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I haven’t run the Black Squirrel 5K since 2015 because of schedule conflicts. I was happy that this year in the 11th annual year of the race I was able to compete. I had 2 goals in mind heading into this race. I wanted to beat my time from 2015 and win my age group. I am not sure why, but for some reason I was overly nervous about competing in this race. The week before the race I found myself reviewing the race registration website and scanning for participants in my age group. With each day the list grew and I found myself more anxious seeing so many registrants in my division. I had to remind myself to focus on my own race and not worry about anyone else.
The morning of the race the weather was cool with some gusting winds and bright sunshine. It was a little cold but running conditions were favorable. I took advantage of the indoor track at the host site of the Kent State University Recreation And Wellness Center to warm up. The registration site indicated close to 350 entries and of that 256 were listed as finishers in the final results. I knew a lot of runners competing in the race. We had 6 Team ER members in the field plus several of my neighbors ran as well as members of other run groups I train with, and other running friends. One of my neighbor’s competed with her daughter who is a professional soccer player for Racing Louisville FC and the daughter’s boyfriend who is a hockey player for Ohio State University. As the gun sounded I quickly found myself running with the professional soccer player and Ohio State hockey player. The Hockey Player made his way ahead of us and stayed there for the remainder of the race. The professional soccer player and I went back and forth passing each other. I would pass her on the flats and downhill sections and she would come back strong and pass me on the hills and there were definitely hills! The first one was short and steep and really took my breath and speed away but I managed to recover and get back to my pace. I was better prepared for the rest of the hills. As we headed into the last half mile I again passed the professional soccer player only to find that she slowed down just enough to catch her breath for the final push to the finish. She suddenly sprinted past me and I was unable to catch her. I finished just a few seconds behind her. She was the 2nd overall female finisher. I was 16th overall and won my age group with a finish time of 22:04. I had achieved my 2 goals and was happy with my result. After the race I was joking with the professional soccer player how I thought she was just toying with me each time I passed her and she quickly passed me back. She explained that was her strategy to slow down at points to recover. In the end I felt pretty accomplished in that I was able to keep up with the hockey player and professional soccer player that I doubled in age.
After the race runners were treated to a nice buffet of bagels, fruit, chili, and juices. It was so fun to see so many of our Team ER members, friends, and neighbors win awards. Age group and overall winners received nice custom medals of gold, silver, and bronze colors. All participants received green t-shirts with a race logo that included a gray squirrel on it which had many of us joking and questioning why a race sponsored by a school who’s colors are gold and navy would have green race shirts with a gray squirrel on them when the race is called the Black Squirrel 5K. Kent, Ohio is known for it’s black squirrels which were introduced in 1961 to help control the gray squirrel population that was getting out of control. So if you know the history the choice of a gray squirrel on the shirt is even more perplexing. The race was well organized and I loved the mini race bib that were used. I whish more races utilized the smaller bibs. Just prior to leaving the race we took advantage of the black squirrel photo op set up that included a wifi enabled photo printer that produced free photo prints with race branding on them. I must say that was a nice touch and we had fun taking pictures.
I really loved the mini race bibs that were used for the chip timing! So often the bibs at events are so big they become a nuisance while running. I will regularly pin race bibs on my shorts or running tights during races so I can use the bottom of my shirt to wipe away sweat. During cold weather races if I am wearing a windbreaker I will also pin the bib to my running tights or attach them to a race belt as I don't want pinholes in my jacket.
The mini race bib fit very well pinned on my running tights without catching wind, making noise, or impeding my arm swing. I wish more races utilized these smaller bibs.
I understand that race bibs are used for more than timing and typically include perforated removable sections for food and drink tickets. I will sometimes fold and pin these sections (which are generally always at the bottom) under reducing the size. At the finish line I simply remove the bottom pins and reveal the tickets. Another hack I have used at races with oversized bibs is to trim them down to size. I always include a multi tool with scissors in my race day bag which I can use for trimming down the size of an overly large race bib. Some sanctioned races may not allow this so always check the rules of the race prior to altering your bib. Never trim any required information off of your bib such as the number, coral codes, or the timing chip. I have found this to work particularly well at duathlon and triathlons for the bibs required to be affixed to your bike. Often those bibs have a tremendous amount of excess blank space that I trim off so that the bib better fits the bike. Nothing worse than having an aerodynamic bike with a huge piece of cardboard stuck to the front or frame of it.
Kent, Ohio is known as the Black Squirrel City. Apparently black squirrels were introduced to the city in 1961 to help control the overpopulation of gray squirrels. Everywhere you go in Kent you will find signs, statues, and references paying tribute to the black squirrels. Local shops sell all kinds of merchandise honoring the black squirrels.
Knowing the history of the black squirrels it is a bit humorous that the race shirts feature a gray squirrel rather than a black squirrel.
I also find it interesting that the shirt color chosen for the race this year was green. The race was hosted and organized by Kent State University which uses blue and gold as their official colors. So again not sure why they chose green. Perhaps after 10 previous years of holding the race they decided to mix it up a little. I can appreciate and understand if that was the rational behind the green shirts.
Plenty of races use the same shirt colors and design from year to year and after awhile returning runners get bored with the same old swag. Changing up the swag is one way of keeping a race from becoming stagnant and hopefully encourages previous participants to return.
The course for the 11th annual Black Squirrel 5K had to be altered a little from the traditional course due to construction. The race directors did a nice job in rerouting the course around the construction. This year's course eliminated a few hills but then added a few new ones. One thing I liked about this year's course was that it stayed fully on campus. Typically the course turns right and heads down a main road of Kent that fronts the campus before making another right turn and heading back onto campus. This year the course change included 2 sharp right turns about 1.3 miles into the race which lead runners back through the heart of campus. I think this change made for a much more scenic course. There was a short steep hill directly after the second sharp right turn. Another hill was added on the course not long after the first which had runners making their way up a pedestrian ramp. This hill wasn't as steep but was longer. These two hills were by far the most challenging areas of the course. I think I actually prefer the new course better and hope they stick with it again for next year.
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