Rainbow Run 5K Race Report

The morning was sunny and cool as almost 400 people gathered for the Inaugural Rainbow Run 5K. This event kicks off LGBT Pride Week in Indianapolis, and I wanted to be part of it. As I walked around the start area early on, I was struck by the communal nature of the event. This wasn't a typical run where some runners were off in a corner, preparing for a chance to win. Granted there were some folks stretching, but no one looked like they were in it to win it.

The race actually kicked off 2 minutes early, not even enough time for me to get the Garmin going at the start. It took a couple minutes to get going. So I understood, I would only have a vague idea of my time. Off we went through the Herron Morton Neighborhoods of Indianapolis. This is where a good many gay and lesbian people live in Indy, and we started at Talbott Street. Back in the day Talbott Street was a showplace gay club and I really liked it. Time has brought new owners, but it is still a fun club for the gay community.

The start went well, thought I went off too fast. I calmed down and got into a pace I found comfortable. Not a lot of people out cheering, but there was the occasional gay family out raising a cup of coffee our way. I made sure to thank police officers and volunteers as I went by. No water stations in this race, but really the only time I wanted water was when I was facing the sun.

At mile 2 I saw my pace was around 13:40, I was pretty happy with that. It meant I was doing well, and how I wanted to run the race. Remember I wanted to stick to a 41-42 minute race. There was one guy though I felt was challenging me. We would pass each other, and to be honest he was annoying me. He would pull ahead, then look back. Not sure if he was looking for me, or to see if there were others, but it bugged me that he kept doing that(never look back). At the 2.5 mile point I passed him for the last time. This guy was not going to beat me.

The last mile I was determined to finish strong. I did some speedier work, and when I rounded the final corner there was the finish line in sight. Mark, and my friends Jama and Lindsey were at the end. The ladies had already finished. I pushed through, and finished the race in 41:51. I felt GREAT in this race, and felt like I could have done another 5K.

This was a fun race. I have done pride races in the past, and this one was my favorite. I'll be doing this one again.

Charlie