Leprechaun Chase 10K Race 2015

(Or How NOT to Train for a 10K Race. Or the Leprechaun Chase 10K from the perspective of a lass.)

I had the privilege of racing with sister Courtney at her first ever 10K race: The Nebraska Leprechaun Chase 10K. It’s a super fun race, but definitely not for those of us who don’t train very well.

In the Nebraska Leprechaun Chase, the “Lasses” start 5 minutes ahead of the “Lads” and the gender of the winner determines who gets free beer at the end. Kind of fun, right? (If not slightly sexist?)

Spoiler alert: a lass won this year!!

The best part of the race this year was that I ran it with my sister, Courtney. She’s really getting into running for the first time this past year and it’s awesome to have a family member to share the love of running with. (<-spot the improper grammar for 10 points. it’s how we talk, right?)

We also ran the Turkey Trot together if you will recall.

This was Courtney’s first 10K…and she did really well (beating me by 4 minutes!). Especially considering the circumstances.

The Nebraska Leprechaun Chase 10K Race Challenges

• The course is fairly hilly, full of gravel and muddy craziness (despite most of it being on sidewalks or roads).
• The day was also especially warm in comparison to the previous AND following week. Basically, when you have a race in the beginning of March in Nebraska…you never know what the weather could bring.
• It’s always (okay the two times I’ve raced it) super packed which makes it tricky to pace yourself. Do any other runners find this to be true? It’s kind of like when you’re stuck in traffic going x miles per hour…you can’t really slow down or speed up without doing some kind of tricky maneuver to pass others. And it’s really tough to slow down.
• There is a passing lane, though. But guess what it’s called? The “Lads” passing lane. The purpose of this is for the faster guys who are starting 5 minutes behind the gals to be able to pass. The problem is that since it’s labeled as the “Lads” lane…pretty much every dude runs in that lane. Whether they are fast or not. And if you’re a girl trying to pass other girls—watch out. Seriously. You might get trampled by the lads.
• One more rant about the passing lane…sometimes it’s marked, and sometimes it isn’t. When it isn’t marked, what happens is the dudes take over half of the path instead of one single-file line, or one “lane.” It would be like if all of a sudden half of a 5-lane interstate turned into one big passing lane—not cool.  I tended to stay towards the left of the non-passing area, but when it wasn’t marked I had to be on guard, throwing out my elbows to kind of make sure the dudes passing saw me. (I felt like one of those puffer fish…trying to act like I was bigger so I didn’t get knocked over.)
• I also want to note how crazy the parking is. We got there 30 minutes before the race and just barely made it to the starting line on time.
• I had a major allergy attack towards the end of the race. I’m not sure if it was the fact that I’m not used to Nebraska allergens or what…but my nose didn’t stop running for about 24 hours. Bleh. Of course this isn’t the race’s fault, but it was a challenge to run and keep wiping my nose with my sleeve. Then stealing tons of napkins at the end to blow it.
• If you have people coming to watch, they have to buy a ticket to the museum. Not everyone is willing to do this.
• The food and beverage at the end left something to be desired. All we got was bottled water and had the option of purchasing something from one of the fast food stands.

What I Enjoyed About The Nebraska Leprechaun Chase 10K

• The costumes are hilarious. There is a costume contest at the end so people get really into it.
• The scenery can be lovely. The last year I ran the Leprechaun Chase, everything was green and spring-like and I spent a lot of the time in awe of my surroundings. This year everything was a bit more gray, but it’s still fun to be out in nature.
• With the mixed terrain, you kind of feel bad-a$# for getting through all of it.
• You can also feel bad-a$# when you throw out bows to block the “lads” from getting into your lane.
• Running with my sister was awesome! We split up after mile two since she wanted to pass people, but it was still fun starting with her and meeting up with her afterwards.
• My mom and sister Rachel came to see us off! There’s an awesome spot where visitors could watch from above while the runners started. Dave also surprised me towards the end on the sidelines!
• The race starts and ends at the Strategic Air and Space Museum, so it’s kind of fun to walk around and look at the displays. Plus your guests have something to do if they don’t want to go out and find a spot to watch the race.

How I Undertrained For the Race

• I had been doing solely treadmill running, which doesn’t prepare you at all for the hills, mud, sand, etc.
• I also just barely made my required miles each week in my training plan.
• I ran in old shoes. Not necessarily undertraining, but dumb dumb dumb.
• I do a run-walk method when training and try to do so in races, but this one was tricky since it was so packed. I walked the drinking stations, but towards the end I had to slow down and walk in the grass every few minutes because I went too fast in the beginning.
• As a result of undertraining, I was sore for two-three days afterwards. Painfully sore. Walk-around-like-an-old-lady sore.
• I also didn’t refuel fast enough because I assumed they would have food or something at the race. Should have brought a banana or protein powder or something.

Here are my Nebraska Leprechaun Chase 10K Results:

2015 Leprechaun Chase 10K Results: Time: 1:04:16 Pace: 10:22min/mile

2013 Leprechaun Chase 10K Results: Time:  Pace: 1:00:17 Pace: 9:43min/mile

[Tweet “A thorough review of the Nebraska Leprechaun Chase 10K. #runchat”]

Would I Run this Race Again?

If I run this race again next year, I really hope I’m able to get some outdoor training in! And that my nose doesn’t start running like a faucet.

I also hope they are better about the “lads” passing lane. Maybe just label it a passing lane? Feel free to forward this post to the race director.

 
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Tell me….

Have you ever run a Leprechaun Chase? What was your experience?

Do you think this race is sexist? I think it’s a fun idea, but at times I felt a tad insulted…especially with the “lads” passing lane.

 

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