The last sporting contest I won was in hula hooping and as for running, I have always just been in competition against myself. Then came Saturday, the inaugural Gostivar Harvest Festival and 5K race. Volunteers Candy and Kerry from Gostivar worked with the local sheep breeders association and many other sponsors to celebrate the community's healthy agricultural bounty and also threw in a fitness aspect with a running race. They did a tremendous job promoting this first-time event and got 130 people, mostly teens, to run the 5K.
At 10:30 AM, we all lined up at the start and then took off through the streets of Gostivar. The kids galloped for the first kilometer and then started to drop back until I was left racing a handful of boys. The spectators seemed to have mixed feelings about this, with some cheering me on and others egging on the boys about letting a girl beat them. In a bit over 21 minutes, I crossed the finish line in first place for the women and 10th overall. Surely this is the one and only time I will ever win a running race but it was great, especially when some of the little girls came up to me after I got my medal (yes, there really was a medal) and congratulated me. The Americans also swept the silver medals, so kudos to Natty and Jane for their excellent runs, along with the other volunteers who ran.
Other than running, I helped with race registration and did the 3 things everyone must do in Gostivar: go to the gourmet cheese shop, eat baklava, and drink salep. Salep is a hot drink made from orchid root and it is served in a lair-like Turkish cafe that I love. Between getting the gold, seeing many friends, and treating myself to delicious eats, the weekend was a winner all around.
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