The Rono Chronicles: Henry runs a hilly 5K in 20:55
Former distance god Henry Rono raced a hilly 5K yesterday in New Mexico, where he lives, clocking 20:55. That’s what he reports on the letsrun.com message board thread devoted to his masters comeback at age 54 — a thread now 44 pages long! His goal remains an attempt on the M55 world record in the mile next year. In his latest posts, Henry confides an early-morning warmup before a race today: “At 4:30 am warm up for 95 minutes at the copper hill.” Oops. A number of runners immediately piped in, advising Henry to lighten up on the overdistance warmup.
Here’s the rest of Henry’s report:
“By 9am 5k race started. I had a good start for about 300 yards along with Dave, and we made a right turn up the hill and up hill and up hill Oh!Oh!!, by the time the hill was over we turn left and this was one mile mark I look my time was 7:07 minutes.From then I knew I will not break 20 minutes as I thought.
“At the 2-mile mark, my clock reads 13:47 minutes. At the finish line was 20:55 minutes. At first I felt it at my chest going up hill, coming down hill I felt it at my knees and in the flat run coming to finish I felt it, all over the body.
“That was it, about the same time I ran last two weeks ago.
“I’m looking for a 5k race next week here in Albuquerque because I get to come under 20 minutes.”
