I ran my 4th Anthem 5K Fitness Classic this morning. Something around 7,000 runners turned up for the event. It seemed like a much larger field than last year, when it poured rain. It was chilly, about 37°F (3°C), and it began to snow as mid-packers were finishing.
The Anthem 5K is the 1st leg of the Louisville Triple Crown, a local series of road races that Louisvillians run ritualistically to greet the spring.
It was the third time I ran the Anthem with my friend David, and with even this tiny history, we’re already starting to reminisce about previous years and to speculate about whether the crab apples will be in blossom for Rodes City, the 10K that forms the next leg in the series.
Runners were all pretty chatty and upbeat this morning. I was so wrapped up talking to a woman about Grandma’s Marathon in Duluth that I completely missed the one-mile split.
Graham and Evan ran the Kids’ Fun Run after the race. It might be the 3rd or 4th year they’ve participated. I know they ran the whole series last year, and Papa John’s (the final leg of the Triple Crown, a 10 miler) at least one year before. Graham actually reached the finish 3rd in the group of 6-and-7-year-olds.
It was a great morning and a great event, one of the things I love about Louisville.