Course requires proper planning from runners

The Johnnycake Jog is a favorite among runners across Ohio for a course that is mainly flat and fast.

The 42nd Johnnycake Jog begins at 8 a.m. July 8 at the Lake County Fairgrounds in Painesville Township. The race begins on Mentor Avenue, then takes runners down Fairgrounds Road to Johnnycake Ridge Road, which brings them back to Mentor Avenue for the home stretch.

Runners who hope to maximize their performance at Ohio’s Finest Five-Miler simply need to enter the race with a plan. Bill Dennison, who runs Second Sole in Mentor and coaches the Mentor High School cross country and boys track and field teams, encourages runners to conserve energy over the race’s uphill portion to account for its finish.

“It’s flat, it’s fast,” Dennison said. “But everybody’s so checked out because of the beginning of the race so if you plan it right and cruise that home stretch, you can truly run a great race there. There’s people all lined up down there, it’s flat.”

The race begins at 680 feet above sea level and peaks at 773 feet above sea level. Runners make the ascent over the first two miles of the race, remain level for a mile, then head downhill between the third and fourth mile that leads into the flat home stretch on Mentor Avenue.

“Then you get to mile three, you hit Mentor Avenue, it’s just like five lanes of concrete jungle and then you get to Dairy Queen and you start seeing the finish line arch,” Dennison said. “It seems so far away and you never get closer and closer, I think that’s why it’s a unique race.”

The Johnnycake Jog also requires a mental adjustment. As a true 5-mile race, instead of an 8K, each mile is marked nine meters beyond the usual 1,600 meters by which runners measure their progress. During the Jog, runners must briefly ignore cues from the GPS trackers inside their wristwatches that help maintain pace.

“All of our Garmins go by meters,” Dennison said. “So you beep, you go off, then you’re like, ‘wait a minute, the mile’s over there. They’re wrong.’ No they’re not wrong, you’re wrong. The course is actually deceiving because it’s a true five-miler, not an 8K.”

The 5-mile race begins at 8 a.m. July 8. The Johnnycake Jog’s 5K begins at 8:15. Registration for the 5-mile race is $25 before July 8 and $30 on race day. Registration for the 5K costs $20 before July 8 and $25 on race day. More information on the race can be found at johnnycakejog.com and lakehealthrunning.com.

For wise runners, their plan of attack can make the difference in a personal best time or placement in an age group.

“A lot of people have said, ‘Why don’t you run it opposite?’ ” Dennison said. “Well, for me, personally, if I’m smart and know about the miles being off because they’re true miles, I get out slower and start passing all the knuckleheads that go out too hard.”