Previewing the Frostbite 10k – January 2, 2011

I ran the course of the new Frostbite 10k yesterday afternoon, along with about 15 or so other runners. Many thanks to race director Duncan Sharrits for leading this and to the Four Seasons Running Club for communicating it through Meetup. The weather was sunny with temperatures in the 40s but it was quite windy which made some sections a bit more challenging. The pace was moderate (53-55 minute total time).

It’s a nice course, that starts just like the Frostbite 5k at Park Ridge Hospital. After two loops around the hospital, the 10k goes west while the 5k goes east. The 10k follows an out and back course, returning to the hospital and rejoining the 5k course for the last couple miles of the course.

I thought about this course in the context of the other three 10k races that are in the first four months of the Asheville Track Club 2011 Grand Prix series, just to consider my opinion of the relative difficulty. I have run each of the other three 10k races at least twice (although nobody has the run the new Shamrock 10k more than once because the new course was introduced in 2010).

1. The Hot Chocolate 10k. This is the easiest of the four, with a downhill start leading to a flat out and back. But there is an uphill finish.
2. The Frostbite 10k. I’d say this is a bit tougher than the Hot Chocolate but easier than the Shamrock and the Greenway. Here’s a link to my results at Running Ahead.
3. The Shamrock 10k. I consider this to be the toughest in the group. The first two miles are relatively flat and some slightly downhill. After that there are a couple of challenging miles and a grueling hill climb. I think of this race as a miniature version of the Sunset Stampede.
4. The Black Mountain Greenway 10k. The second toughest in my book. The rolling hills never let up but if you plan this one right you can recover on the downhills to help offset the uphills.