Awesome Day at the Zoo Run

Having done somewhere in the range of 300-400 races in my career, it is not often that one comes along and blows me away. It is even less often when the race is a local 5K. But last night the Nashville Striders' Zoo Run met the above criteria.




First off, the race is in the afternoon, and it is at the Nashville Zoo. You run around the perimeter and then through the actual zoo itself. I like afternoon races because you are wide awake and your body is warm. The only problem leading up to the start was a bit of traffic congestion. Always get to a race early so you don't get snarled up in those distractions, which I did.

Once on the start line, I met a couple of nice runners. A young guy names Colin looked to be the proverbial gazelle. Also lined up near me was Frank Fay, who was shooting for his first sub 21 minute finish. I haven't ran an open 5K in quite a while, so I was reminded what an adrenaline rush they are to get hyped for such a short race, no disrespect to the fun runners I coach.

Once the race was underway I was really feeling good. A bit of training has served me well. I found the terrain to be very manageable: some gravel/dirt roads, a few modest inclines that could barely be called hills. Once you got in among the zoo exhibits, the course required quite a bit of dexterity with the turns. However the pleasant scenery more than makes up for it.

At one point about 2 miles in I looked over and saw one of these:



Woah! That was a surprise. I kept my focus forward and tried to stay on the rivet, because I knew there wasn't much race left. My mile splits were looking good so I really tried to finish strong. The only confusion on the course was the very last 50 yard "dog leg" they put in, which the first place runner and I inadvertently cut off. Fortunately we were widely spaced out, so no DQ's were levied, and all the rest of the runners were sent the correct route. Achieving a better-than expected time (even adjusted for the omitted portion) is always fun, but this race experience only got better.

I always stay and cheer for a while after finishing, so I got to see several of my clients and friends. Then we went into the Zoo building where they were serving a delicious spagetti dinner. The production staff at the Zoo were really on top of things; importantly, they had many serving lines so you got though the lines quickly and with plenty of food. Finally Blackstone Brewery had a beer garden set up. Several very dark beers were consumed while in the very enjoyable company of Diana Bibeau and Elly Foster, president and photographer of the Nashville Striders respectively. Refueling complete.

Prizes for placing are a concern for only a small percentage in any race, but this further illustrates the attention to detail the Striders put into this race: The second place overall swag was a backpack, that included Fed Ex, Swiftwick, and Zoo merchandise, along with a$25 iTunes gift card and a brand new Apple Shuffle. Having often received a useless plaque or trophy--or sometimes even jack squat--for placing, this was what sent the whole experience over the top for me.

So if you haven't already guessed: I give a very high endorsement to this race and plan to run it next year.


Stephen Taylor 17:13
Frank Fay 20:20

Barry Smith 25:03
Nancee Kerkman 25:49
Tim Lance 25:54
Quincy Acklen 27:34
Suzie Demjirjain

Colleen Chafatelli
Jodi Chetham
Rachel Eller
Alfred Eller
Kingston Eller
Susan Howell

*(Some of the above were in the Fun Run and did not receive a chip time)