Race for World Peace 5K

An overcast, humid morning with expectations of rain greeted NORSA members Steven S and Emily, who had eaten at Matchbox in DC with friends the night before. They had enough time for breakfast before taking the metro to make the 9:00 start time of the inaugural Race for World Peace 5K.  Since Steven had picked up the race packets the day before, they already had bibs and timing chips. They warmed up and headed to the starting line with a group of Emily's friends from work who were also running.

The race started promptly at 9:00 AM near the Foggy Bottom metro station and the course headed down to Constitution via 19th St, then made a loop on Pennsylvania and returned on the same route.  The runners finished with an uphill stretch on 19th St between the 4 and 5 km mark, with the final few hundred meters on I st NW.   The fellow who won the race is from Ethiopia.  Since the times were chip-computed, the local running report noted that he established the event record at 15 minutes and 10 seconds.

After the race, a dance troupe performed on a stage set up for the accompanying festival for world peace.  Bananas, granola bars, and water were provided also - the usual post-race shenanigans that follow most road-running races.