Date: Sept. 28, 2025 Participant: Justin Cooper #41649 Race: 2025 Boulderthon 5K Distance: 3.1 miles Weather: Perfect running weather with temperatures in the 50's to 70's and nice cloud cover

Consistent Start with Room for Strategic Adjustment Justin Cooper, competing in the 2025 Boulderthon 5K, displayed a strong start with his first two miles, clocking in at paces of 8:29 and 8:28 min/mile, respectively. His initial position was 221st, demonstrating a promising beginning. However, by the third mile, his pace slowed to 9:26 min/mile, and his overall position dropped slightly to 251st. Despite this, his performance in the M35-39 division was commendable, finishing 17th out of numerous competitors. Overall, Justin completed the 5K race in 27:28 with an average pace of 8:51 min/mile. This race performance was remarkably consistent with his previous half marathon pace of 8:53 min/mile. For future races, prioritizing speed maintenance in the later stages could yield better positions. Emphasizing negative splits by reserving more energy for the latter miles might reduce time and improve finishing positions. Nonetheless, maintaining pace consistency is a noteworthy strength.