Kent State Softball Fly Ball 5K Review

The Fly Ball 5K was a new race held at the Kent State University Airport in Stow, Ohio.  The race was a fundraiser for the Kent State University Softball Team.  I wasn’t planning on running this race but when so many of my friends from Ohio Team ER registered I decided to give it a try.   I really wasn’t sure what to expect.  Being this was a new race their wasn’t a lot of information about it.   The online registration form didn’t seem to have many details either.  I was told that an email would be sent the day before to all participants with more details including course information.   The day before I did not receive the final instructions email so I reached out to the race contact listed on the registration page.  The contact was nice enough to call me directly.  She let me know that my email address had bounced back.  She provided me with the final instructions by sending them to another email address that I provided.  The final instructions didn’t have any information about the course so I figured I would take advantage of the early packet pick up the day before the race to better prepare myself for what to expect the next morning.  At the packet pick up I met the race director who was very friendly and answered all of my questions including explaining the course.  I was able to relay the information to my fellow Team ER members who as it turned out also didn’t receive the email containing the final instructions.  They must have had an issue with their email system.

Race morning it was a little chilly but there was little to no wind so running conditions were pretty favorable.  The race field was small with just under 50 runners.  From speaking with the race director it sounded like they wanted to get at least 30 participants but also keep the race relatively small for the first year to work out any glitches.  Pre race was very smooth and easy.  The entire Kent State University Softball Team was there to great runners as they checked in.  All pre race activities were inside which is always nice this time of year.  When it was time to race everyone headed outside to the runway for the start.  The course was 2 laps around a loop formed by the runway and service road connecting to it.  It was like running on a long track.  The course was mostly flat with a few gradual inclined areas most notably a section about a half mile from the the end of the lap 1 and the finish.

When the gun went off I quickly found myself leading the race field.  I was a little surprised there weren’t young and faster runners ahead of me.  It was fun to see the lead pack just behind me made up almost entirely of Team ER members.  The first mile was mostly flat or slightly downhill  and was fast.  I clocked a 6:54 first mile.  As the race field started to spread out I continued to find myself in the lead with one runner just behind me.   I was trying to push the pace and get some separation but he stayed just behind me making me work hard.  Nearing the first turn I was passed by a younger extremely fast runner who I identified as the race timer.  I knew I couldn’t catch him so I focused my efforts on 2nd place.   The runner that was behind me continued to push me from behind.  I tired a couple of times to increase pace and gain some ground but he kept making it back up.  Finally halfway through the second lap he started falling back and I created a gap.  I knew I had to keep running hard to maintain the gap and the lead on him.  The last small hill before the finish was touch but after that I made a sprint to the finish with all of the Kent State University Softball Team players cheering me on through the timing mats.  I was quickly presented with an award for 1st place overall with a time of 22:00.  I was a little confused because I knew the race timer had beat me.  I was informed that he was only running to test the distance of the course and was not part of the actual race.  Awards were presented to the top 3 overall male and female finishers.  Because it was such a small race there were no age group awards.

All runners received a t-shirt and finisher medal.  Overall awards were medals that slipped onto the finisher medal ribbons.  Overall this was a little neat race experience.  It is not everyday you get to race on the runway of an airport.  I wasn’t sure about how I would like the course but I was surprised how enjoyable it was.  I was able to see all the other runners as I worked my way around the 2 loops and the Kent State University Softball Team players did a great job cheering us all on to the finish.

Being this was a new race there are always area  for improvement.  I heard several comments of participants suggesting that there should have been a water station at the end of the first lap and at the finish line.  I think more details such as course maps should be included in the online registration page.  Better communication and marketing of the race through social media could help grow the race.  I always prefer tech shirts over cotton t-shirts.  Even though there were no age division awards it would have been nice to have an awards presentation for the top finishers after the race.  I think they should have waited until all of the runners crossed the finish line before presenting awards.  Handing out awards as runners cross the finish time can lead to problems if the race is chip timed.  In this case an award was presented to the 3rd  male crossing the finish line but there was actually a tie for 3rd place because the 4th place overall male finisher started a few seconds behind resulting in crossing the finish line 4th but having the exact same chip time finish.  The runner that crossed the finish line 4th overall actually tied for 3rd place but did not receive an award.  A runner starting in the back can have a faster chip time then someone crossing the finish line first.  Post race there were donuts and water inside the building but I didn’t know about it until I was leaving.  I think some more snacks post race would have been nice.

Thank you to all the young fast people that slept in and stayed home. You never know what will happen at a race or who will show up. You just get there, run, and good things can happen.

Overall this was a really fun race experience.  For a first time race it was well organized.  I enjoyed seeing so many Team ER members there and I will plan on returning next year.