Seven Seasons of the Red Flannel
Something's wrong with me. Seriously wrong.
What other reason do I have that the race I've participated in most takes place in the middle of February? Why isn't it a race scheduled when the mercury at least has the decency to rise above freezing? Why do I submit myself to this "Russian Roulette" of racing?
In fairness, I've never had injuries or work schedules impact this race as they have others. There's also the notion that this is the first road race of the calendar year for the Des Moines area and with proceeds going to the YMCA, I know my entry fee supports a worthy cause. This race also offers the opportunity to catch up with other runners willing to brave the elements.
But since we're still talking about a race in mid-February in Iowa, it's time to look back to see what the whims of Mother Nature have delivered since I started on the winter roller coaster that is the Red Flannel Run.
Who Ever Knew That Snow Was So Darned Slick? (2018) My first time in this event had me running the 5-mile race under snowy conditions with a narrow path cleared out for runners that limited passing to only the bravest of souls. Still relearning competitive running, my caution for starting out slowly bit me in the backside many times as I felt as though I was walking portions of this race. But I’d only slide and lose another place whenever I’d leave the paved trail and step onto the snow to pass someone. Oh, and this race included a long-sleeved t-shirt as swag that my wife absolutely hated.
Gotta Look Good for my Coach! (2019) With a few months of Coach Tim Ives’ excellent training under my belt, I felt more confident entering into this one. Downside, the 5 miler was eliminated, leaving only the 5K. But sans snow and with Coach Ives there to watch several clients, I secured a much better performance, winning my age group and being one of the first in line for the goodies afterwards.
What Else Could #$%& Up in this Race? (2020) Following several strong races to finish the previous year, I came into this one stoked to nail a PR in the 5K. Unfortunately, this turned out the “Totally Messed Up Red Flannel.” What do I mean by that? First, the songs on my playlist somehow shuffled just as I started - pushing my favorite Flock of Seagulls song from the final mile to the cool down and a relaxing Caribou tune for the start of the race. Added to that, they left about 400 meters of snow on the bicycle path - icing any shot at a PR. Lastly, my body decided the last mile would be a good time for GI issues. Yeah, I rushed, but it wasn’t fun! And thanks to a little thing called COVID, this turned out to be my last in person race for over a year. Oh, and the swag included a thin, short-sleeved t-shirt that didn't see the light of day until late April. What were they thinking?
The Red Flannel That Wasn't. (2021) Cheating a bit on this one. Minus twenty to thirty wind chills caused the actual Red Flannel to be rescheduled for mid-April when I already had a race scheduled. Undeterred, I ran a 5K that following weekend after that initial date when the mercury had climbed to the teens. To my pleasant surprise, my time that afternoon turned out to be a PR. Even though that event was officially part of the "never-heard-of-before-or since" Yeti Virtual Run, in my heart, it will always be another Red Flannel Run.
What in Heaven's Name Was I Thinking? (2022) Apparently minus twenty is the cutoff point because this 5K took place with wind chills in the minus 17 range. Total and completely unpleasant experience. Winning my age group simply indicated that I was the only person over sixty foolish enough to leave the warmth of home for this polar mishap.
Can You Pass the Sunscreen? (2023) Now this was more like it. Not only did they add a 10K, but the we were blessed with temps in the mid-twenties. I even saw a runner take off their shirt after three miles. Pleasant temps. Safe running conditions. Killer playlist. And a fourth-place overall finish. Red Flannel cannot get better than this.
Someone Up There Must Not Like Me. (2024) Following several weeks of solid workouts under unseasonably warm weather, my goal had been to at least match last year's pace. Those bold intentions went out the window when three inches of snow fell the day before the Red Flannel and we were greeted with single digit temps for the start of the race. Adding insult to injury, my earbuds died five songs into a stellar playlist. While I placed fourth in the 10K for the second year in a row, that comes with the asterisk reminding me that my overall time was nearly a minute slower with only 54 people opting for that race because of the cold,
Doing the math, that's four out of seven races under truly difficult circumstances. A wise runner would reconsider venturing forth into what could be an Arctic onslaught. However, I'm clearly not a "wise" runner as I've just signed up for another year of the Red Flannel.
I believe it's been clearly established that something is indeed wrong with me. What about rest of you? Any of you have any winter races to talk about? Feel free to share them in the comments below or on Facebook.
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