4k XC race--only XC race i've ever won. about 50 people in it or so. i was in college and beat my teammates, which was a pretty big deal. won't say who, but one of them placed in the top 10 at the NCAA Champs this year in XC, so beating him was a big deal.
I won a marathon that had about a hundred runners in it. Ran the whole race by myself.
When I was in high school, I won a 5k that had a couple hundred runners.
1st, I'm sure we all agree that our fastest times were not when we won races....? At least most of us would say that...?
Example:
1st out of 1000+ in a 5 mile (27:28)
5th out of 700+ in a 5 mile (26:16)
One of my best "combos": Chicago Corporate Challenge 3.5 mile in 18:12, 20th out of 13000+ (I realize 12,500 were after-work joggers, but they still count!?!)
Good point, actually. I won at least 40 races and not one of my PRs, not even for obscure distances like four miles, is in a race that I won.
The human race.
runhrd wrote:
1st, I'm sure we all agree that our fastest times were not when we won races....? At least most of us would say that...?
Yeah, that's the case with me. The two 5Ks that I've won were in 17:4X and 18:20. But my PR is 17:08 and I placed 7th.
That's funny.
Portland Race for the Cure-- ~46,000
My sophomore year in HS we had an early season indoor dual meet on my birthday. In the frosh-soph 880 (it was 1971) the coach only entered me, figuring we'd get the first place points and give them the rest. The other team did the same thing, so there were only two of us in the race. Of course, I won or I wouldn't be telling this story. It was the smallest race I ever won, yet it was HUGE to me.
I was overall winner in a total of 7 road races, one in the 1970's, the rest in the 1980's, but they were all small local races.
Back in the 70's there were way less road races than there are now, so you sort of had to look around for places to race. A guy I knew in the next town decided to host a race, "The First Annual 5 Mile...." and called to ask me to run it just to beef it up a bit. It was and out-and-back course. With about a mile to go, I was winning by about 50 yards and I heard a train whistle. There was a long slow freight train approaching. I sprinted for about 200 yards and beat the train to the crossing by about 30 yards, and the entire rest of the race was stopped by the train. My 25:40 effort was decent, and the margin of victory was well over a mile. Needless to say, it was "The LAST Annual 5 Mile....."
World Junior XC ski Championship.
17:17 5k PR...6th of 125-150
Only race I ever won 18:17 out of 46
A bit over 24,000
Back in the early 80s won a 10K with 25,000 runners, in Detroit, MI. I think it was the Emilys Run. I think I ran 30:20 something. I won a trophy which was a runner on a Coors Light beer can. Pretty funny!!
Monty
PS Long live the "Footstop Racing Team"
won the seattle half marathon a few years back
Won the local corporate challange race with a little over 6,000 participants. This is huge when you go back to work as a celebrity, but in reality out of 6,000 participants, only 10-15 are "regular" competitiors in the local running community.
I nhigh school I won several dual meets in track competing in the mile and two mile. I also won several races through sections in track though nothing beyond that.
In college I won a few races in dual meets also (in track, mostly in the 5K and steeple. I don't think that I have ever won a 10K on the track).
I have only won one cross country race in my life. It was a small invite while I ran at a JC. I ran like 22 minutes for a 4 miler.
I have won several road races in my life. I won a local 5K and also a 10K in the town in which I went to high school. I think that the most competetors that I won with was ~75 or so. I think I ran like a 36:30 or so. I have won other road races with smallish fields. I remember one distictly in which my girlfriend at the time (an 800 meter runner at the college that we both attended) was running the 5K while I was doing the 10K. Right after we both started she yelled at me, "YOU HAD BETTER WIN!" and I did. She was an odd one.
Once, as an adult, I was winning a 5 mile cross country race by a good margin and I took a wrong turn only to come in second by about 25 seconds.
I don't think that I have ever PRed in a race that I have won.
About a year ago I won a local 5k race in 15:07, beating about 720 people. I'm pretty sure that's the biggest one I've ever won.
Won the Tacoma City Half Marathon this last year ,776 finishers with a pathetic time almost 10 minutes off of my PR.
Largest race win was a 2.9 mile race in 14:33, there were over 1000 finishers in that one.
Won many races over the past 35 years but usually with only a minimally competitive field. Still manage to win a race or two per year, but generally off-road courses with not a lot of talent. I couldn't even make the traveling team in college so I am making up for lost time as an older "fast" guy in the small town races when much of the real talent has retired.
Other than team time trials and other unofficial stuff, I only had one win, a club 880. Absolutely no idea how many were in it--probably between 10 and 20, though only two of us were remotely competitive. (I lapped a couple as I entered the homestraight, and this was on an outdoor track.)
And it was far, far from a PR, as the other semi-decent guy was relying on me to set a good pace. Meanwhile, I figured as long as I was ahead of him I must be running the right speed.
The first 440 was *considerably* over 60 as a result, then we both came close to setting 440 PR's on the second lap.
After winning that race, I was more embarrassed than I ever was after finishing DFL in others. The only thing that could have made me feel worse would have been losing it.