2019 Carlsbad 5000 All Day 20k Race Report

With only days to go before my Ragnar Relay So Cal Ultra, running four-5k races in a row sounded like a great idea! Right? Ironically, tiring out my legs, building endurance, and even the whole idea of running a race, resting a while, then running another race, all fit in with my three-week training plan.

Actually, I signed Alan and myself for this race long ago, as soon as registration opened. We did it last year and had a great time running and racing together, so why not?

Though this was the 34th running of the Carlsbad 5000 it is the first year under new ownership by a group headed by Meb Keflezighi, the 2008 Olympic silver medalist in the marathon. They took over from the Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon group, which was taken over by Ironman, which is, well, nevermind, it gets too complicated and actually has nothing to do with this years All Day 20k!

I was excited to see what Meb’s group would do with this iconic race. It has always been a great event (my first year doing the Carlsbad 5000 was 1995!) and many world records have been set there. The concept is to run four or five “peoples” races, designated by gender and age groups, then follow that up with elite races, where the fastest men and women compete on the same course.

To prove a point, Kenya’s Edward Cheserek tied the world record this year, winning the race in 13:29.  (Note: This is the IAAF era official world record. Prior to that, the record was held by Sammy Kipketer who ran a 12:59, also at Carlsbad. (Don’t ask me why the new record is slower than the old one. If you know, tell me.)) Fun fact: Cheserek’s girlfriend, fellow Kenyan Sharon Lokedi, was the Carlsbad 5000 women’s winner, finishing in 15:48! 

I had a great time at the 34th Annual @Carlsbad5000 running the #AllDay20k! A beautiful course and great friends make it (almost) easy! Here's my report. #running #Carlsbad5000Click To Tweet

This year, the race kicked off with Master’s Men (40 and over) at 6:53, followed by Master’s Women at 7:45, Men 39 and under at 9:04 and Women 39 and under at 9:45. The All Day 20k competitors run all of those races. Note the short time between the last two races, which was complicated by the need to work around the train schedule (the tracks run right through the course in two places).

The third race started five minutes late, leaving those of us running the All Day 20k just 35 minutes to run our race and get back to the start line for the next one. Um, we didn’t make it on time, but they kept the start line open so we could cross it and our timing chips could track us.

As for the rest of the morning, there is a Party race at about 10:30 for those who don’t care about their time (or just wanted to sleep in). Finally, the elite races begin at noon, with the women going first.

Sorry about the long intro. Let’s get on with it, shall we?

2019 Carlsbad 5000 All Day 20k Race Report

This year, Alan and I stayed at the Motel 6, which is walking distance to the start line of the Carlsbad 5000. It’s super convenient because we don’t have to worry about parking and have access to our room if we need anything. It’s also perfect for the opportunity to go back to the room, clean up and check out, then head to the elite race if we wanted to.

It also meant that Alan and I could head to the race about 6:15, almost midday for us early risers. We went first to the All Day 20k Lounge, the area designated for the crazy ones that planned to do four 5k races. We have our own easy access gear check, water, fuel, and, best of all, porta-potties! We headed there first, dropped off our gear, then headed to the start line.

I was so happy to see Sarah at the lounge! I met her two years ago at this same race, plus she was my train buddy for the Rock ‘n’ Roll Half Marathon in San Diego that year. I assumed that I’d just see the back of her through the race, but she said she hadn’t been training much so she planned to stay with us.

I also saw Kristin and a few other familiar faces, but the numbers seemed down this year. I’m not sure why because it’s so fun to challenge yourself this way and that’s what runners do, right? I did see Jenny at the finish line of race #2. She was just doing one 5k (only because she had run 30k the day before!).

All Day 20k: Race #1

So, Sarah, Alan and I headed to the start line just in time for the National Anthem. (By the way, the singer was amazing and did a spectacular a capella rendition.) The train gods were smiling down on us and the race started right on time.

