Monday morning, Labor day, I made it over to Henderson to be part of the Cirque du Soleil 5 K, a race put on by the Cirque du Soleil folks and the André Agassi school. Yes, yes, for those who don't know, André Agassi has set-up a Prep Academy and a whole school foundation thingy. Very impressive.
After picking up my race packet, I realized during the first moments of the warm-up and stretching period that this would be a different kind of race. Indeed, I had never heard people yelling, screaming, or laughing during their stretching because, well, this was the first time I was in a race where clowns went around trying to surprise and startle runners stretching while they weren't looking. Of course, the clowns' intentions were good, but there were a few runners caught off guard. All in good fun though, as fat clowns, contortionists, sad mimes, strongmen, acrobats/gymnasts, and other characters from some of the Cirque's numerous shows in Las Vegas were present for encouragement and entertainment.
The weather is beautiful, clear, and about 90 F. I was probably 92 F or so (33 C) by the time the race started.
The group warm-up was also quite unusual, as the instructor-led routine has twin contortionists, a strongman, and hand-walkers, in the background doing their own versions of the exercises the instructor was leading the crowd through. I just know that any runner who tried to imitate what the Cirque's artists were doing is probably still in the hospital a week later. Imagine what contortionists did as hamstring stretch, or the strongman did as an arm warm-up...
I didn't come in with great expectations for this race. First, the 5 K is really not my favorite distance. Second, my training is still quite erratic these days as I try to set my work and family schedule into somewhat of a routine. And third, well, I just don't do enough speedwork to improve in a 5 K race. So... I definitely wanted to be under 25:00, but didn't think I had it in me to go into the 23:XX.
As I headed toward the starting line, I make a mental note that this is definitely the liveliest bunch I've ever seen before the start of a race. Then I see the Red Bull booth, where they were handing out free cans of the stuff, as Red Bull was a race sponsor...
As I await the horn to signify the start of the race, I can't believe all of us (close to 300) are squeezed into this tiny parking lot. The horn goes off, I'm middle of the pack, and it still takes like 20 seconds to get to the starting line. 10 m past the starting line, we are still walking. ****... there goes 15-20 seconds right there.
We run down a street about 150 m, and then I realize that the whole race will be run on sidewalks. OMG! Yes, the sidewalks are double-width (kind of like the Parc Lafontaine sidewalks surrounding the park in Montreal), but still, the sidewalk is packed, and I spend as much time running side-ways as I do going forward. I haven't been this tightly boxed in since the start of the San Diego Rock and Roll Marathon in 2001. Oh well, it is a fundraiser... who cares about the time, right? First mile in 8:51...
After a mile and change, the crowd starts thinning out a bit, and I'm thinking I can start getting into a groove. Just at that point runners are coming toward me. WTF... I see... this is a out-and-back course, and the lead runners have already passed the mid-way point. And these guys are coming fast! Can't take the chance of passing on the left and stepping into a runner coming the other way. Man... I'll never really get going. I do my best to bob-and-weave, pass the mid-way point, and try to pick up the pace. At the mile 2 marker, my second mile was done in 8:02.
I should be alone for the 3rd mile, right? No! As I've been running for about 17 minutes, the walkers, who started at the back of the pack, are coming in the opposite direction. Man-oh-man, I say to myself "I hope I finish this thing in less than half-an-hour". I went through the walkers pretty quickly though, and then opened up. 3rd mile was done in 7:14. Only 0.1 mile left, but the last 1/4 mile is mainly uphill, so the heartrate really can't go any faster. Last 0.1 in 54 seconds, for a total time of 25:01. And I had to dodge two clowns in the last 100 meters. Finished 70th out of about 295 runners.
After the race, a raffle is held for tickets to Cirque du Soleil shows, restaurants, and trips. All great stuff. Sadly, I didn't win anything. All-in-all a really fun race, despite my whining about the space and my time. This is a race where you forget about your PB, and you just go out and have fun. It'll definitely be on the schedule next year too.
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