When most people think of running races, we think of the big-city marathons, roads closed for hours, 20,000 people forming a human river through the city. The heart of road racing is to be found in the small local races, held on the back streets of every city and town in this country. This is the sport of running in its purest form.
We had one here in Guelph on a Sunday morning in the middle of January at a local high school. The organizers of the five-kilometre event were two of this city’s fastest runners, tending to their children while they set up the race.
Most of the 50 runners knew each other. At registration there were lots of handshakes, discussions about training and race plans for the spring. At the start, the runners eyed each other, picking out their opponents.
There were no rock bands along the route, no inflatable finish line structure. There was no line on the snow-covered road, the runners just lined up next to a telephone pole for the start. Two cones marked the finish line in the high school parking lot. Because these are runners’ races, the course is measured and the timing is accurate.
The lead runners were fast, as fast as you would find in a big race. They came across the finish line hard, looked at the clock, shook their heads and rested for a moment with their hands on their knees, before heading out in groups for a cool-down jog.
The last runners came across in 48 minutes. The youngest runner was seven years old, the oldest in his 60s; men and women, fast and slow. Everyone retreated to the cafeteria for apples and pizza and to check the results. Awards were small, pizza coupons from the ever-generous Gurinder Sami of our local Domino’s Pizza. Everyone was home by 11 in the morning, refreshed and inspired about the upcoming race season.
Running clinics look at the 5K as a beginner’s race. On the contrary, the 5K is one of the great distance races. To succeed, you need full distance training, as well as great finishing speed. Your 5K personal best is the standard by which distance runners are known.
Reid Coolsaet, when he was going for the Olympic qualifying time in the 5K, was running 160 kilometres a week in training. Coolsaet ran a 13:21, a series of 64-second laps, or two minutes 40 seconds per kilometre.
There is money to be made with the big-city marathons. When the big money goes home, the sport lives on in its purest expression in these small races, when runners gather to test their current fitness on the quiet streets.
The 5K is a great distance race. Let’s not lose it in the hyped-up world of race marketing. Find one near you. Check your local running store for the least flashy of the race brochures. Get out on Sunday morning and be part of the best of local athletics.