11/11/2023
Towpath Freedom 5K
Akron, Ohio
Scott Orlando
Finish Time: 21:44
Overall Place: 19th Place / 146
Division Place: 2nd Place / 11
Nancy Wardell
Finish Time: 28:11
Overall Place: 41st Place / 146
Division Place: 3rd Place / 18
Race Recap By Nancy Wardell:
Twinning it and winning it with Scott Orlando at the Towpath Freedom 5k in Akron this morning! It was as a beautiful run around the lake (which Scott says contains baby alligators, but I didn’t see any) with very little elevation change and some awesome snacks and awards! I got a little carried away with the free cake pops I guess. I placed third in my age group with a pace of 9:04 and finish time of 28:11! I earned the awesome coffee cup and congratulations to Scott who placed second in his age group! It was another great race day!
Race Recap By Scott Orlando:
This was my first time competing in the Towpath Freedom 5K. This was the 12th annual year for the event that celebrates veterans on Veteran’s Day. The race appears to have been moved around Akron throughout the years and this year it was held at Summit Lake in Akron. The course was out and back on the newly finished trails going around the lake making for a very scenic run with lake views almost the entire run. Weather conditions were a little cool just hitting the 40’s but with no wind and sunshine it was pleasant for running. Pre race festivities included honoring all veterans in attendance and the national anthem played live by a bugler. After the festivities participants made their way up the paved trail about a quarter mile for the start of the race. I wasn’t sure what to expect competition wise at this race but did expect the race field to be a little bigger based on the results from previous years. There were 146 runners and walkers listed as finishers so not a huge turnout but also not too bad for a local race. There was another local race happening the same day along with another Veteran’s Day race happening the next day so the race fields probably got diluted some from all of the weekend races.
The horn sounded and I tried to get out to a fast start. The path was a little narrow so I wanted to get a little separation from the field so I wouldn’t get caught in heavy traffic. The first mile was mostly flat with maybe one or two areas of a little incline. My first mile split was 6:44 which was probably my fastest first mile split this year. The beginning of the second mile I settled in and slowed my pace knowing that was too fast for me to maintain. Soon after I was passed by a group of 5 runners that all appeared to be in my age group. I knew age groups were every 10 years. They were all fast runners that I knew I would not catch. I approached the turnaround point and could see who was ahead of me. The group of 5 runners that passed me had gained a lot of ground and all increased their lead on me. I had a good pace going so I didn’t let them bother me and just kept focusing on running my own race. The backside of the course had a lot more elevation change than the front side. Nothing major but there were some small hills that slowed my pace. Knowing I was getting closer to the finish I tried to pick up the pace. One last turn over a bridge and I could see the time clock. I was surprised to see the clock was under 22 minutes. I made a strong push through the finish and crossed the line in 21:44. This was my fastest 5K of the year. I then checked the results and was shocked to see that of the runners in front of me only one was in my division so I took 2nd place.
The race was really well organized. The total focus was on the veterans. They offered free registrations for veterans and had additional award divisions for them. All participants received long sleeve tech shirts and finisher medals. 1st place winners received custom fleece neck gaiters and custom medal tumblers. 2nd and 3rd place winners received the tumblers. There were tons of snacks post race and we were encouraged to take as much as we wanted home so I have more than enough cake pops, fruit snacks, and granola bars to fuel my upcoming training sessions.
I really enjoyed this race because of the beautiful scenic course, the great cause of honoring veterans, and most of all because I got to share the experience with Team ER member Nancy Wardell.