–By Danielle Nye, OAM NOW Multisport Athlete
Saturday morning was a crisp, sunny day perfect for running the Striders 5k classic. Team OAM NOW had four members at the start line eager to have a fast race on the flat and mostly paved course. This was my first race with other Team OAM NOW multisport athletes. Even though I have been racing sprint triathlons and short distance running races for many years, I am always striving to be faster each year. This year I set a goal for myself to do a sub 20 minute 5k in preparation for the USAT world sprint race in September. Knowing that OAM NOW racers are very strong competitors I knew this would be a great race with teammates pushing me to be my best. Striders 5k was a great season opener to see where I was at in my training for this goal.
Danielle Nye, Roxane Kippen, Paul Raynes, and Bob Shultz took on the Striders 5k last weekend in Grand Rapids
The race took off with a handful of runners trying to make an early break in the field. I was able to keep the lead two ladies in my sight heading out on the course. Worried about starting off too hard, I backed my pace down and settled in behind another runner. We took a turn and had a short section of gravel which was unexpected and slowed my pace down. At the half way turn around I tried to pick up the pace and was hoping for a negative split finish. Once I noticed my Garmin lap alert for mile 2 I knew I needed to push the pace since I had fallen a bit behind on time during the last mile. I turned the last corner to see the finish banner approaching with my Garmin showing 18:58 for time elapsed. As the clock ticked away I knew that my sub 20 minute finish would not happen today. My efforts were for enough though third overall female and first in my age group.
Even though I did not meet my goal, I was excited to see improvement in my 5k time. I was also able to cheer on my new teammates and watch them finish the race. Team OAM NOW raced hard and had a strong showing at the 5k. Multisport team captain, Roxane Kippen had a strong race in the women’s field as well and finished as the fifth overall female and first in her age group. Paul Raynes was the second OAM NOW teammate across the finish line. Paul had a great run with that earned him first place in his age group. Bob Schultz came in just behind Paul to capture second place in his age group. Saturday was a great time racing with new teammates, enjoying post-race bagels, and cheering for each other during the awards. I am confident that with continued training with OAM NOW teammates I will meet my 5k goal by September. Strider’s 5k was a great season opener and I look forward many more races this season with my new teammates!
