Volvo Group Trucks 5k Race Recap

This month has been crazy! I did not imagine that August would get so busy! And I thought 3 races in one month was going to be easy...HA!

My 3rd and final race for this month was the Volvo Group Trucks 5k, which took place at the Volvo Mack Trucks location in Hagerstown, MD. The money raised from the event was given to the Community Free Clinic of Washington County (CFCWC). This clinic was established in 1990, which allows the uninsured to receive the medical attention they need.  

"The Clinic provides greater than 15,000 patient visits each year dispensing over 44,000 prescription medications with a retail value of totally more than $5,500,000. Averaging over 1300 patient visits per month, the Clinic continues to see a steady growth in demand for services." - CFCWC website.

Anyway, I woke up this morning with a terrible tummy ache. It was a combination of race day nerves and the Irish Trashcan I chugged last night...I do not recommend enjoying one the night before a race.

It really messed with my confidence. I felt ill till gun time and I staggered a bit after the race began.

First, my GPS watch was still timing my run from last night. Then, my iPod began on a slow song.  Jello legs were also an issue. Not really an ideal way to start.

The course was "out and back" style around the Volvo Campus, beginning and ending just outside the lobby. It started on a fairly flat surface, then went into a long, grueling, uphill climb. It really broke the runners in. All I could think about was how amazing it would be to fly down the hill coming back to finish. The course wasn't too hilly, however. There were only about two hills that we truly had to battle. I found them quite difficult in the weather we were having.

It was not ideal for me. It was a bit muggy on top of the heat, in my opinion. It also did not help that I was dehydrated from my alcohol intake the night before. I trucked (heh, trucked) through it though and just kept looking forward to the downhill that led to the finish line.

You can kinda see me in the tree :)

When I approached the final stretch, I could hear a man quickly approaching me from behind. So I started to sprint (not sure where I got the energy from!), allowing me to finish strong.

So strong that I got a PR...

...and a 3rd place award for my age group!

No more paparazzi photos, please!

I haven't received all the stats for the race, but I do know that I finished 38th out of 111 overall and 3rd out of 11 females in my age group. Not too bad!


This was not a bad race, by any means. It was definitely for a good cause, but, I will probably not chose to participate in this race next year. I found the course to be slightly boring since all you could see were Volvo/Mack tractor trailers through out the entire run. Makes sense since that is where the race took place and I should have expected as much. I am just very much into scenery. I'm spoiled from the trail.

But like I said, not a bad race at all. I give it a 7/10.


Did you have a race today?

What is the most amount of races you have completed in one month?

Have you ever drank too much the night before a race?