Digby Scallop Days 5k

I look anxiously at the clock. 30 minutes. Good. There’s still lots of time. But as the seconds tick away, I can’t help but worry. J-A said she wasn’t feeling great, and she missed a lot of training, and living two full-time lives as student and employee has reduced her sleep over the past couple of weeks to an average of about 4 hours per night. There's no way she should cross the line in PB time, no way she should break 35 minutes.

31 minutes. Despite everything, I'm still hoping she'll have a good race.

My family and I are gathered at the finish line – my mom and dad and my brother, sister-in-law, and their three boys. They're on vacation and have decided to come with us to Digby to watch us run. Now we're all waiting, cheering for those crossing the line but saving our lungs for when J-A appears down the stretch.

32 minutes – when will she appear?

The Scallop Queen and her entourage of princesses in glowing white gowns line the finish chute to congratulate those completing the race. It’s a nice touch – it adds something special to the race to have them take part each year. This year, in fact, some of them even walked part of the course to lend support to the goals of the event – to promote healthy living and fun.

33 minutes. I wonder where she is. People keep crossing – the seconds keep ticking.

And then I see her. The clock shows 33:30 and she’s coming down the stretch, maybe 200-250m out. I run about 75m from the finish line and start yelling. Behind me, our whole cheering section goes wild. Even people who don’t know J-A join in – there’s a mountain of noise. The princesses are clapping. J-A puts in a surge and crosses the line in 34:37, well under her goal and a huge PB. It was awesome.

There have been some incredibly fun and memorable races this season, but I think the Digby Scallop Days 5k takes the prize for most fun. Admittedly, winning at the Cabot Trail Relay was pretty special, but the level of intensity of that event removes it from comparison. Among the rest, Digby stands out.

My own race wasn’t particularly dramatic, but it was fun. The only plot development happened in the first k. As usual, a bunch of young guys surged out of the start line, and, as usual, most of them died up the first hill. Part way up the first hill, though, three guys remained in front of me. I simply kept my pace and watched them come back. The last guy in front heard me coming and took a quick glance back. I’d moved to pass him on the right, but he drifted out into my path. I wondered if he was letting me through on the inside, but as I moved inside, he looked behind and drifted back inside. The dude was trying to keep me from passing. It was crazy – we’re not even at 1k, and I’m comfortably running faster, and he wants to race. Well, give him credit for being aggressive, but in the end, I moved past on the right and ran the rest of the race alone.

I’ve gotten into the habit of racing without a watch, so I was a bit lost out there on my own. The course is two loops, but the loops aren’t equal, so when I passed the finish line clock the first time, it was before half way, so I had no idea if I was running fast or slow. Instead, I found the edge of discomfort and kept moving. If there had been someone there to race, I might have pushed into the pain a bit more, but with the race sewn up, it was hard to push too far. In the end, I crossed the line in 16:59 – one second off my PB. Funny. I had more in the tank, but I didn’t have the discipline to push. No big deal, though – I was sub 17, two-time winner, and got a trophy and a pair of shoes from a Scallop Princess. All in all, an awesome time. And the race director gave well-deserved props to the family cheering section.

I’ve been to Digby four times, and each time I’ve loved the race – it’s got a nice laid-back, festive feel. This year was extra special with J-A’s huge performance and a loyal and loud cheering section. You can bet that J-A and I will make every effort to go back next year!