While the Carlsbad 5000 course may be a record breaker, that doesn’t mean it’s easy. The first third of a mile is a slight uphill, then you take a left turn onto Carlsbad Blvd. From there, you are running along the coast, with a glorious view of the ocean on our right. Though the weather was cool, the sun was shining brightly, reflecting off the white caps of the waves.

We set a very moderate pace, hitting mile one at about 9:45. That was perfect. While I have a good endurance base, I haven’t done any speed training in recent months. As I mentioned, Sarah hasn’t done much running recently, and Alan is returning from a foot injury, so he too was a bit undertrained.

The course gently rolls, so along with some mild uphills, there are a few mild downhills. They may be mild, but that doesn’t mean you don’t feel them! As we were rolling along, passing the first turnaround, I realized that we hadn’t passed a water station yet. In fact, the only water station on the course was at about a mile and a half, which may be fine for some runners, but left the three of us thinking we needed more.

As we hit mile two, we were close to the turn that leads to the finish line, so we could see the faster runners ahead of us (I think the clock was at about 21 minutes). It made me think that I used to be able to finish at about that time! We, though, had to continue straight for another half mile, then turn around for that last bit back to the finish line.

The final stretch of the Carlsbad 5000 is a glorious downhill to the finish. Alan, Sarah and I all finished together. We all felt pretty good, so we cruised through the finish and headed back to the lounge to hydrate and regroup for our next race.

All Day 20k: Race #2

We had about 20 minutes but it went quickly and soon we were lining up for race number two. I will say that the first third of a mile, uphill, remember, felt a little harder than the first time. Other than that, though, we were all feeling good. I continued to talk Sarah’s ear off since I hadn’t seen her for almost two years. She put up with me because she was having a tougher time and I think maybe listening to me babble helped.  That’s what I’m telling myself anyway.

We all were doing well, though. Alan fell a bit behind because he was chatting with another runner, so Saran and I slowed down a bit near the finish so he could catch up. As we were crossing the finish line the announcer said, “Welcome Alan Woodruff! Great job, buddy!” We looked around because that sounded like someone we might know, but couldn’t actually see where the announcer was located. Anyway, it was a nice reception.

We went back to the lounge and had about a half hour between races. I made sure to drink some Nuun, especially since there was only one water station on the course. I also ate a Clif Bar. It was getting a bit warmer, though not too bad for this desert rat. And the ocean breeze along the coast was delightful.

All Day 20k: Race #3

And then it was time to head to the start line again. This time we were running with the very fast men 39 and under. This was also the race with the quick turnaround. I felt a bit of pressure about this, even though they said they’d keep the start line open. Especially when they told us that the race would be delayed for about five minutes because of the train schedule. And that they wouldn’t delay the next race.

And finally, five minutes late, the gun went off. It definitely felt harder this third time around, pushing up that first uphill. We did it though, and were finally heading south alongside the ocean. Alan fell back quickly, so Sarah and I pushed on. She kept telling me that I could go on if I wanted to, which made me laugh because I felt like I was running the perfect slow but steady pace.

At about a mile and a half, Sarah said she needed to walk, so I pushed on alone. After I passed the first turnaround, I saw Alan and Sarah together, which made me happy. I continued to push through, grateful for my endurance base. As I rounded the last turnaround, I saw that Alan was about a minute behind me. Sarah had fallen back too far, so I wasn’t sure where she was.

When I got to the final turn, I decided that we were in this together, so I waited for Alan to catch up so that we could finish together. This time the announcer said, “Welcome to Alan and Debbie Woodruff!”

Right after we crossed the finish line we spotted Meb standing there greeting the finishers. Alan stopped and chatted with him for a moment (they’d met once when Alan was announcing a race). We saw him a few times during the race. Once at the start line, once taking photos at the finish, and this time, congratulating runners as they finished the race. He’s a great guy and I love that he jumped right in during the event.

Because of our slower time, the delay in the previous race, we needed to quickly skedaddle to the start line for our fourth race. I didn’t know where Sarah was and wasn’t sure if she’d continue on because she was having a rough time. We were a little disappointed to see that the race had already started, but we could hear the announcer saying not to worry about it. The start line was open and all we had to do was get there and run across to start our own race.

