I've only raced the mile twice in the past 4 or 5 years and those ended up being solo effort, and in effect time trails. Had plenty of company at the Pearl Street Mile in Boulder last night.
It was a 2 loop course, with 6 sharp turns per lap. I ran the open race, and the open heat ended up with 160 other runners (all the other heats had just 30-40 entrants), including 40 kids from a Florida high school team. Lined up near the front, not quite 2nd row. Gun went off and got swallowed up by dozens of runners and was knocked around some by elbows and feet. We had 2 sharp turns in the first 250 meters, and 4 the first 400! At each turn I'd get cut off and then have to slow to a jog to get around. After 400 or 500 m finally the course opened up a bit and the field strung out. So I made up some ground into the 2nd lap. I was gaining well on a masters guy, but on the penultimate turn (about 500 to go, got cut off again by two guys and fell back a good 12 meters). We had a long gradual uphill for about 300 meters and I moved up. But maybe did too much too soon. I got around him, thinking we only had about 150-200 the finish but it was more than 300. So he blasted by and I tanked over the last turn. We finished on a narrow cobble path in front of the court house and I was pretty shot. Had to take three hits with the inhaler to fend off an asthma attack (bad ozone from western fires and other sources).
They need to go back to the old course (1 loop and not as many turns) and find ways to divvy up the waves. Break out into high school, open, masters, and elite.
Oh yeah, time was 5:29 chip, 5:30 gun.
