Dutch Go 1-2 at the Oracle 5K

Today, I joined a few hundred other Oracle colleagues and some ex-Oracle employees for the annual Oracle 5K. Though this event was advertised as a non-competitive fun run, there was going to be some serious competition up front.

I warmed up for about a mile and met Chihping and Yuki at the start. I'm looking forward to see them again this weekend at WS100; Yuki is going to run the race and Chihping will first be on the safety patrol for 30 miles, and then he will pace Yuki for the last 38 miles from Forest Hill. Chihping made some nice pictures, so I am looking forward to his post about the race.

There were easily 200 people at the start and I took off quickly to avoid getting run over on the narrow bike path, then settled into about a 6 minute pace. The course is a flat out and back course along the Belmont slough in Redwood Shores, close to the Oracle Headquarters. I work for Oracle, but mostly work off site, so it is always fun to visit and meet co-workers and other friends.

I was almost immediately passed by a fellow Dutchman, Mark van de Wiel, who is a product manager and an accomplished marathon runner, who has run marathons all over the world. I followed him to the turnaround point and on my way back I noticed that Ian Inglish was not far behind me, looking strong. The temperature was great, but it was a bit windy, causing slightly slower times.

On the way back, I was not able to close the gap with Mark (he finished first in 19:08 and his name will be added to the 5K trophy that has the names of all the previous winners on it), but fortunately, I was able to hang on to my second place in 19:23. Ian Inglish came in right behind me in 19:30. One good reason to try to finish this race really quickly is that you avoid the long lines for the showers. Last year, I hung out at the pool a little too long and ended up waiting for over 20 minutes to take a shower :)

All in all, it was a lot of fun and I plan to come back again next year.

Next up, the Habitat Run Half Marathon on Saturday morning, followed by pacing my friend Dave jr. for the last 38 miles at WS100 at night.