Today was the 10th annual Bengal Run at Buffalo State College off of Elmwood Ave and my 4th race of the year. The race is for the benefit of the Legacy Scholarship Fund, a scholarship awarded annually to a deserving student who is a child or grandchild of a Buffalo State graduate. This race is the second of three races that make up the Queen City Triple Crown. The first race was the Chilly Challenge on February 25th and the final leg is the Shoes for the Shelter on April 15th.

The weather was in the 40s, overcast, with rain showers which was just perfect. The course is basically flat, starts around the corner from the Buckham Campus School on Rockwell Rd, loops out to Elmwood Ave, down Forest Ave, down Rees St, back out on Rockwell Ave, off to the west on Iroquois Dr, behind Coyer Field and back out to Rees St before finishing in front of the Buckham Campus School.

My time – 22:27 good enough for 144th out of 551 overall, 12th of out 48 in my age age group, and 118th out of 383 in the male group. That is the equivalent of a 7:15 mile. Basically, that puts me pretty much where I left off from last year and only 16 seconds off of my personal best. Each mile split was pretty consistent and I had plenty of gas at the end to sprint to the finish line. It looks like that goal of breaking the 22 minute and possibly the 21 minute mark is well within reach with 40 some odd races remaining in the season.

The next race…Chuck Tokarz’s greatly promoted Bunny Hop 5K over the scenic and rolling hills of East Aurora. The prizes for the top three finishers in each age group are three different size chocolate bunnies. No wonder this is a female favorite race!