Athlete Race Recap: 174th Attack Wing Runway 5K

On Saturday, August 3, 2024, Christina Barker raced at the 174th Attack Wing Runway 5K in Syracuse, New York!

This is the third year that the Syracuse Hancock International Airport has shut down its 9,014-foot runway to allow a running race to take place on it.  Christina has been there for all three years; she also raced this event in 2022 and in 2023.

This year, the race’s organizers changed the date and moved it from September to August.  This changed the dynamics of the race because the ambient conditions were much hotter and more humid than they have been in previous years.  Christina recognized this and adjusted her race strategy mid-race to accommodate for these conditions.  This did mean that she ended up with a finishing time that was a smidge slower than she had originally wanted.  However, as I’ve talked so much about over the years, it’s important to adjust and manage your expectations for what is actually going on, not what you wish was going on.  If you do that, you will have a strong race performance that you can be proud of.

Christina told me after the race that it went great and that she had a lot of fun.  That’s a successful race in our book!

Congratulations, Christina!

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