Kevin Cain 5K in Havertown

Kevin Cain 5K in Havertown - race #1

After four months of race hibernation, I felt somewhat ready to hit the pavement again. I picked the Kevin Cain Make My Day 5K in Havertown for the second year in a row. The seventh annual race on April 1 brought out over 400 runners & walkers on a cloudy day with temperatures reaching 51 degrees. (See photos & video of the race at http://tinyurl.com/6kfhcyb). The run benefits the Kevin Cain Memorial Foundation, which helps families with the financial strain while fighting cancer.
Starting at Annunciation B.V.M. on Brookline Boulevard, it's smooth sailing until I turn left onto the steep hill at Lawson Avenue. It's a pretty section of Havertown, with all the attractive Dutch Colonial homes & large trees which shade the street. Baby steps up the hill, I keep moving. Since it's an afternoon race, dozens of neighbors cheer on the runners as they race around their community.

      After a right onto Edgewood Road, we turn left at Strathmore Road. I notice that the route is a little different than last year, & it feels like it's taking forever to reach two miles! Right before I reach it, a friend of my from the YMCA, Don, who recently started running again, wishes me good luck. After a left on Beverly Road & a left at Kathemere Road, we head right onto Brookline Boulevard. The street is really wide & another change from last year is that there's a turnaround cone. With a block to go, I do my best impression of a "sprint." The race went ok, but I just like the morning races better. I'm not crazy about my time of 30:36, but I always seem to be near that time for this race.
   Grading on the route, ease and cost of registration, T-shirt appeal and the overall fun factorr, I give this race four-and-a-half sneakers out of five.
   Next up is the Ridley Run 5K.

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