Quakertown Rotary Run for Youth 10 Miler

My first 10 mile race since Philadelphia’s Broad Street Run last year, I wasn’t sure what to expect with the Quakertown 10 Miler.  My legs (more so my calves) have been sore the past few days, and a massage I got last week didn’t go well at all, as it didn’t loosen me up that much.  Anyways, this was a 9 AM race about 45 minutes away from Philly.  I arrived around 8:15, picked up my number and shirt (which they didn’t have me down for but gave me anyways) and got situated before the start.  They had a pretty good selection of race registration forms for upcoming races in the area (5Ks, 4-5Milers, 10Ks and half marathons in addition to some trail runs) and a book of races with the registration forms from the NJ track and field people.

The race was a smaller race and you had the option of 4 or 10 miles, with the first 1.5 miles or so run together.  I almost made the decision to run the 4 mile route, but I needed a double digit run.  The course itself was incredibly hilly, with rolling hills about 95% of the race.  What I wasn’t a fan of was there was no shoulder to run on and some of the hills were blind meaning you couldn’t see if anyone was coming the opposite direction until you got to the top of the hill.  There really wasn’t anything marking the race (signs, cones, etc) with the exception of some volunteers.  There were also some intersections that told you where to go was only spray painted arrows on the road.  There were only 2 water stops, one at 3 miles and at 6 miles.  I felt like I was dehydrating towards the end because 2 water stops for 10 miles is really not enough.  There were definitely points (ie most of the race), where my goal was not to finish last.

At the finish, there was water and food which was race appropriate and appreciated.  The race wasn’t chip timed so I came in approximately 1:49:15 or so.  Overall, definitely not a race I would do again.  I wasn’t a fan of it and thought it could do a bunch to improve.

Quakertown 10 miler route