Fits Do Race Reviews: Ron Daws 25k

This past Saturday, Dustin and I ran the Ron Daws 25k (for your reference, 25k =15.5 miles). We had 16 miles on our training schedule for Flying Pig so this race fit in very nicely. For a price of just $5, its hard to pass up!

We also could take advantage of the heated bathrooms at the church, before a very casual 8 am start of the run. This is not a chip timed race, but rather an old school clock-timed race, where you tear off your number and give it to the volunteers for your finish time.

Dustin waiting inside the church gym to stay warm

I ran this race at my long run pace, just to get in some more hills before Flying Pig (which is supposed to be quite hilly). I tried to do some miles at my goal marathon pace, which was tougher than it should have been on those hills! Even so, I had a much better run than I did last year. Last year, I forgot my Garmin, so I had no idea what sort of pace I was going. I ran on effort last year, which you’d think would be a good thing, but apparently, I need a Garmin to keep me from getting too lazy! I also had done a hill workout the Thursday before last year, whereas this year, I was a bit more rested before the hilly Ron Dawes on Saturday. I felt pretty good throughout, and the hills really didn’t seem as hard as last year!

coming in for the finish!

So, who is Ron Daws?

According to this Wikipedia article, Ron Daws was a runner and 1968 Summer Olympics men’s marathon athlete. Born in Minneapolis, he also competed at the 1967 Pan-American Games marathon, and finished first in the National AAU marathon also in 1967. He was married to Lorraine Moller in the 1980s, who he later divorced. Daws died of a heart attached in 1992. In honor of his death, in 1993, the MDRA Rons Daws 25k was renamed after him.

 

Picture of Ron Dawes and Steve Hoag running in Theodore Wirth Park

source

I actually was in front of Ron’s stepdaughter in line for the bathroom, who was sharing stories about growing up with Ron, and how she would run a lot of races as a “bandit” with him. She recalled jumping into the Get in Gear and other local races, as she said he was “too cheap” to pay for the races…which I think is part of why MDRA wants to keep this race nice and cheap too. No frills, just like Ron Daws would have wanted!I give this race an 8/10. For the price, its really awesome, but if you do need crowds or frills, this probably isn’t the race for you. There is no crowd support, and there is only the one support stop that you pass four times. However, if you’re just looking for a supported long run, I think you’d really enjoy the Ron Dawes! And for just $5, you really can’t go wrong. Hope to see you there next year!

FYI…This week is my “peak” week for Flying Pig training, with two workouts and a 22 mile long run on Saturday. Today, I had 10 miles on the schedule, with 5 of those miles at a hard effort. I did a “track” type workout, with 5 one-mile repeats in the middle, with short breaks in between each mile. It was a tough workout for sure, but I felt pretty good. Maybe it was my new lucky Lolë hat?