Another Race in the Books and a Funny Medal to go Along with It

This morning I ran the Epworth Town and Country 8k (5 mile) Road Race. It is a super small race - there were only 250 that ran, and half ran the 2 mile route. It was held in rural Iowa, about 25 minutes from the city where my parents live. Most people think Iowa and think "flat!" but this race (and the Bix, too) prove that theory wrong.

The race started at 8 a.m., so I got up at 5 to have my pre-race breakfast. Even though I slept like crap and was tired, I knew I had to stay up and occupy my time somehow. I left for the race at 7:05 and got there are 7:30, checked in, did some stretching, pulled up my iPod mix that I wanted to listen to, and started to run when the gun went off.

The temperature at the beginning of the race were excelled - low 70s, but they crept up as the race progressed. It was not horrible, though. I went out and felt good, visualizing crossing the finish line in 39-something (my "everything is wonderful and working 110% well" goal). My first mile was 7:33, followed by 7:49, 8:30, 8:55 and then 8:40. Everything is logged in my Garmin watch, which happens to be packed away right now, so I may be a few seconds off. My final time was 40:21. I got 2nd place in my age group (20-29) and a medal.

The medal, instead of having something running-related on it, like most would think, had 2 academic books and what appeared to be the Olympic torch. It wasn't engraved or anything. When I got it, I had to laugh. It made me think I won a Quiz Bowl or the National Geography Bee, not placed in a road race. I'll have to post a picture later to see what you all think!

I'm going back to Illinois right after I eat lunch - lots to do. Tomorrow I hope to log a nice, long run in preparation for my marathon.

Have you ever received any weird/funny medals for running races?