All Day 20k: Race #4

This time it was definitely hard to get up that first-mile hill. Alan was more tired than I so he needed to walk a few times throughout the race. I stuck with him., though, and we muddled through. We actually came to appreciate that short break time between races three and four because it felt like we were warmed up and ready to go. And we were happy to see Sarah running behind us. I had been pretty confident that she wouldn’t give up, no matter how hard it was.

Alan and I stuck together through the race, and even pulled over for our “traditional” Ocean Selfie. When we finally finished, quite a bit slower than the previous three races, the announcer said, “no party is complete without the Woodruffs!” And we finally saw where he was, though we didn’t recognize him.

Throughout the race, I was keeping my eyes open for Tessa, who is a coaching client of mine even though I’d never met her before. She is also a Pro Compression Ambassador, so I was looking for a thin woman with long brown hair, wearing Pro Compression, who was probably going to run the race in about 28 minutes.

Amazingly, Alan and I hit that point in the race where we were passing the spot where the faster runners were turning to head to the finish, and there she was! I knew immediately that I’d found the right person and she saw me and waved, so she knew too. I was so happy that she waited at the finish line so that we could finally meet in person and have a chance to get to know each other.

Alan and I returned to the lounge to wait for Sarah. She lives in Carlsbad, so she stopped by for a hug after she finished then headed home. I was so happy to have the chance to run with her and can’t wait to run with her again at Rock ‘n’ Roll Half Marathon in San Diego. Though if she’s in shape I’ll be running behind her this time!

There is something very satisfying about completing a race like this. While 12. 4 miles is not a huge distance, the whole concept of running four races in a row feels very challenging. It would be so easy to say, enough! We did it though and can’t wait to do it again next year! I hope they will continue this part of the event, though I’m concerned that the lower numbers might rule that out. The week-long pre-sale doesn’t include the All Day 20k. Fingers crossed that I’ll have the chance to do this race again!

 

Final Thoughts: The Good and the Could Be Better

Whenever a race changes ownership, things, well, change. New ideas, new management, people who want to make the race their own. The Carlsbad 5000 is an iconic event, nicknamed the Party by the Sea, so too many changes would probably not be well received.

The Good

I love that the race went back to the old format, with separate races divided by gender and age. In recent years the lines were a little blurry. I also love that they moved the elite races back as the final races of the day. Last year they were moved up between the last two races of the All Day 20k, leaving a waiting period of about an hour and a half. While I understand that they wanted to make sure that everyone watched the elite races, that’s a long time to wait between races!

Most things remained the same about the Carlsbad 5000, which is a good thing. The vendors, the beer garden, the band, Beta Max, which plays every year. The races were organized, and the only disruption in the whole event came from the train schedule, which is inevitable. 

And they have free photos! That is the best, especially after the crazily high prices of the photos when the event was owned by the Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon. I love free photos. They’re a great perk.

As always, the volunteers, police officers, and race officials were amazing. No problems there, at all. And it was great to see Meb involved with the runners throughout the race.

Things That Could Be Better

All in all, I really loved the Carlsbad 5000 and it’s new ownership. But there are always things that could be better, so I’m hoping they are open to constructive criticism. In my opinion, here are a few things that could be better.

I really don’t think that one water station is enough, even for a 5k. The weather got a bit warm as the day went on and an extra station would have been appreciated. If they’d moved the one that they had to the middle of the road, it could have served the purpose for runners on both sides.

In all honesty, the announcers weren’t very, um, exciting. Of course, I speak as the wife of a very good race announcer, and in the past, the team of Rudy and Fitz had the mics, so that it tough competition. Still, I think they can do better.

That break between the third and fourth races was just too short for runners participating in the All Day 20k. An extra 10 minutes would have sufficed to help us get there on time, with a short break, without changing the timing of the whole event. 

These were pretty minor things and nothing that would stop me from coming back. In fact, I hope to be there again in 2020 for the 35th anniversary! How about you?

 

 

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