Greater Cleveland XC 5K

This was definitely a new experience for me and my first time at the beautiful Penitentiary Glen Reservation. The men and boys went off first, followed by the women and girls—and I say boys and girls because the vast majority of the field consisted of cross country teams from local middle and high schools. Adult runners were absolutely in the minority for this race, so those of us who were older hung toward the back of the start line, joking around about letting the young whippersnappers tire themselves out before overtaking them on the course.

We took off with a classic, wide cross country start, heading straight up a slight incline through an open field, grass and asphalt pathways, and into the woods. It was a bit rolling right from the start. The pack of high school kids shot way out ahead, but as the race settled, I began working my way past other runners. It was interesting navigating the dynamic of cross country team runners; they tended to clump together and cornered much more aggressively on the narrower trails than what I'm typically used to in road races with adults.

Overall, I felt pretty good through the middle section of the course. Thankfully, it wasn't overly hot, and running through the woods provided a good amount of shade. I was warned before the start that it was going to be a hilly course, so I went in knowing not to expect a sub-20 performance and just pushed the effort the best I could.

However, I wasn't ready for the finish. With about a third of a mile to go, the course hits a massive, unrelenting uphill. It was brutal—not just because of the gradient and length, but because the pathway curved so you couldn't actually see where the crest was. I kept thinking I had reached the top, only to round a bend and see even more hill ahead. My heart was pounding so hard I genuinely wondered if I was redlining a bit too much and needed to back off. Hands down, it was one of the toughest, most grueling finishes to a 5K I’ve ever experienced.

Given how brutal the elevation was—plus having already put in a 10-mile run earlier this morning—I’m super pleased with the performance. It was a tough, honest cross country course but I'm really glad I came out and ran it.