River Scramble 10k and Bust the Banks 13.1 are Richmond gems of trail running in the city.
I did this in 2018 as my first trail racing. It was a lot of fun. Full of adrenaline rushing down hill and power run up hill, rock hoping and scrambling, it was what I imagined trail running to be.
Arm with experience now, three years later, it was still thrilling to run, but I am no longer green. Of course my horizon has broaden. A three mile park is nothing compare to something like Grayson Highlands I just did two weeks ago. But it packs a lot in a small area.
I do feel like an adult in a kid playground. For many, this might be their first time on a trail. People do get injured. One of the ladies in front of me tripped and fell. She pulled to the side and sat down. I wanted to urge her to walk it off but likely she wouldn’t and she was waiting for her ride to the finish.
The 5k runners started an hour after us, and I was at the tail end of their race. The markings for the 5K and 10K are the same and they also reused a portion of the 10K course. Unbeknown to me, I thought I was running on the 10K course, so I followed the trail marking and added 2-3 miles to my 10K run.
Even for me an old timer, boo hoo, I got lost on the last quarter mile to the finish. It was not the course marking fault or the course marshall. We just miscommunicated. I arrived at the trail intersection and the guy was pointing left so I turned left. Then he called out right, so I looked back and he said you are on the right path but he might have spoken to another runner. Later I realized why he was pointing left. He wanted me to be aware of the step and not tripped but I misunderstood him of telling me to turn left. He was actually standing in front of the course marking and thus I didn’t see it. He was just a kid so I didn’t make a fuss after doing an extra loop. He was inexperience at being a course marshall and I was not well prepared like my other race, having the turns memorized.
Amazingly by making a wrong turn I ended on a 5K event course.
No matter to me. Originally, I wanted to finish my run quickly so I could do the 5K as well. It kind of worked out that way, though of course I didn’t get a 5K time since I didn’t officially registered for a 5K and also I didn’t start at the 5K start. The finish location is almost the same. I got a 10K time – of almost 2 hours – one of the worse ever, but it was a 9 mile run, so not bad.
I still enjoyed it. Tomorrow I will do the half marathon. The course is relatively the same. I won’t get lost again.
update: I knew the course like the back of my hand when I ran the half the following day.
In awe 