Race report: Run Evasion Rhone
Distance: 22.3 km
Route: Départ du centre sportif de la Queue d'Arve / Rue François-Dussaud / Rte de Chancy / Bois de la Bâtie / Pont Butin / Berges du Rhône tout le long jusqu'à la sortie du bois de Châtillon / Aire-la-Ville / Barrage de Verbois / Réserve naturelle de l'Allondon / La Plaine / Arrivée à la salle polyvalente de Dardagny.
Conditions: Warm, humid, overcast with a very light sprinkle. 556 individual runners and 154 relay pairs.
The Run Evasion Rhone (RER) offers a beautiful 22.3 kilometers of trail from the city along the river to the finish line in the vineyards of Dardagny. Jess and Laura met us outside our apartment this morning to ride the train together from La Plaine to Geneva for the race. We got our bibs, stretched, waited, jogged a short warm up, and finally, it was time for the 10:15 start.
I wasn't sure I would run today, but I taped my sore Achilles and decided to see how far I could go. Not exactly easing back into it, I started out fast, surprised that things didn't feel as bad as I thought they might, so I started to run like I hadn't just taken a week and a half off to sit and ice. This worked for the first speedy 5km, and I felt alright for the second five, but was starting to feel that I wasn't going to make it through. Soon it was halfway over, maybe a good place to stop, but then came the 15 km mark, and that's just too close to the end not to finish. I really pulled back in the last few kilometers, and being passed by so many other runners hurt more than my little injury, but at least I would finish. If I decided to quit, I'd still need to walk to the finish line, so it made sense to keep on running, slower, but still going. I was off by about 5 minutes and just as many positions of my estimated arrival, but still happy to make it and crossed my fingers that I didn't worsen the problem in my Achilles. I suppose it would have been better to sit this one out, but it's a nice course, close to home, and just too tempting. I managed to shave ten minutes off my time from last year, so not a total loss.
 |
| photos by RER |
Go team! We all finished, enjoyed some cider, and a posed with Phil, the overall champion.
Splits: 5k- 22.23 10k- 47.00 15k- 1:11,25 20k- 1:36,40 finish- 1:50, 14
Kilometer splits: 4.14, 4.15, 4:02, 4.40, 5.09, 5.10, 4.54, 4.53, 4.15, 5.24, 4.53, 5.13, 4.48, 4.44, 4.44, 4.40, 4.57, 4.29, 5.54, 5.12, 5.51, 6.10
Rank: 7 / 47 age category, 10 / 104 women
