Description

Power Ranch 5K
(not really 5 kilometers run)

Apache Joe invited me to this race, and I was glad to finally meet him. We were originally supposed to meet at the Turkey Trot run on 2024-11-26, but I mistakenly made a reservation for a different race! :)

Note

I had to wake up early for the 50-minute drive to Gilbert, AZ. I arrived about 30 minutes before the race, leaving little time to warm up.

Joe started the race at an insane pace of 2:50/km. I followed him for about half a kilometer before slowing down. Even then, when I checked my Garmin watch, it showed a pace of 3:30/km, which I could hardly believe.

The race consisted of three laps around the Ranch Community Park. The course was not well-marked. Near the finish line, there was a small loop around the parking lot that everyone missed on the first lap. By the second lap, volunteers were trying to guide runners, but it was so confusing that I had to slow down to a walk to figure it out.

On the third lap, strong winds kicked in, and my pace dropped to 4:16/km around the 4-kilometer mark.