Distance: 15.00 km
Type: Loop, Road
Difficulty: 5 / 10
More Info: Visit Web Site
Filed Under: Running
15K COURSE (9.3 miles): The 15K course is run entirely on the scenic grounds of Biltmore Estate. Beginning at the Winery, the course climbs to the Deerpark Restaurant then descends and climbs along the main road to the House where runners will loop in front of its massive front doors. Runners next enter into the Walled Garden, pass by the Azalea Garden and lagoon along the French Broad River, and then finish by returning to the Winery. The first half of the course has two challenging hills, while the second half is down hill to flat.
The 15K is a part of the Asheville Track Club Gran Prix racing series.
The race is run entirely on the grounds of Biltmore Estate in Asheville.
References and External Links
Posted by: joebedford and last modified on Aug 17, 2006 by joebedford
Comments
joebedford said ...
First and foremost (and not surprisingly), this was a beautiful race. One of the most scenic courses I've ever raced on. A cool, misty morning in the Blue Ridge Mountains--nice. This is the longest race I have ever done, the previous longest being a 12K. I was a little intimidated by that. Also, I had heard there were two "tough" hills in the first half--one steeper and shorter, one longer and leveler. I was shooting for a finish time of 1:14:29, the significance of that being I wanted my average pace/mile to be faster than 8:00. That sounded reasonable based on a longer distance and the hills, since I've been pretty close to 7 consistently on my 5K's. This being my first out-of-state race, I was happy to see some familiar Knoxville faces...including nemesis John Smyth!
Traffic was very heavy at the start. One of the worst starts I've had in that regard. Even though I was aiming for a slower pace than my 5K's, I felt "hemmed in" that first mile. Time was 8:16. Well, okay, since I was hemmed in. But mile 2 is where the aforementioned steep hill comes in. 9:05. Already 1:21 behind pace. Ruh-roh, better pick it up. Was able to turn in 7:05 on the third mile, my fastest mile of the race. Hey, those 5K habits die hard, I guess.
Mile 4--the second significant hill. Great. And remember, this one's subtler but longer. Mile 4 9:10, mile 5 9:50 (slowest mile of the race). Mile 6 was 7:59, but again, there were downhills.
One of the many things I'm disappointed by is that I feel like I didn't finish strong the last mile or two overall. I can only blame it on not being used to racing that distance; I was tired at the end. Hot too--in spite of the relatively cool morning, I was quickly pouring water over my head at the stations. Guess I should have went out even slower, and not tried that 7:05 mile. But anyway, in spite of the last 2.3 miles being basically flat, I couldn't seem to muster anything better than 9:13 (mile 7), 8:01 (mile 8), and 8:45 (mile 9).
The end was interesting. I talk a lot about my kick, but I think this may have been one of my best ones ever (but again, makes me worry that I "left too much out there"). But the finish was flat to downhill, and there were a lot of people in "shooting range". The funny thing is that the fact that the clock was about to turn over to 1:20:00 didn't even register in my running-addled brain. Otherwise, I might have made it. :-\ Crossed in 1:20:01. I beat nine people by 17 seconds or less; I'm pretty sure those are all folks I sprinted by the last quarter. Indeed, the GPS tells me that I did the last quarter-mile in sixty seconds flat!
But, my average pace for the race was 8:29, far short of my goal. Also, John paid me back for beating him by 1:08 in the 5K the previous day; he beat me by forty seconds. Now that's pacing yourself!
But it was a beautiful day, and it was a PR (albeit a guaranteed one), so I'm trying not to cry. Finished in the top half, anyway--174/451 overall, 28/59 age division. Oh, and the guy I beat by 17 seconds was in my age division!
So I feel a little disappointed in my performance, but I am looking at it as a learning experience.
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