Shelter Island Gives Us Cool Runnings

Saturday, I ran in the Shelter Island 10k, and while running in the heat has never been my idea of a party, the utter loveliness of the route -all leaves and sea and sun, made for a pretty decent distraction. Shelter Island's hosted this race for 29 years, and it's garnered a relatively large and loyal following.There were a lot of families at the event ( grandparents included), as well as couples, groups of friends, running clubs, and quite a few elite feet, including Olympian Keith Brantly, and runners from Ethiopia, Kenya, and Burundi. I arrived at the Shelter Island High School early, and watched a tiny boy and even tinier girl flaunt some serious dance moves to the beat of a local bluegrass band. The course wove through the coastline, past farmhouses, harbors, beaches, and a never-ending crowd of water-bearing supporters.

We'd been warned that the last 1.75 miles would be uphill, so I steeled myself for a Kilimanjaro that never came. What grade there was was negligible, and the last half-mile was on the school athletic field. After the race, there were awards, followed by at barbeque and dance at the Dering Harbor Inn. Really, I can't imagine a more enjoyable way to run 6.2 miles. Were any of you there? What did you think?

[Image via Shelter Island Run]