Last Sunday a wintry blast hit Massachusetts and with snow and freezing rain in the forecast all eyes were on email to see if race cancellations would be taking place. Fortunately, the weather gods sort of timed some of the messier conditions around the 36th Annual Paddy Kelly 5 Miler and the Colonial Road Runners were able to kick off their race perfectly on time. The course was shortened to a 4.5 mile loop through the scenic D.W. Field Park in Brockton, Massachusetts as the Avon stretch of the race could not be run due to icier conditions in that section of the park.

The race is a February treat each year with runners tackling the road within D.W. Field Park. The course is a nice stretch through a park and takes runners through the woods, along water and up a moderately challenging stretch known as Tower Hill.

This year, the course was snow covered in a some spots and had a couple of icy spots but other parts of the course were down to the pavement. The terrain was not perfect but sort of added to the allure of running a race in February. The race was a Grand Prix race for my running club and the decision was made all of the team would get the 15 points for the race and not have to worry about pace to ensure the safety of the runners.

Some flurries fell during the run and thankfully the freezing rain that was anticipated stayed away during the race making for an all-around nice winter run!

I finished the Paddy Kelly race with a time of 39:26, good for 8:46/mile. Be sure to keep an eye out for this race next year particularly if you have never run the race; it’s a perfect winter run that everyone should check out!