Beacham Captures Predicted Time Run, 9 February 2004

Jim Beacham of Westminster finished as the tenth runner across the finish line but closest to his predicted race time in a four mile predicted time run (which figures, doesn't it?), sponsored by the Westminster Road Runners on February 8.

Although the original course down Old Bachman Valley Road north of Westminster had to be changed because of the presence of several large ice patches envelloping the road due to melting, runoff, and refreezing of recent snow accumulations, an exuberant crowd of twenty-eight runners left from the Bachman Valley Farm area after everyone had moved from the original starting area.

Leading the race the entire way was Jesus Resendiz from Boiling Springs, Pennsylvania, who finished over three minutes ahead of the field. The best of the rest included Liberty High School athletes Colin Fearns and Kevin Burdinski, who tried hard but could not keep Resendiz in sight, and Neal Riemenschneider and Karsten Brown from Virginia.

Since the idea in a predicted time race is to run as close as possible to the time predicted prior to the race, since watches are not allowed, and since since splits are not given during the race, the lead finishers often do not place highly in these races, although past versions of this particular race have seen both the first and the last finishers win on more than one occasion.

Thus it is not surprising that of the top five actual finishers, only Resendiz finished in the top ten in the prediction category. Neal Riemenschneider did, however, show himself to be a noble human being, as he helped tabulate results, even as he slowly became immobile in the chilly, breezy weather.

The best predictor was Beacham, whose time of 28:59, a 7:15 per mile pace on a rolling course with differences in pavement and traction, was within one second of his predicted time. The best five predictors all proved to be masters runners, an indication that in this kind of race either experience is a big factor or that these guys were suffering so badly from cabin fever that they would do anything to find a race.

Results listed in order of difference between actual and predicted times.