"If you can't run with the Big Dogs, don't get off the porch!"

Challenge #2
Half Marathon Challenge

The Big Dogs were at it again on the first weekend of February.  Each went their own way choosing to challenge other running dogs of other packs to the half marathon.  Trish Vlastnik went to Savannah, Georgia.  Bill Anderson went to Callaway Gardens, and Normer Adams went to Ocala, Florida. Ed Finucan chose to sit on the porch on this one. Each would come back from their races, but only one would come back the Top Dog.

Normer Adams went south to Florida.  Ocala promised warm weather and a flat course.  Neither was true.  The course was hilly, the weather wet and cool (45 degrees).  He ran fairly even splits.  He finished with a time of 1:30:37, first age group and 14th overall.  He felt confident that his time was fast enough to be the Top Dog.

Bill Anderson went west to Callaway Gardens.  Callaway Gardens promised a convenient location, but a challenging course.  The half marathon is not Bill's distance.  Bill ran a 1:32:40, finishing 38th overall and 4th in his age group.  Knowing it would not be good enough to be the top dog, he came back home to congratulate the winner.

Trish Vlastnik, smelling blood, ran a good solid race. She focused on  maintaining even splits and a 6:45 pace. Conditions were good, it was a chilly 38 degrees at the start with slight headwind to deal around the island and through the downtown stretch. The flat course helped her to maintain the pace as she finished in a personal best 1:28:42 (6:46 pace), shaving 4 minutes off last year's Tybee's event. As she finished 6th female overall and 1st master, she crossed her fingers and hoped it would be enough to beat "the other dogs".

She coyly asked how the others had done, hoping she'd sent them yelping to their pens. In the end, her distance strength and speed dominated and triumphantly, she became the Top Dog.