Russ Craber Places first in Weight Class at 2010 Seaport River Run

RUSS CRABER PLACES FIRST IN 200-225 POUND WEIGHT CLASS AT SEAPORT RIVER RUN!

The annual fun run in Lewiston, ID was last weekend, and I handily took first place....in my weight class.  I finished the 5k in 25:56.  That's not blinding speed, but not bad for not really training and average 5 hours of sleep per night for the previous two weeks.

Okay, there are no "official" weight classes in road races.  However, imagine you're a small-boned, long-legged, 160-pound-man, with a predominance of slow-twitch muscle fiber.  This is YOUR race.  Now imagine you're in the 200+ pound category with a genetic tilt toward power and short distance speed.

That's why I ignore the times of the first 10 finishers (I did make it to the top 20).  They're all the same body type, designed by God for exactly that sort of thing.  Big whoop.

Those of us designed for other tasks have to convert intermediate muscle fibers, lose muscle mass, and beat the tar out of three times as many shoes as the lighter crowd.  That's why I call upon race officials everywhere to forget age categories, and respect weight categories instead.