the scout 5k trail run: race report

for me, the trip to staten island for the scout 5k trail run was an excuse to revisit camp pouch, the sight of many a camp out with my old boy scout troop. camp pouch was, in fact, the location of my very first camp out, pre-scouts, with my uncle, cousin, and brother way back in the mid-1970s! the last time i was there was probably 1979 - 30 years ago.

the morning rain didn't auger well for the trip. but it was reduced to a light drizzle by the time we pulled into the camp parking lot. the course was basically a double loop around the lake. it had a couple of decent hills, but the trickiest part was a sharp downhill that was wet and slippery with moss. i was surprised at the relatively large turnout on such a gray, gloomy day. there were almost 90 finishers.

the highlight of the course was the great vista of the lake - framed in the fall foliage. the one jarring contrast to that otherwise bucolic picture was a ghastly soda machine stuck in the middle of the dirt road that lead down to the lake access! the race began and ended on the jamboree field. a flashback that caught me by surprise as i cruised along the lake front was of perch fishing, with bread crumbs on a tiny hook!

but, back to racing. since there were no mile markers (or none that i actually noticed) i couldn't gauge my pace. not that it really mattered because, mile splits or not, the race was basically a fun run for me. with the mud, hills, and occasional drizzle i was more than okay with the 23:03, 7:36 pace, finish. that was enough for 11th overall and 5th in my age group.

the next morning i'd put my trail shoes back on - with the same gray rainy weather and muddy conditions - to run the kurt steiner xc 5k at van cortlandt park!

here are some race photos.