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.