Baltimore 10 Miler 2025 Race Recap

I returned to the Baltimore 10 Miler for the 5th time on June 7th after signing up months ago (around New Years). My plan had been to just use my half marathon training to run this at whatever pace was comfortable. It’s a tough course and the weather is usually pretty warm. But I’ve always had fun at this race so I was excited to get back there.

Baltimore 10 Miler 2025 Race Recap

The Month Leading Up to the Race

My half marathon was on May 4th, and honestly running and life has been challenging since then. I ended up with a cold the weekend of my half and my cough from that lingered for about 10 days. Just when I got past that, my allergies got horrible the weekend of Memorial Day. For a week I wasn’t sure if I had a cold or allergies. Eventually they subsided a bit but I just could not kick the lingering congestion. I was still struggling with congestion the day before the race. Meanwhile, my kids had a couple of illnesses as well.

Along with all of this, I was working with my PT to increase my cadence. My right piriformis tends to flare up in or around races, and he recoded me running and also looked back on my gait analysis for last year. Along with a few targeted exercises, we decided I should try to get my cadence up to 178. This was really challenging and I felt weird running for the first week or so! I was also getting back to strength training after my half and between the change in gait and the strength I was often sore.

Baltimore 10 Miler Race Morning

So given everything I just shared, I just went into the Baltimore 10 Miler with no expectations. It was also going to be extremely warm and humid- mid 70s and over 90% humidity at the 7am start. I complained about 60s and humid for my half, but that was really the last time I ran in humid weather this season. Our weather has been all over the place.

The race started at Druid Hill Park near the Zoo. The start line/parking changed since the last time I ran in 2016. I found parking easily but it was a LONG walk to the start. I could feel the thick air the whole time. I warmed up a bit and waited in line for the porta potty. I walked over to the start line as they were asking everyone to line up, and it was so crowded that I couldn’t make my way in. I only saw one entrance, which was near the 16 min/mile pace. Up ahead the next sign I saw was for 8 min/mile pace, but nothing in between. There were many of us trying to get closer up but couldn’t get in.

Race Start

Once the crowds starting moving I inched my way up as best I could, but I knew I was in the wrong section. As I started I was completely boxed in, with runners around me all running different distances. Some were like me and had started too far back and were trying to weave. Some were walking the race. The first mile is downhill and I wanted to take advantage of that, but I was constantly breaking and trying not to bump into people. It was like this until mile 3.

Middle Miles

My watch was very far off of the mile markers, even at mile 1. For some miles it was ahead, and for others it was behind. I think some of the mile markers may have been placed incorrectly, but I also suspect my watch was off a bit. For these reasons I really didn’t know my pace, but just tried to dial into my effort. I knew I wasn’t running very fast but the weather was making it feel very hard. I also knew I would need some energy for later in the race as the hills continued.

At the halfway point we ran around part of Lake Montabello before turning around, so we got to see runners going the opposite direction during this portion of the race which was nice. It was also flat, which was a nice little break from the hills.

I tried to just enjoy the atmosphere because despite the tough weather conditions everyone was so positive! All the officers were cheering us on and the spectators had great energy, and it just felt like everyone was having fun. I realized it’s been a long time since I ran a Baltimore race and they are really fun, despite the hills and potholes!

I didn’t bring my handheld and drank water from the water stops, which definitely slowed me down. It seemed like most people were walking through the stops so I had to weave around people quite a bit.

End of the race

As we made our way back towards the zoo, it is mostly uphill. There’s a long climb around mile 8.5. Knowing I was almost done, I was able to push a bit by this point, but it was definitely tough! Once we reached the top of the hill I ran harder for the last portion of the race, which was mostly flat/downhill but had a sneaky little uphill right before the finish.

My time was 1:30:09 which is pretty much my marathon pace and about 12 minutes slower than I usually run this race. I compared my stats from this to my May half, and even though my pace was about 40 seconds/mile slower for a shorter distance, my average HR was almost the same. I think the weather was a huge factor but also everything my body has dealt with this past month.

I know I could have ran faster, especially if I hadn’t been boxed in those first 3 miles and if I didn’t have to slow down for water, but I don’t think that would have been smart given the conditions and my health.

Post Race

After leaving the finish area there was a section with cold towels, water and snacks. I walked through and grabbed a towel, water, and a granola bar. A few minutes later it started raining heavily. I knew I had a long walk back to my car. I decided to grab a free beer to sip on during the walk. They just had hard iced tea, lemonade and Heineken. The iced tea actually sounded refreshing so I got one of those. I just had a few sips of it since I never had vodka and didn’t know how it would affect me.

I finally made it back to my car and changed out of my wet shoes and soaked shirt before heading home.

Baltimore 10 Miler Race Reflections

The Baltimore 10 Miler is a really fun, but challenging race. In the past I have run really strong races here even in the heat, but this year was different. I think this was the worst weather I have had for this race, but then again it’s been 9 years since I ran it so I may have just forgotten. I’m sure I will be back at some point, but it will likely not be a “goal” race because the conditions are so unpredictable. I would like to get back to running closer to my previous times though!

What are the worst weather conditions you’ve ever had for a race?
Ever had a really long walk to your care after a race?

You may also like:
Baltimore 10 Miler 2016 Race Recap
A Short Week and A Humid Race
Are You Prepared for Summer Running?

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