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| Raue Center Race Headquarters |
Placement: 2nd in the 55 - 59 age group, 31 out of 181 runners
Results: Here
Race Website: Here
Weather: mid 40's, breeze from the north
Garmin Dump: Here
Previous Years: [2005] [2006] [2007] [2008] [2009]
| Mile | Time | Comments |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 7:50 | Slight downhill but very solid start. Felt in control and locked in. |
| 2 | 8:16 | Some rolling hills here but nothing major. Definitely slowed up here. |
| 3 | 8:26 | More hills. I think there was more climbing here than my Garmin indicates. |
| 3.15 | 0:59 | Crushed it to the finish! |
| Total Miles: 3.15 - 25:32 | ||
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| Runners getting ready to run |
Introduction
I still have family in McHenry County Illinois, so when the opportunity came about for me to visit family, I decided to jump into a once very familiar race: The Bob Blazier Run for the Arts 5K in Crystal Lake IL.
In 2004, I started my racing journey and one of the earliest races I did was this race. The race is a fund raiser for the local live-theater and was once championed by Bob Blazier - aka Mr. Crystal Lake.
I still remember Bob being the master of ceremonies at the race but he passed away. Still, the race he called still lives on, drawing a solid contingent of runners to challenge the streets of Crystal Lake.
When I arrived into town, I found myself tingling with excitement. Who would I see? Would anyone recognize me? And how much slower was on going to be on a course that 15+ years ago gave me my legit 5K personal record (19:59) and fastest race mile ever (5:55)?
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| Familiar looking race arches pre-race |
The Race
I arrived at the race site about an hour early for the 8 AM start. I found plenty of parking and saw other runners milling about. It was a mere 15 minute drive from my hotel in McHenry.
A few minute walk from my parking spot found myself in the Raue Center Theater's Lobby and I quickly got my bib. One of the volunteers recognized my name and asked me if I knew someone and I was like "yes!" I was already being recognized. I also mentioned I had come all the way from Salt Lake, in part, to run this race.
That definitely drew some attention!
As I meandered about taking photos I ran into more and more people that I knew. It was overwhelming at times, but people remembered me and began asking me what brought me back into town (family stuff).
I managed to get away for a bit to warm up and get some strides in. I was there to see people but also race.
As I was warming up, I began to wonder if in the intervening years, if the race organizers had changed the course at all. I had vague recollections of it -- the first mile was slightly downhill, the 2nd mile had some rolling hills and the final one had a poorly placed hill right near the end.
The race is held on the city streets, which were quiet on a Sunday morning. The street was wide and with only about 200 runners in the race, there was no worried about being blocked in. Most of the course on residential roads that were lined with stately, mature trees and older, but well-to-do houses. The race start and finish were pretty much near the theater in the business district in the classic downtown area.
The start was a gun start but a chip on your bib would record your finish time. I was encouraged to start near the front if I cared about my time and placement.
I had sized up my competition and I really had no idea who was in my age group. The crowd was definitely an older one and I feared I had have to put up one heck of a race to place.
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| Race Start |
We were off at 8 AM and those that I suspected were fast, took off. I felt like a few runners in my age group were already ahead of me. Perhaps I could reel them in but the prospects of winning something, despite the previous year's results saying I'd probably would, weren't encouraging.
None the less, I was trying for a fast time, and I didn't want that to discourage me. I also was running in lower altitude, coming from higher altitude.
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| Typical stretch of road |
I definitely noticed a difference as my breathing felt in control and I actually felt like I was getting more oxygen. A series of small downhills and easy turns, had me turn in a 7:50 first mile, despite me not getting overly anxious about my pace. Solid start!
Memories of the previous races I had down were coming back to me. It was the same course and that would mean that the course was going to come in around 3.10 miles. No shortages here.
For a 5K, this race does have quite a few spectators and I gave one a large surprise when I knew their name. I shouted it and I could tell their jaw hit the ground. I got a voluminous shout of support back. It pepped me up.
The second mile found my pace slow up. There were a few uphills here and I had to slow down a bit. I was wearing short shorts, a t-shirt, a cap and thin gloves. Many others seemed overly dressed for the weather conditions. I was holding my own on the course, neither overtaking people nor being passed by too many runners.
I knew my pace was dropping, mostly on account of the hills. I was definitely rebounding on the downhill sections though. Mile 2 popped up in 8:15. About what I expected.
The final mile has a a steep uphill. We had more or less exited the neighborhood portion and were on a major section of road. I remembered it being the toughest mile as we ascended one hill after another. I also remembered that the finish line sort of snuck up on you.
I still had my doubts about placing. One guy who I had thought was definitely in my age group (he wasn't) was clearly 90 seconds ahead of me. I also suspected a few other runners may be in the top 10 as well. It wasn't looking good.
Still, I was on for a fairly decent race. I ran by the cemetery and a police station and finally I could see (and hear) the train station at the top of the hill.
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| Finish line stretch |
As I head into the downtown area, the crowd support picked up and the final .15 miles felt like I was finishing a marathon. They had a drumming band there blasting out tunes and the crowds shouted encouragement propelled me forward.
I wasn't really going to catch anyone ahead of me, but a few quick turns over my shoulder indicated I had some pursuers behind me. I didn't have any idea of their age groups, but I wasn't going to let them pass me.
Fortunately, I wasn't passed and I sped through the finish line -- in a respectable 25:33.
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| 2nd place Age Group Medal. |
Conclusion
After the race, I saw so many people I knew. I was also graciously welcomed by the Hillstriders running group -- many of them I still knew. I also surprised a lot of other runners that I hadn't seen at the start. It was overwhelming at times but it was awesome to see so many people that were still at it.
With some trepidation, I checked the results and was happy to see I was in 2nd place. I wound up refreshing the results at least half a dozen times because I didn't actually believe it. but my there it was: 2nd place.
Post race refreshments included Country Donuts, water and bananas. The donuts were outstanding and are a classic Crystal Lake "thing".
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| Donuts! |
Some things never change and I am happy to report that this race still serves up a solid race experience -- just like it did over a decade ago.
The shirt was high quality and wonderfully designed. There were no finisher's medals but you had a decent shot at an age group award. The medals were adequate to celebrate the accomplishment but not the top. The course was extremely well marshalled and I never had fear of where I needed to run. The final finish line stretch was incredible as well.
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| T-shirt, bib + age group medal |
My race performance was a mixed bag. It was indeed better than usual and I felt better than I had in a while. Still, I was hoping to go 24:50 - 25:10 or so. I think I came very close to hitting it if the course was 3.10 but my Garmin (and most others on Strava got it slightly longer). It definitely was a step in the right direction though and I left with positive feelings.
Father time always wins in the end and yes as I get older, I am getting slower and less fit. I miss the days where I was hitting 20-flat. But unless a miracle or some training breakthrough happens, those days are over. Still, it was fun to compete and see what I could do. It was also so nice to be welcomed back into the McHenry county running fold -- where I first toed the line back in 2004.
Upcoming Races
06/28: 2025 Taylorsville Dayzz 5K - Taylorsville, UT (Confirmed)
03/26: 2026 Mount Charleston Half Marathon - Las Vegas, NV (Confirmed)
