The Esquimalt 5k took place a week after the Comox RV Half Marathon.
It’s a very fun race designed to get the community together where people get to enjoy running through the beautiful area in Esquimalt and make new friends.
To me, “run” rhymes with “fun” and every year for the past 3 years I enjoyed running the Esquimalt 5k. It’s well-organized, there are great draw prizes and the entry fee is very affordable.
Although the Esquimalt 5k is a more challenging course with hills and turns, it’s a great event because of the people there.
Whenever I run the race, I don’t expect to run my fastest 5k time but I genuinely love doing it and I always have fun.
Runners of all levels are welcome here and it’s all about inclusion, which is something that I love.
I wasn’t sure how I was going to place or what will happen during the race. I had to stay in one piece for Boston, so I didn’t want to go all out.
Above: Me, Marty the Marmot and my client Kent 🙂
At the start line, it was awesome to see Marty the Marmot and my clients. I was thrilled to see hundreds of people out there. It’s awesome to see it grow.
The temperature was just right, although it was a little bit more windy than I would have liked. I started at a good pace and tucked in behind a few guys to try to hide from the wind.
Above: The start line, getting ready to go.
I crossed the 3k mark in 11:45, which I thought was just right. Then, there were a few hills and turns which made it a bit more challenging to keep that pace for the rest of the race. I also didn’t want to risk tripping when coming around a corner, so I decided to take it easy.
At the 4k mark, I was still in the lead for the women. I was very surprised to find myself in that position in a 5k.
As I approached the finish line, I thought I still had a chance to break 20 minutes again. However, I decided not to sprint the last 300m like I usually do.
I crossed the finish line in 20:09, which I was happy with because it was slightly less than a minute slower than my best 5k time.
Not only that, but I was super happy to be the 1st female across the finish line (out of a total of 297 women) and 10th overall (out of 430 finishers). Kent also did well and ended up being 7th in his category.
The best prize for being in the top 3 at this race is a free race entry into next year’s race. I’m stoked.
Thanks to all the organizers and volunteers for a great event. I will see you next year!