Corporate Challenge

At 7:10 p.m., the crowd pressed forward, squeezing through the narrow gates that limited access to Charles Street from the Boston Common. I tried to slide forward, tried to improve my chances of making it to the front of the throng of 12,000 runners, while at the same time not being too obnoxious about it. What I really wanted right then was a pass, or a special number certifying that I belonged with the few true 5:00-6:00 minute milers in attendance.

I glanced back to make sure that Riley was following me. We had discussed what we had to do to avoid being buried in the back of the crowd, and he was proving an apt pupil. I could also see that as we moved closer and closer to the front, his eyes got wider. I had tried to describe the uneasy feeling of having so many people behind you, all of them ready to run up and down your back if you faltered. Riley got to a certain point, perhaps six rows of people from the front, and then stopped. I moved up a bit more, and then settled into place about three rows back. I looked down at the feet of the runners around me. "At least," I thought "most of these people are wearing racing shoes."

I was also wearing racing shoes. I knew that for most of the people behind me it was a fun run, and I had no problem with that. I knew that up here at the front we were the oddballs -- the ones who warmed up, the ones who brought racing shoes, the ones who discreetly changed our company-issued cotton t-shirts for our coolmax singlets. I felt another twinge of concern for Riley, who was running in exactly his second road race ever, and was straddling the world of the fun run and the serious race. He would be on his own soon.

What a strange event that Corporate Challenge is! Incredibly popular among Boston-area coporations, the race always reaches its capacity shortly after making entries available. It is a bonding event for employees, a rare opportunity to express pride in where you work. As I've said before, it's not necessarily about running fast, but about getting 20-30 of your co-workers to show up in shorts and sneakers, wear the clever or not-so-clever t-shirt designed by the graphic arts department, and sweat a little on a hot summer night.

And it was hot! Although temperatures had dropped into the 80s by the 7:30 start, the air was heavy with humidity. I was planning to start cautiously. I had urged Riley to do the same.

At exactly 7:30, having listened to several speeches, having been harangued by a zealous aerobics instructor who was supposed to lead us through a "warm-up" routine of steps, kicks, and arm swings, even though we were jammed tightly together like hot, human french fries in a 12,000 person happy meal -- after having been exhorted to "do our best," we were ready to go. After a verbal command, an air horn set us our way.

I had only one goal for the first half mile -- not to be tripped. I achieved this goal, although there were some near misses as exuberant runners around me darted to and fro across the road looking for some sliver of daylight through which to advance. I thought, "there's plenty of time for moving up." I passed the first mile in a very relaxed 5:40, well back in the pack. I would guess there were at least 50-60 runners in front of me at that point, maybe more. The leaders were out of sight already and I wasn't much concerned about them. Riley was somewhere behind me, but he was no longer my concern. I began to concentrate on continuing to run relaxed and "cool" and on catching people.

At the turnaround, just before 2 Miles, I had moved up to perhaps 35th-40th. I was feeling pretty good, not over-heated at all and striding out well - as in a good tempo run. The people I passed looked were putting up little resistance, most likely victims of the early pace and the heat. The third mile is a long straight shot on Comonwealth Avenue, before it reaches the Public Garden. Towards the end of this stretch, I finally caught a big group of 8-10 runners that had been my objective since the turnaround. As I caught them, the group seemed to be splitting up, and I managed to latch on to two guys at the front who were breaking away.

We rounded the Public Garden, and turned onto Charles Street for the final 150 meters. I was hoping it would not come down to a sprint, but my bid to lose these two other guys failed, and we all kicked in together. My time was 19:24 (5:32 pace) -- quite a bit slower than last year, but not too bad considering the heat. I had run conservatively and had enjoyed myself. I could live with that today.

After grabbing some water, I waited for Riley. He arrived a little later than I expected, at just over 23 minutes. He had run his first mile in about six minutes, as he had planned, and then suffered in the heat, slowing to seven-minute miles by the end. His training hadn't prepared him to handle the sustained fast pace, although I noticed he recovered quickly and was in good spirits when we all went out to eat afterwards. Youth must be served. If not this year, then soon. Very soon.