Crawling from my slumbers around 6:30 this morning, the ominous sound of heavy rain suggested the 28th Branford Road Race was going to be a damp affair. Guthrie and I had no plans to run this year, instead Guth was going to offer post-race massage and I was going to watch.
By the time we arrived in Branford, the weather had cleared and while humid, had significantly improved.
The BRR is a classic shoreline road race that attracts a large field. The course has a couple of strategically placed undulations, but is otherwise reasonably fast. However, due to the time of year, the warm, humid conditions, that are the norm, can make this a tough 5 miler.
Despite the crowd gathered at the start, there were many of our regular faces missing, Eraser, Mort, Scoobie, Shaggy, Iggy and Master Po, were all absent through injury or other commitments. As the field headed out, I was struck by how quiet it was. Having never stood on the sidelines at this event before, this was a surprise. It was almost like a ghost train leaving town.
Within what felt like a short span of time, the lead runners reappeared. The pace looked slow, but the sweat suggested otherwise, the humidity was taking it’s toll. As runner after runner passed by, I noticed the smiles got noticeably bigger, maybe the folks towards the back have more fun even though they looked as if they were working just as hard!
Hats off to everyone who finished, I tried to snap the ones I knew, but in my haste to leave the house I forgot a camera and had to make do with my phone.
I’m off out myself now for a bimble, while Guth takes a nap. She was still working long after most of the crowd had left the green!