The mile.
For some reason, it’s become the standardized test of racing. The SAT of speed.
But, put it in a low-key, laid-back, no-frills setting with different heats for age groups, an elite heat for men and for women, a master’s heat for both men and women, a racewalker mile, and a “Pacer’s Mile” in which your speed doesn’t even matter – the person who crosses the finish closest to their predicted finish wins. Even if it took them the longest to complete the four laps out of all competitors.
There are two other special events … the “Specialized Quarter” (quarter mile) for athletes with special needs; and “Devil Takes the Hindmost,” a 2-mile race in which a very speedy runner (in 2013, it was Chuck Coats; this year it’s our very own Joe Dudman!) tags out the the last runner on each lap.
There is also a kid’s quarter mile, too. Both the kid’s quarter mile and the Specialized Quarter are free.
Kids are also invited to run in the “kids-age” age division mile (but it’s not on the free schedule).
The vitals:
When: Friday, June 27, 2014
What time: The first heats are at 6:30p – see below for a full schedule
Where: Cleveland High School at SE 28th and Powell in Portland
Register: Online here for $10 for your first mile and $5 for each race thereafter. Note that ORRC members save $5 when signing up online.
Full schedule:
Age Group Increment Heats will start at 6:30p, split into 10-year increments.
Elite events will start at approximately 7:30p to 8p – this depends on the number of participants and heats in the Age Group Heats.
The Pacer’s Mile (or Prediction Mile) will start at approximately 8:30p.
The Devil Takes the Hindmost 2-Miler will start at approximately 8:45p.
The qualifications for the Elite races are based on participants’s self-reported times:
- Elite Open Men: Mile faster than 6:00/mile
- Elite Open Women: Mile faster than 6:30/mile
- Elite Masters Men: Mile faster than 6:30/mile
- Elite Masters Women: Mile faster than 7:00/mile
(Disclaimer: I’m the VP of Marketing for ORRC and an RD for their Hagg Mud Runs.)
