An Ode to the 10k

So I’m back from beautiful California and just wanted to take a minute to express my love for the 6.2-mile distance.  Less than 24 hours after landing in Californi-i-a, I embarked on a very memorable run through the mean streets of Santa Cruz.  In freezing cold temperatures, Sarah (sister), Emily (sister), Sam (sister’s boyfriend), and I conquered the 36th running of the famed Wharf-to-Wharf 10k.  

But let’s back up a bit.  Seven months ago, I was visiting California for the first time with my dear friend Dasha.  Her aunt and uncle took us on a driving tour of Santa Cruz, pointing out the hot spots like the boardwalk and the surf museum.   They also mentioned that a beach party-like run takes place there every July.  As a recent college graduate with not much going on my life, I joked that maybe I’d take up running and come back for the race.  The day I got back to Boston, I bought some Asics and bookmarked the Couch-to-5k-Plan.  I set out running and haven’t looked back.

Six months, two road races, and hundreds of miles pounding the pavement later, I completed the race that inspired me to start running in the first place.  And yet, I almost missed the significance of the Wharf-to-Wharf.  Smack in the middle of my racing season, I started seeing the 10k as just a stop on the way to Falmouth and the B.A.A. Half-Marathon.  My miserable days as a high school track not-so-much-star were forgotten.  I’d gotten so accustomed to running that I glossed over the fact that just six months ago I considered those who enjoyed running to be crazy-folk.  But all it took was an early morning run along the ocean to bring me back to my senses.  The 10k in general and Wharf-to-Wharf in particular freakin rock.  And here’s why.

-The 10k is twice the distance of the 5k (duh), which is perhaps the most egalitarian distance in running.  6.2 miles is a respectable distance and feels like an accomplishment, yet still retains the welcoming attitude of the 5k and attracts lots of less-than-elite runners.  This makes the crowd you run with diverse and entertaining.  Running with Elvis, 5 year olds, AND competitive Kenyans?  Sure, I’ll do it.

-As if the scenery and 15,000 other runners weren’t inspiring enough, the Wharf-to-Wharf course is dotted with 50 bands, spectators with cowbells, and a beach-party atmosphere.  A balloon arch at each mile?  Nice touch guys.  It makes every mile feel like an accomplishment and helps propel runners to a speedy finish.

-The 10k requires a certain measure of training and takes up the better part of one’s race-day morning.  BUT it doesn’t sap all of one’s energy and leaves the rest of the day to enjoy burritos at El Palomar and take a scenic tour of Route 1 while winding one’s way up to San Francisco for vacation.  It may also leave energy for a marathon-like eating tour of Northern California and a bike ride across the Golden Gate Bridge later in the week.  

All in all, the Wharf-to-Wharf is a damn good way to start off a vacation.  I’m sensing a new tradition.  Who’s with me?