9/11 Heroes Run 5K Race Recap
By Janelle @ Run With No Regrets | race recap
This past Sunday, I ran my first race of 2013….the 9/11 Heroes Run 5K in Philadelphia. This event is coordinated by the Travis Manion Foundation, with over 50 races held across the country in honor of our fallen heroes and military veterans.
I coordinated this event with my Running Club at work and promoted participation through the entire company. We have previously been able to get a good turnout at the Clean Air Council 5K for Earth Day. But for the Heroes Run, I was only able to get 4 people to show up, including myself. Call it bad timing?
In any event, I was happy to take part, and very nervous. The last race I had was in November of 2012 for the Philly Half Marathon. And that was a terrible performance due to lack of training. So I didn’t really know if I’d be ready for primetime…
It was a beautiful day on Sunday. Much hotter than I anticipated since we had a bit of a cold snap the past couple of days. I was ready to get out the door (with my bf at my side) and then got a text that all our team T-shirts were accidentally left at work. So I immediately spazz out since things aren’t going to plan. I scramble to find another black top and ended up with this long-sleeved ensemble.

Heroes Run 5K 2013
I arrive at the beautiful Please Touch Museum around 8:20 or so, wondering when I will spot my teammates. The event wasn’t nearly as crowded as I expected, but that made things more comfortable. Music was blasting and I was able to pick up my bib with no problem.
I ran with one of my female friends, whose husband is one of my dearest running buddies at work. (He meanwhile ran ahead and finished in 22 minutes!) It was really great to have someone that I could run with and laugh with for once, while the course went on and on. The route was pretty straightforward, with a few curves and hills along the way. I really enjoyed myself, and was pleased to see myself pass a few people for once…haha.
I started to see the finish line and started sprinting! I haven’t had the energy to pick up the pace in SO long so it was refreshing! I was pretty dead when I finished though, and it took awhile to catch my breath…but I did it! First race of the year!
I ended up completing the 5K in 31:44.76, a 10:14 pace. This is by far, my personal worst 5K performance. But you know what, I’m really happy with my results! I have been averaging 11-minute miles, or slower, ever since I’ve returned to running post-injury. So this was an accomplishment for me.
Unfortunately, the morning before the race, my foot was killing me! Here we go again…and the pain was on the top of my foot, reminiscent of my stress fracture. I’ll write a separate post about the latest in my painful foot saga. But during the race, my feet felt relatively fine!
The Heroes Run was a good time and I’m happy to have supported the cause. What 5K races are you looking forward to?