2026 Brian Kraft 5K Race Report

Yesterday was the Brian Kraft 5K, and I was expecting for it to be slow. I hurt my calf on April 1st and have only done had 1 speed workout in the last 8 or 9 weeks. Yikes.

I just didn't want to RE-hurt my calf. I was going to push hard and just be satisfied with whatever my Garmin said... I knew it wasn't going to be pretty. Henry and I hit the porta potties just before a big line formed:

Pre-race tradition. In my NEW jersey!


My wife (pink) and youngest son (on dock) with a friend
(on the left) getting ready to fish during the race.


Henry and I as we said good-bye to my wife!


A partial team photo! They wouldn't let Henry NOT be included.

I did a few sprints before the start, and Henry and I lined up. I put myself farther back than I'm used to because I knew that could help keep me from going out too hard. I bumped into James (Jamie) and we chatted a bit.

"... on your marks.... GOOOOOOOO!!!!"

My wife was down the road with the fisher-boys and snapped some pics of me and Henry going past:

Me in the middle waving to some race buddies (Paul and Tracy).


Close-up.


Waving at my wife!


Henry coming past.


Hiding a smirk as Mama cheered for her baby boy. :)

I REALLY didn't know how I'd be starting this race! I was hoping to see all sub-3:00 half-mile splits, but I had NO idea what shape I was in for a 5K. I was happy with a 2:50 opening split - if anything, I told myself to ease up a bit. I knew that wasn't a pace I could maintain.

I had the inside edge on the left, but I ended up getting kind of boxed in when we drifted on some gentle right hand turns - I couldn't "run the tangent" well. And sure enough, my Garmin beeped for the first mile when I was still 8-10 seconds before the mile marker. Dang. I was already running farther than I had to.

• MILE 1: 5:49.2 (2:50 + 2:58)

That was a slower half mile, but I was happy with that overall mile split. I tried to up the pace a bit now, as my "how close can be be to 18:00 flat?" goal seemed like it could be possible.

At about mile 1.5, we turned into the slight wind. And I jumped OUT from behind a small pack so I could run the tangent a bit. So it was great I was running the shortest/proper route, but sucky that I had no one to break the wind for me. I think it was a wash, but I still passed a small group.

• MILE 2: 5:49.0 (2:54 + 2:54)

ALRIGHT, I'M ON PACE TO RUN SLOWER THAN 18:00, BUT CAN I FIGHT TO GET SOME OF THAT TIME BACK?!? And I was just a few people behind race buddy Doron Clark. He beats me almost EVERY time (I may have been faster than him once, but I can't recall the race, so that might just be in my head), and he was now my rabbit. I moved to within 3 spots of him. But then he passed someone to put my 4 runners back. But then I passed 2 to be just 2 runners behind him... then 1 runner behind him... then I was just off his back shoulder. I was JUST far enough back that I couldn't muster up a "Let's go Doron!" so I didn't know if he knew I was behind him. But then a spectator shouted "Nice shorts" to me, and then I KNEW that Doron knew I was right on his tail! :)

I felt good about mile 2-2.5, but then I felt like I didn't have anything left for a kick. And that kinda shows in my final 2 half-mile splits:

• MILE 3: 5:41.9 (2:49 + 2:52)

Now it was just pain until the line. But my calf was holding up! No "CALF" pain, just "GENERAL 5K" pain.

Doron on the right and me a bit to the left... he surged more than I could and he was gone.


Hurting.


Working.


Ouch.

• FINAL 0.1: 0:41.3

OFFICIAL RESULTS:

Steve Stenzel, M, 45, St. Paul

18:01 chip time (18:06 gun time)
5:48 pace

96 out of 448 overall
88 out of 290 men
14 out of 49 in the 40-49 age group
78% age graded time

Started 136th overall, finished 96th overall, caught 40 runners start-to-finish.

[Garmin: 3.13 miles in 18:01.5, 5:45 pace]

I can't really complain about that! Yes, I was 0:43 slower than last year and 0:56 slower than 2 years ago (and both of those finishes were 81-82% age graded instead of 78%), but I'm working back from an injury and didn't have the speed work to do anything better. It's not even my slowest Brian Kraft 5K as I was 0:01 slower in 2018.

My Garmin shows me starting easier and slowly building the pace:

A lap around the lake plus a little more.


Biggest dip in speed was right at the mile 1 marker where I told myself to speed up a bit!


The part where I finally ran the tangent (but also ran into the wind).

I found my wife and we cheered Henry in to the finish:

Henry took it easy as he had a track meet in 3 more days!


Slow and comfortable pre-track meet finish for Henry in 23:01.

If Henry runs this summer, has a decent CC season this fall, and keeps it up with track next spring (a lot of "ifs," but they're all possible), I predict he can beat me next year! And I'd LOVE that!!

Henry and I talked with lots of race buddies (including Doron who confirmed my thoughts that the person yelling "nice shorts" let him know I was right on his tail), and then Henry and I got some Mel-O-Glaze donuts just a few blocks from the lake:

My (smushed) "Apple Bomb" - like a donut and a turn-over had a delicious love child.


Henry's "Cherry Bomb!"


Yes, we brought donuts back for the fisherman.


Got to watch Charlie catch a small largemouth.


They were out of "new" mediums, so Henry got a 2026 size small
(his size), but I got a medium of last year's shirt. I'd rather
have a shirt to wear than the "correct" shirt that doesn't fit me.

One funny thing is that looking at the GUN time, Doron beat me because he crossed the finish line before me (he finished in 18:04 and 14th in our age group). But his CHIP time has him as 18:02 and 15th in our age group because I started farther back than he did. So I KINDA got him even though I didn't. (But according to USATF rules, he beat me because they are all about the gun time.)