2024 Frostbite 5K Prediction Race Review

There was definitely no threat of frostbite today at the Frostbite 5K Prediction Race but there may have been a risk of drowning in the torrential rain!  I have competed in the Summit Athletic Runners Club Frostbite 5K Prediction Race several times over the years and each one is a different experience based on the weather.  Usually at this race runners are battling cold, ice, and snow, but not this year thanks to temperatures in the 50’s!  Who would think that I would be wearing shorts to compete in a frostbite race but it happened.

Most races I tend to register early in my excitement to compete and secure the best pricing.  This time a waited until I knew what the weather conditions would be.  In previous years competing in this race registering early proved to create pace challenges as my predicted times did not take into consideration snow and ice storms days before the races that impacted the ability to run.  This year once I knew there would be no snow or ice I calculated my predicted time and registered.  I went with a time that I felt would be slower than my typical 5K pace but fast enough to get something out of the run.
Not knowing if the weather in the morning would include rain I once again packed my car with several clothing options.  I did change from running tights to triathlon shorts just before the race and decided since it wasn’t raining to go with my fastest race day shoes.  I went with the triathlon shorts instead of traditional running shorts just in case it did rain.  Wet running shorts feel like soggy wet diapers to me.  Just as we lined up for the start right on cue it did start raining.

The gun sounded and we were off running.   The light rain quickly turned into heavy rain, which turned into a torrential downpour!  I started way too fast in the first lap.   The second lap of the 2 loop course was a lot tougher.  The rain was now standing water on most of the course so I was really splashing soaking my shoes with every step.  I knew I was well ahead of my predicted time so I slowed down to a pace that felt downright unholy, unnatural, and just wrong for a short race. The strategy paid off and I finished just 3 seconds off my predicted time earning 3rd place overall!

After the race we took some team pictures of us all looking like drowned rats and then I changed out of my soggy clothes into dry rain gear to wait for the results and awards.  Awards went in order of runners closest to their predicted times.  Because I was 3rd overall I was able to pick just about any prize I wanted.  Prizes included race swag from previous Summit Athletic Runners Club events.  Usually there are free race registrations for upcoming events but not this year.  All participants received nice crewneck sweatshirts and there were some snacks and water at the finish.  Some of the snacks included a variety of bagged chips.  Can I just say that anyone that chose Funyuns as a post race snack option after running is probably a serial killer!

Despite the rain I had a great time racing with so many Team-ER members. Thank you to Mickey Rzymek, Josh Ritchie, the volunteers of Summit Athletic Running Club, and the sponsors that made the race possible.