The 5k Results!

The TKE 5k was this past weekend and although all things didn’t go exactly as planned, I was certainly happy with the results of the road race.

Let me get right to the point with this one. I forgot all my running gear at home. Yup. Mike, Dee, and I made plans to get to Uconn about 1 hour before race time so we needed to leave West Haven at 9 a.m. The day of the race Mike shows up, we get in the car and away we go to Uconn. It was the most beautiful day to run, a slight breeze, shining sun, and perfectly clear sky. We pull into the parking lot right on time and my heart started to flutter with excitement. The Storrs campus on a perfect spring day is probably one of the most beautiful places in Connecticut. Not to mention, every time I visit, I am usually slapped in the brain with a palm full of memories.

I opened the backseat to grab my bag….no bag. I opened the trunk…..no bag. After all the talking and all the training, there I was an hour before the race wearing jeans and some broke down casual shoes.

I wore my disappointment for myself like a sandwich board. With help from some of my brothers, I tried to track down sneakers, but with no luck. After I exhausted all my resources, I accepted it just wasn’t my day to run.

Then right as I sat down and gave up, Stephanie, a lifelong friend from West Haven, shows up to walk in the event. She was shocked to hear I wasn’t running since she was there in Pigeon Key and knew how hard I’d been training for the race. Without hesitation she said, “You can wear my sneakers, I’m just walking it.” If the sun hadn’t already been shining, my face probably would have done just as well a job of lighting up the campus at that moment. A quick trip to the Co-op for some shorts and I was ready to go!

After surprising everyone last year with my finish, I was a heavy favorite to win the road race. However, checking out the field, I knew there were some serious runners and my chances of taking 1st were slim. My goal was still just to come in before Pat Hevey who last year completely blew me out finishing as the first TKE brother.



11:30 a.m. the gun went off. I had a bad position at the back of the pack of over 100 runners, but within a quarter mile I was out in the lead group. I passed Hevey early on but knew it wasn’t the last of him. In fact, the worst thing I could have done was pass him that early because before I knew it I heard the tap tap tap tap of running sneakers behind me and without turning around could tell it was Pat.

We were approaching the hardest leg of the race (1 mile, uphill, into the wind) when Hevey turned to me and said, “Easy day.” I thought so this is where he leaves me in his dust? I was wrong. He explained how this was something he heard during military training. He then went on, telling me stories about the courses he used to run, wearing full gear, and carrying 60 lbs packs. He kept talking about how the human body is an amazing thing because many times its physical limits can be pushed further than the mind ever expects. “Mind over matter,” he would say. The most importing thing you need when reaching for a goal you feel is unrealistic is support from people who care about you. I started to get the feeling this kid was trying to teach me a very important lesson about teamwork.

Running side by side with Pat, I knew there was no way I would pass him out. I also knew there was no way I was going to let him blow past me. And inside I don’t think he had any intentions to. I’d like to say we were pushing one another, but in fairness it was mostly him pushing me to run my hardest and try my best. We passed runner after runner, picking out a goal ahead of us, catching up, and taking the position. After 20:45 we crossed the finish line side by side 10/11 out of a field of over 100. We were the 2 first brothers across, one active and one alumnus.

The race was a success and at the risk of sounding cliché, the real winner was Autism Speaks. The Fraternity raised over $7,000 (and counting) on an empty campus, the day before a holiday, making this road race the most successful charity event in the chapter’s history. Click the link to read about it in the Daily Campus.