Tuesday, June 6, 2017

Race Recap/Review: Albertina Kerr and her Race for the Roses



Albertina Kerr was a fascinating character whose legacy stems from a short and scandalous life followed by a memorial bequest. Born in Portland in 1890, Albertine Sechtem was a seemingly typical young woman of the period. Following the death of her father Albertina droppped out of high school to help support her younger siblings and mother by working at the Kerr Glass Company. This teenager enchanted the owner of the company, the illustrious (and middle-aged) Alexander Kerr, who ended up divorcing his wife to marry the young Albertina. This was a massive scandal in the straightlaced Portland of the 1900s resulting in front page news. Albertina was twenty and Alexander was 48 when they were wed. Their marriage would be all too brief however. Following the birth of their child the small family attended a camp meeting on the Oregon Coast where Albertina contracted typhoid fever. Her dying wish was remarkably poignant, entreating her wealthy husband to establish a fund that would "look after other motherless babies, too."
The Eponymous Albertina Kerr
This financial trust has grown into a major part of Portland's charitable community for well nigh a century. It also sponsors one of my favorite races, The Race for the Roses.

Real talk- the course is pretty bad, at least it was this year. I know that Portland Police Bureau have cut the numbers of available officers down dramatically which has resulted in the changes of some race venues downtown. The course was flat but one of the least scenic I can recall. After a brief tour of the Central Eastside Industrial District the course crossed the Broadway bridge (which is always great, it's a beautiful bridge) but then proceeded to light out for the industrial dockland of northwest Portland along Front avenue. For five solid miles of out-and-back the view was the parking structures of various industrial facilities on the east side of the street and a hauntingly empty trainyard on the west that felt deeply eighties apocalypse. I kept waiting for Snake Plissken or one of the Baseball Furies to hand me a GU and a water cup.
a lovely tour of the docklands and parking lots of industrial Portland
But no matter, the cause was good! Not every race has to be a scenic one. The race was for a good charity and, in one of my favorite aspects of any race, the medals were handmade by the adults with developmental disabilities that are part of Albertina Kerrs charitable initiatives. The setup and pre-race venue were well organized, the swag was good, race was fun!


Final note, at least according to my garmin this race was a little short. I don't think it's a certified course so probably no big deal but always frustrating when you don't get that half marathon distance badge on strava.
Oh yeah, my time. This was a recovery race, I'd ran a PR the week prior at the Shamrock Run and was still recovering. I still finished in a perfectly respectable 2:00:11

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