Do you remember your first road race?

Might have been 5th or 6th grade. Think it was a warm morning, and I remember struggling to finish the 5K in about 25:00. Then proceeded to puke - pretty sure it was my only post-race puke.

I had a similar experience to yours. I was 12 and there was a local 5k. My dad was a into running so we did it and I puked at about 2.5 miles into the race. I won my age group though but don't remember the time. It was an out and back course and I remember thinking that the guys in the lead were flying! (at about 16:00 pace). I think winning a trophy is what got me hooked.

Frito Lay wrote:

Might have been 5th or 6th grade. Think it was a warm morning, and I remember struggling to finish the 5K in about 25:00. Then proceeded to puke - pretty sure it was my only post-race puke.

I was 11 years old and entered a 5K in my town, I ran a couple of times a week at that point but nothing serious, before that my longest race had been a middle school 3K. I ran 26:01 with a couple of walks.

I was a 400/800 guy all through high school and I had never run a race longer than the 800. About a week after my last meet in my senior year of high school, there was a 3.8 mile race in my town as part of the whole memorial day celebration. I was still in decent shape, so I decided to jump in the race.

The start felt pretty easy, since I was used to getting out in a near sprint for the 800. That was about the only part that was easy. About half way through, my legs were just burning. I had never even done a tempo run or repeats longer than 400s at this point in my running career. My longest distance run ever had been one hour.

I nearly cried when I came around a turn and saw a quarter mile long hill right in front of me. When I finished, I decided that I'd never race anything longer than an 800 again, but for some reason, I found myself running more and more distance races.

3rd grade, ran the Charity 5 with my father...45:XX

not bad for a kid that only played soccer and was 2 months outta the season. 'cept those dang kenyan 3rd graders are prob poppin' off sub 6's at that age

Yup.

I was 14 at the time and ran my middle school's annual 5k run at Griffith Park in Los Angeles. I think I ran just over 20 mins on that day; felt like crap afterwards since I had a little too much to eat for breakfast. Walked away with a second place trophy in the 8th grade division then proceeded to my basketball game. Fun times.

A week or two after cross country season ended in 8th grade I ran a 5k with a buddy from the team. He ran somewhere in the mid 19s to win the age group, and I was third somewhere around 21.

Age 16, 2000 Bank to Bay 5K in Tacoma, WA. Ran 17:09.

1980 or 1981, summer after college.

Dexter-Ann Arbor 15 mile run (first road race).

felt great until about 12 or 13 due to unhealed sore medial ankle tendon, painful the last 2 miles. Felt good to have finished anyway.

I think I was 14, it was a 10K, I went along with a senior who wound up running 36:30 and got an award. I believe I ran 40:30.

Early '80s.

I had "jogged" off and on since age 12.

My first road race (versus high school track) was a St. Patty's Day 10k.

After crossing the line, a guy hands me a beer.

"I'm 15," I told him.

"Then take TWO!" he shouts.

Ah... those were the days. I think I got kashi and unsweetened yogurt at my last race, ugh.

Ha ha, that's hilarious.

Reminds me of a Letterman episode with Larry Bud. He was handing out cartons of cigarettes to the guys he interviewed and handed out one to a teen. Letterman was shouting, "Not to kids!" and when Larry turned around to get the carton back, the kid took off.

I do not remember my first road race. It was too long ago. It must have been in 1958. By the end of the 1950s, I was hitching hiking around Ontario, Quebec, Michigan and other Northern States to some track and road races. It was 1962 before I had a car. Races were few and far apart in those days. Runners would drive a long way to find a race. Also, because there were a lot fewer competitors, we got to know runners from other states a clubs. We ran against many of the same guys over and over no matter where we went. Oh, and there were no women runners at all. The first Chicago Windy City Marathon was held in 1962 and had about 15 entries.

Frito Lay wrote:

Might have been 5th or 6th grade. Think it was a warm morning, and I remember struggling to finish the 5K in about 25:00. Then proceeded to puke - pretty sure it was my only post-race puke.

HAHA me tooo

I remember running like 21:XX and puking as I crossed the finish line. Totally grossed everyone else out. Apparently you're not supposed to run 5k's with no training and eat cereal an hour before. Those were the days, being young and clueless.

When my gran-pappy was still driving horses to work every day, I entered the Lexington Patriots 5 mile race.

We wuz so poor that I could not afford shoes to wear to the race, so I wore some mocassins my maw stole from Daniel Boone's third cousin.

The night before the race we stayed up till 3 am playin cards, swearin', spittin', and whistlin' dixie, but I was still rarin' to go the next mornin'.

At the startin' line they hada civil war cannon to gets our adrenalin pumpin (you metro-runners are all sissies with your cap-pistols with their silencers!).

I did mah first mile so fast I left my underwear at the startin' line, but no matter cuz I still wore a striped tank top with my runnin' suspender pantalones.

Anyway, after the first 2 miles, I was waved over to the sidelines by some cute southern belles who offered me some tobac-key, so after a couple drags I hit the road again.

I finished 7th overall even though I was slower than a tortoise. Ya see, the night before the race I'z paid mah brotha' to head out to the last mile of the race early in the morning and turn the road sign around backwards.

By the time the rest of the pack figgured out they wuz goin' in the wrong Dee-rection, I was only a few yards from the finish.

Oh, and the prize at the finish was I got to kiss mah cousin on her ruby lips, plus enough free chewin tabac-key to last me a year!

First road race ever was a 5 miler at Scioto Downs. I was 14. Finished in 30 minutes (30:06 if I remember correctly).

The New Knoxville 10K, the summer of my sophmore year, so it must hae been 1979. I broke forty barely. The only rememorable thing about the race was that someone (not me) was wearing spikes.

I was 14 and was a freshman in highschool. I was in decent shape from basketball and did a 6:01 1600 out on the track. I did one of the local spring time races wearing my Jordans and ran 22:40. I won a 50$ Outback Steakhouse in the random prizes, so I was hooked.

I was in 7th (12 y.o.) grade and was enrolled in a PE class called "weight training" In reality, the class should have been called "running" because we did that 3 days per week and lifted 2 days. The first day of the tri-mester, we ran 1.25 miles, then every subsequent run increased by .25 miles. I think I was up to 3.5 miles when my dad told me that he had entered me in a 10k. I didn't want to do it, but he bet made a bet with me that whoever won between the 2 of us would get control of the TV remote for the next week.

I was one of those dumb kids who line up on the front row and get in everybodies way. 2 miles in I felt like garbage, at 4 miles I wanted to lay down on the grass by the side of the road. When I rounded the last corner to get to the finish line, I remember bursting into tears. Finishing time 45:09. Dad's time 45:50.

I didn't puke, but was sick for the rest of the day with a splitting headache and diarrhea. I didn't stop at all during the race. I remember that what was made me so proud after the race and led me into HS cross coutry.