Liverpool’s Lights on the Lake display through Onondaga Lake Park is a popular and often crowded rite of the Christmas season. When we learned of the opportunity to run through much of the display without traffic, we jumped at the chance—which was fortunate, as the race quickly sold out after being promoted on the local media.
The race was scheduled to start at 6:30am to afford us a chance to see the lights before dawn, but it also required us to rouse ourselves from our warm bed at 5am.
It was cold. It was very cold. But the allure of seeing the lights on foot wouldn’t likely keep many people away, so we arrived at the park early to avoid the inevitable crowds, which gave us time to avail ourselves of the heated tent.
Seven hundred of us lined up on the trail near the Salt Museum. I was concerned about the start, given the size of the field on a 20′ wide or so trail, so I made it a point of lining up toward the start. I didn’t want a repeat of my ARC Race experience with twice the field to work through.
The portion of the field I was in left smoothly. My strategy once again was to aim for a negative split, and in spite of the close quarters, I was able to navigate the field reasonably well before the field began to string out after the first mile.
I’d initially been concerned about the darkness, but there was enough light from the display. As I was focused on moving through the field and not causing a pileup, I only noticed the various displays intermittently, but even then, the lights made for a spectacular venue.
I was a little too conservative at the start, but truth be told, I could still feel the miles for the half marathon in my legs; it took me a little longer than usual to find a comfortable cadence.
I settled into a better tempo after the race reversed course, and focused on moving through the field which, despite its size, began to break up in the final mile. I finished with my second fastest time, 26:44. Once again, I finished just out of the age group awards, though I was over a minute behind the third place finisher.
The heated tent was large, but the press of finishers made for a crowded space. The food, as always, was appreciated.
Location: Onondaga Lake Park
Cost: $30
Swag: Beanie, post race food
Events: 5K
Field: 684
Result: 80/684@26:44; 8:33; 4/16
Shoe: Hoka Cavu 2
