22 Min Run (Race) YELLOW JACKET CHALLENGE 5K

Team Turbo's Montcalm Co. Debut (Photo: D'News Sports Page 34F)

GREENVILLE, Mich. -- Cold as shizz even at the 2p start time. Cloudy and windy. Borderline awful conditions, but who cares. Got a solid 6:45 first mile and toned it back a touch. Probably more than I thought. I guessed I would break 22, but didn't want to by much as I knew I hadn't trained much. Always good to PR in top form, not just through some extra effort...a good strategy.

5/11    Mike Hudson      Los Angeles  CA     31       28/252      22:21.7    7:13/M

Finished around 22:21, I think. They announce your name as you cross and I was kind of waving or nodding to some folks around the finish when they reacted to "Los Angeles, CA" and just then a young snapper from Belding scooted past me into the finish line. Ha. Good for him. But I'd be lying if his being from that particular locale didn't leave me a bit honked off at myself. Fortunately, he was like 14...so it probably meant something more to him to get that spot. That won't be happening again in 2010 if I'm running this race then, young'n.

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Given that the "course record" in the age group for Steve and I was a deep 24, I figured it wouldn't be a stretch to expect to get a medal. I saw some good legs out there at the start, so I kind of guessed I wouldn't be winning the group. But I was again a bit perturbed to discover I was freaking 5th in the group...and out of the medals by nearly 2 mins. Some quick sobs, one a flat 19 from GR, the others low 20 from G-ville. And all my age, so they won't be going anywhere. I don't recognize any names, surprisingly. So they must have moved into the area from somewhere.

Dammit.

Stever did a solid job with a 25:30-ish, coming off his PR in the Irish. And Erin blew the doors off with a 27, notching a 3rd out of like 18 in her group. Awesome starts for the two newest members of Team Turbo.