Figured I’d write a short report for a short race.
This past Saturday I ran the Lake Burton Fun Run. This race is a two-mile route that begins at Moccasin Creek State Park and ends in front of LaPrade’s Marina. It’s held annually on a Saturday near the 4th of July and has been held every year dating back to sometime in the 1980’s – incredible longevity for a community race.
It’s the largest race in northeast Georgia outside of the Atlanta metro area as far as I’m aware. This year there were 1700 registered runners and 1523 were credited with an official finishing time.
My Race Experience
This was my second year running the race. I ran 13:43 last year and hoped to improve on that this year – though I suspected based on my performance in workouts leading up to the race that I’d do well to match last year’s result.
Last year I started near the very front of the race, perhaps 3 rows deep. This year I lollygagged getting into position and ended up starting much further back. I also went out really hot last year and this year tried to go out much more controlled.
I felt good from the start. I didn’t feel like I was pushing too hard and found myself passing a lot of runners over the first mile. I reached the 1 mile point pretty much dead-on 7 minutes and knew at that point I was probably not going to beat last year’s time.
In the end I ran just barely under 14 minutes, officially finishing in 13:58. Good enough for:
- 2 of 58 in my age group (40-44)
- 7 of 293 in the men’s masters division (40+)
- 39 of 731 men’s finisher
- 43 of 1523 overall
I hoped to run a little faster, but I think 13:58 was an accurate reflection of where I’m at physically. Realistically, at nearly 43 years old, to run any faster I need to clean up my eating and drop a few pounds without losing any muscle.
Race Recommendations
If you’re considering running the race, here are a few recommendations to get the most out of the experience:
- Get there at least an hour before the race starts so you don’t feel rushed getting to the start line. You park at the finish and shuttle to the start.
- Don’t park along the highway. There’s a large field just past LaPrade’s (driving towards Moccasin Creek State Park) where they park vehicles. The hay ride shuttles pick up in that field.
- Line up according to your ability and whether or not you care how you perform. If you plan to run under 15 minutes, you need to be pretty far towards the front. The race is very crowded at the start. On the other hand, if you are there mostly to have fun and don’t care about your time, move towards the back and do not line up towards the front.
- To estimate your time, add about 30 seconds to whatever time you think you’d run in a completely flat race. While the route isn’t super hilly, it is gradually uphill for the first 1.5 miles, followed by a short fairly steep downhill.
- There’s a canoe filled with ice and bottles of water to the right of the gazebo at LaPrade’s where they do awards. Because it’s on the ground it can be hard to spot.
- Do it! This is a phenomenal event. It’s a blast. 10/10. Recommended.