Ed Whitlock - I want a rematch!

a.k.a The Great Raisin River Foot Race

The finish stretch --
my elbow, followed closely by 78 y.o. Ed Whitlock

I made the swinging right hand turn past the long-horn cow and the goat pen and down the final gravel stretch. I could see the finish banner and the clock which appeared paused in time (it literally was due to a technical glitch).

"Here he comes Ladies and Gentlemen!" boomed the PA announcer. I reveled in the moment.

"Let's give a big round of applause for the fastest man in the world, in his age category!"

"Huh?" I turned my head slightly and there he was, the silver fox, 78 year old Ed Whitlock: riding my coat-tails.

The meters clicked off, while I held tense negotiations in my head. We were neck and neck, and the finish line was almost upon us.

Option 1: Sprint the last bit, and go down in history as the dooch that out-sprinted Ed Whitlock in a 5K.

Option 2: Ease up and give him the finish line all to himself, and go down in history as the dooch that got beat by Ed Whitlock in a 5K.

But then panic set in, what happens if *he* sprints for it, and I was forced to react.. I had nothing left in the tank, and he'd end up beating me fair and square.

So, in a moment that will live in infamy... or at least as long as SportStats is keeping records, I eased up. He glanced over at me, his smirk said it all, "You dooch!"

Beeeep - I crossed the line in 29th place. 0.7 seconds behind a man twice my age. I guess Ed can add that to his resume-- fastest man in the world for his age group... check; 2:54 marathon at age 74... check; beat Phil Barnes in a 5K... check.

The final stats:


Official Results:
Sportstats Results
21:54.3 Final Time. 29/221 OA, 7/21 M30-39, 26/109 Men, 1/1 Dooch Bags.