Coco’s 8K–Pick Your Race Distance

My podiatrist is a runner. After a string of over-use injuries I was fed up with seeing doctors who didn’t understand runners, or why “stop running” was not an acceptable prescription. (I’ll take a few weeks off and be the most diligent physical therapy patient ever, but don’t tell me to take up biking instead!) So, when I had a horrible plantar fascitis flare-up a few years ago, I selected a doctor who advertises in the local running magazines and is a runner himself.

Another perk of seeing a doctor who is a runner is that the waiting room is stocked with running magazines. While I was waiting for my final toe appointment, I was flipping through a publication with local races. I was struck by how many are fundraisers in honor of local people:

• The Tim Harmon 5K, which is organized to “raise awareness of Hepatitis C,” in honor of Tim Harmon, who passed away in 1999 from Hepatitis C. (Proceeds go to organizations providing advocacy, education, and services to those at risk of contracting the Hepatitis C virus.)
• The Brain Aneurysm Awareness 8K in memory of Timothy Susco, which splits its proceeds between the Brain Aneurysm Foundation and the Washington Regional Transplant Community.
• The Fill the Shoes 5K, in honor of Jack T. Farrar, Jr., who succumbed to pancreatic cancer, which uses its net proceeds to benefit the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network.

It seems like 5K is a popular distance for these types of events, probably for a number of reasons including participation and logistics. It got me thinking–if a race were organized in my honor, what distance would I want it to be?

My favorite race to run is the 10-miler, but I think I might pick an 8K. A bit more challenging than a 5K, less intimidating to new runners than a 10K, but a solid distance worth the pre-race hassles.

How would you pick your race distance?