. Her less-than-ideal preparation included getting up in the middle of the night to watch the men’s Olympic Marathon from 2-4 a.m.
Rogers, 24, of Williamsburg, who will start her teaching career this month at Clara Byrd Baker Elementary, won in 18:01, followed by Emily Honeycutt, 33, of Newport News (19:07), Isabella Strumke, 10, of Toano (21:07), Tricia Murphy, 43, of Williamsburg (21:17), Marjorie Friedrichs, 57, of Williamsburg (21:58), Caroline Gartland, 16, of Williamsburg (22:53), Katherine Wease, 34, of Williamsburg (23:38) and Deelyn Robinson, 58, of Williamsburg (23:43).
Rogers emailed, “Due to the weather, I moved my long run to Friday so that I could do a ride on Sunday. I did a little over 15 miles. I was just doing the race for a hard workout effort. I knew beforehand that I wouldn’t feel amazing for it, but my goal was about 18 minutes. It didn’t help that I decided to watch the Olympic Marathon at 2 a.m. I probably got around 4-5 hours of sleep total, which was not a good idea.”
She also ran from her home, in the Mill Neck Road neighborhood above Lake Matoaka, as a warm up to the race site (about 2 1/2 miles), then ran back home after the race awards ceremony. The 5K was the 12th Colonial Road Runners Grand Prix race of the year.
The CDR race course is almost totally flat, with just a couple hills, one in the opening half mile, and the second in the final mile. The start and finish is at the Vineyards Clubhouse, and the main stretch, on Treasure Island Road, is completely shaded. There was only about a half mile total of sun in the neighborhood, but conditions were very challenging due to the weather. The morning low was in the upper 70s, with high humidity and a high dew point, and with the temp quickly exceeding 80 degrees.
For the men, the two CRR superstars, Roger Hopper and Adam Otstot, usually run in the mid-15s, but Saturday, Hopper, 33, of Chesapeake could only manage 16:01, and Otstot, 42, of Williamsburg 16:39. Then there was a 2 1/2 -minute gap to Jack Searle, 18, of Great Britain (19:08) and another minute to Jack Strumke, 14, of Toano (20:17), followed by Beckham Dollyhigh, 18, of Toano (20:35), Brian Fries, 36, of Yorktown (20:58) and CRR vice president David Anderson, 54, of Williamsburg (21:09).
On an age graded basis, as compiled by CRR statistician Jim Gullo, five runners bettered the national-class level of 80%, despite the sticky and hot conditions. Otstot led the way with an 82.49%, and was followed by Rogers (81.78%), Isabella Strumke (81.66%), Friedrichs (a PR 81.23%) and Hopper (80.74%).
Just missing the 80% standard was Marie Shay, 68, of Williamsburg at 78.68%, but who had the only age group record of the day. Her time of 26:03 bettered her own women’s 65-69 record of 26:29 from last year. Friedrichs (21:58) came close to the women’s 55-59 record of 21:32 by Laura Shannon, 55, of Williamsburg in 2018. Shannon was inducted into the Virginia Peninsula Road Racing Hall of Fame this past winter.
Also above the regional-class age graded level of 70% were Honeycutt (77.24%), Deelyn Robinson (76.13%), Ken Mitchell, 79, of Williamsburg (26:58, 75.19%), Murphy (72.50%), Anderson (71.35%) and James Bates, 68, of Hampton (24:05, 70.83%).
Bates was running his first local race in about 14 years, after retiring last October from his job as a civilian contractor with the U.S. Army in South Korea, then traveling extensively throughout Southeast Asia until mid-July. Before heading to Korea in 2010, and while living on the Peninsula, Bates was one of the fastest runners in Hampton Roads. In the early 2000s, he introduced age graded running to the area. Robinson ran her first CRR race of the year, after a foot injury incurred over the winter, and a later relapse.
Men’s winner Hopper emailed, “Heat and humidity were definitely a factor, maybe not too bad, but probably cost most of us a good 5 seconds per mile or so. Mile splits were 5:14, 5:10, 5:06 on my way to 16:01, a bit slower than the past few years (15:40, 15:26, 15:37), but about what I expected given the conditions and my current fitness. Averaged over 130 miles per week for the four weeks leading into the race, so probably a little fatigued from that as I build toward bigger things. I’m still doing back and hip rehab every day, still have issues here and there, but every day, and especially every week, is a little better. I’m looking forward to being back to my normal self this fall!”
Otstot also suffered the injury bug, spraining his ankle at the June 29 Night Owl 9K on the treacherous Freedom Park mountain bike trails. He emailed, “Still working to get some decent fitness back after some time off, so while the heat and humidity certainly didn’t help, I’m just trying to race myself back into shape. Highlight of the morning for me was connecting with the running community, chatting with friends, and seeing an old friend Jim Bates for the first time in a while.”
Friedrichs, a VIMS professor, was the competitive highlight of the day, age grading a lifetime best, despite the oppressive weather conditions. She emailed, “I was excited about my 81.23% age grade, as I’ve only reached 80% a handful of times (all over the past two years that I’ve been running with the CRR), and never broken 81% before, so that’s a record for me. This summer I’ve been trying to add some speed sessions into my weekly routine of about 40-50 miles per week, and it seems to be paying off. I’m definitely excited to see what the cooler weather brings this fall!”
Women’s runner-up Honeycutt emailed, “I knew this wouldn’t be a PR attempt. It was quite hot and humid, and I was by myself from a little over a half mile into about the 2-mile mark where a male high school runner caught up to me. I went out well in 5:57, slowed to a 6:17 (with the heat/humidity, running alone, and a turnaround), then picked it up to a 6:11. I finished where I expected for women and placed much higher overall than expected [4th overall]. While it was not ideal racing temps, I felt really good at the finish which is a good sign for cooler weather races.”
Shay, the only record breaker texted, “I thought last year’s weather was worse than this year. I really like this course! I liked it 26 seconds more this year! But you know me, I always think I can do better. I have to get to that 80% [age grade]! I think it’s only happened once! Going to have to push a little harder to get there.”
One of the day’s highlights was the Trike Trek, where a dozen or so charity fundraisers raced tricycles for several hundred yards. Race director Nancy Wigley of CDR texted, “Top 3 Trike Trekkers were Steve Tetrault, David Byrnes and Steve Wigley [her husband, and the defending Trike Trek champion]. The Trike Trek has become the major fundraising element to the race. We raised over $54,000.”
Rick Platt is president of Colonial Road Runners.
