605 runners take part in 33rd Annual Spring Fever Chase in Fairhope

I found myself among the 605 people who took part in the 33rd Annual Spring Fever Chase 10K this morning in beautiful downtown Fairhope, Ala., and I was a little caught off guard by just how serious many of the runners seemed to be taking today’s race.

More than a few runners seemed a little overly focused and grim-faced for today’s race, which many were apparently using as a tune up for next Saturday’s Azalea Trail Run in Mobile, Ala.

Jon Bowie, 37, of Daphne was the overall winner and the top male finisher of today’s race. He ran the somewhat hilly course in 36:33, a 5:53 per mile pace.

In-Mi Matsunaga, 19, of Enterprise, was the top female finisher, running the race in 41:35, a 6:42 pace.

I finished 234th overall and 20th in my age group, Males 35-39. (I celebrated my 35th birthday earlier this week and officially moved into another age group - one step closer to geezerhood!) I ran the race in 57:00, a 9:11.6 pace. I take solace in the fact that the overall winner was in my age group, and that I only finished 19 places behind that blistering speedster.

Speaking of blistering, the official race temperature was posted as 70 degrees, but it felt much warmer than that to me. Even though today was technically the last official day of winter, it felt like we were about to skip spring and move straight on to summer. I’ve noticed that many of these races in Baldwin County, held right down on the water, seem to be this way. Maybe it’s the added humidity there at sea level?

It didn’t seem to bother most of the runners though, many of whom seemed to be enjoying the clear skies. They hailed from all over, representing Alabama, Mississippi, Ohio, Louisiana, Georgia, Wisconsin, Illinois, Florida, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Kansas, Washington, New York, Pennsylvania, Nebraska, North Carolina and Colorado.

As you might imagine, Baldwin and Mobile counties were also well represented in the race, as were many other Alabama locales. Alabama towns and cities represented in the race by runners included Alabaster, Alexander City, Atmore, Auburn, Bay Minette, Birmingham, Butler, Daphne, Elberta, Enterprise, Fairhope, Foley, Grand Bay, Gulf Shores, Hoover, Huntsville, Leesburg, Lillian, Loxely, Magnolia Spring, Mobile, Montgomery, Montrose, Northport, Orange Beach, Pike Road, Point Clear, Robertsdale, Satsuma, Selma, Silverhill, Spanish Fort, Summerdale, Troy, Tuscaloosa and Wetumpka.

This event, which also included a two-mile fun run, was sponsored by Thomas Hospital in Fairhope and Wells Fargo, and it was well organized. Today’s race happened to be held on the same weekend as Fairhope’s 59th Annual Arts & Crafts Festival, so many of the downtown streets were already blocked off for that event. At one point early in the race, we found ourselves running down the middle of what appeared to be the main concession area, and the pleasant aromas coming from the vending wagons was almost overwhelming. I figured the image of me running through the streets of Fairhope with a mustard coated pretzel would be too much for others to bear that early in the morning, so I somehow overcame the urge to stop.

Everyone always wants to know about the race T-shirt, and today’s shirt was nice. I’d give it an 8 on a scale of 10. I’ve posted the image from the shirt above. Not sure what the story is on the picture, but I’m guessing that it was painted by a local artist. You’ll see the name “lulu” in the lower right hand corner.

Each participant also received a ribbon at the end of the race, which is a little out of the ordinary. Aside from marathons, it’s unusual for every participant to receive something upon completion. My ribbon was purple and said “Spring Fever Chase Participant.” I saw other runners with red ribbons, so I’m not sure what the distinction is there.

In the end, I look forward to signing up for next year’s Spring Fever Chase. If you’re interested in running the race yourself, check it out. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed with this relatively fast 10K course.