Placement: 1st in the 50 - 54, 18th out of 155
Results: Here
Race Website: Here
Weather: 48F, winds from the east.
Garmin Route: Here
Previous Years: [2023]
We made our way northward before hitting West State Street. We had to make a sharp right and access the Legacy Bike Trail. I've run this section of the race before in many formats over the years. A lot of memories came up.
Results: Here
Race Website: Here
Weather: 48F, winds from the east.
Garmin Route: Here
Previous Years: [2023]
| Mile | Time | Comments |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 8:06 | Off to an okay start. A bit of a headwind here. At least this race is flat! |
| 2 | 8:15 | Off the bike trail and onto a service road for a bit. At least no more wind |
| 3 | 8:23 | A bit of a tailwind, but not a lot in the tank. Working with a young man. |
| 3.20 | 1:33 | Clocked about 25:20 on the 5K. Tough finish. |
| Total Miles: 3.20- 26:19 | ||
Introduction
Well, I got roped into another race. I wasn't going to race this weekend, but all the cool kids wanted to race, so how could I say no?
I had done the 5K last year and I wanted a race to see where my fitness was at on a flat course. The course came in long last year (about 3.20 miles) and this year they used the same course (more or less). So I knew, overall, my time wasn't going to be accurate, but I could run hard for 5K and see what I had.
I had done the 5K last year and I wanted a race to see where my fitness was at on a flat course. The course came in long last year (about 3.20 miles) and this year they used the same course (more or less). So I knew, overall, my time wasn't going to be accurate, but I could run hard for 5K and see what I had.
The weather this weekend would be good and I had company for the race, so I decided to make the most of it.
The Race
The race was held at Farmington City Park. It was a nice place for a race headquarters, with park bathrooms (plus porta potties), a pavilion, and easy access to the bike trails. There also was ample parking for the 3 race events: the 5K, 10K and half marathon (and 1 mile kids race).
I got there about 45 minutes early. We wanted access to the raffle, which started at 7:15 AM. Packet pickup was a snap but I was at risk of not getting a shirt because I had signed up only a few days before the race registration ended (fortunately, I did get a shirt). The 5K was supposed to start at 8:00 AM, but due to logistics, it didn't start until 8:07.
I started off cautiously to begin with. It was crowded and we had to run through a flagged off section of parking lot before getting out onto 650W. As usual, it was congested with runners of varying abilities but fortunately it wasn't difficult to get into position and hold my own.
I didn't have a clue as to what I was running -- going 100% by feel. Of course, I had my Garmin, but I didn't want to get overly anxious over my splits. I am still sort of feeling my way into this new round of fitness.
It was also at this point that I got a peek at the masses of half marathon runners who had done some sort of loop and were working their way back. Fortunately, the bike trail wasn't that congested and it was nice to see familiar faces.
In another quarter of a mile, I began heading south on the Legacy Bike Trail. The other runners had thinned out and I was chasing down fellow 5K runners. I recalled running the section last year as well.
I was mostly alone at this point, although I had some people in my sights and I knew I was being pursued.
Despite the headwind (my Garmin says it was blowing from the east but I definitely remember being hit by a bit of wind from the south), I smashed a 8:06 mile. Not too shabby. Now if I could only hold that.
Mile 2 came up at 8:15. Slower than my first mile, but not as bad as I thought I was running. I was expecting more like 8:30.
I was working with a young man who was probably in his early teens. He'd start running, hard, do a hundred meters or so, stop and walk and repeat. This went on for a while and I think I was his "competition".
I wound up passing another runner or two but at this point, we were pretty spread out. I was trying to see if I could catch anyone and I held a brief glimmer of hope I'd be able to catch someone and really close out the race strong.
I was trying to figure out how much further I had to run on the Rio Grande trail. At this point I was agonizing over the distance and how much longer I had to go. I knew I could handle it, but I didn't have that drive that I can usually muster in the closing miles.
It was warm and there hadn't been any aid stations (let alone bathrooms). Sweat was dripping into my eyes and occasionally I'd have to wipe them with my shirt. I kept trying to get a sense of when we'd hit the final right turn and run the final quarter mile to the finish.
I couldn't help but appreciate the course and the beautiful day. For a bedroom community of the metro Salt Lake area, Farmington certainly has a lot of beauty. I could totally get used to running on this bike trail.
Finally, I saw the course marshal at the place where the park met the trail. He pointed me in the direction and I sputtered a quick thanks. I could see the finish line in the distance and hear the music.
My watch still read just shy of 3 miles. The finish line was still oh so far away. I hit mile 3 at 8:23.
I didn't have much left for the final kick. I lapped my watch the instant it hit 3.10 miles (25:23) and at that point, I just sort of lost interest. No one was behind me and I had passed the stopper / starter young man a while ago.
One more turn and I sped towards the finish line, hitting 26:19 for 3.20 miles.
Conclusion
So this year, the race did have a lot of changes / improvements. Attendance was definitely up, the snacks were better and they had some 3rd party sponsors there with demo products (props to the Sunflower Milk people).
They also had one of the most important criteria for me in a race: age group awards. I sauntered over to my car and checked the results. I had placed first in my age group, 18th overall.
Post race refreshments were water, sponsors' samples, donuts, build-your-own sandwiches, and oranges.
I loved the course. There were marshals at most of the course turns and the spots were it wasn't marked, it was pretty obvious where to turn. There were, however, no aid stations (or bathrooms) on the 5K course. Usually I don't need to use any of that stuff for a 5K, but some might be bothered by that.
After the race, I re-ran the final mile and got most of the course photos that you see on this post. It was nice to cheer on some of the finishers as well.
I paid about $40 for the race. It is a lot cheaper if you sign up well in advance. But this was a last minute decision, so $40 for the week-of registration isn't unheard of.
Overall, I was happy with my experience at the race. My performance -- I wasn't super happy with. I am still struggling with that upper range of 5K. I am hoping to write an article on this in an upcoming post. All things considered, though, I did place and my paces were okay, although 6 weeks ago, the paces I ran were more akin to my 10K pace.
Hopefully I begin to build some endurance and get back to sub 25 shape -- and soon.
Upcoming Races
06/01: 2024 Utah Valley 10K - Provo, UT (Confirmed)
06/29: 2024 Taylorsville Dayzz 5K - Taylorsville, UT (Confirmed)
07/24: 2024 Deseret News Half Marathon - Salt Lake City, UT (Confirmed
08/17: 2024 PC2PG 10K - Lindon, UT (Confirmed)
09/07: 2024 Cedar City Half Marathon - Cedar City, UT (Confirmed)
09/28: 2024 Witch Run 10K - West Jordan, UT (Confirmed)
10/05: BLOCKED OUT WEEKEND
10/19: 2024 Haunted Half 5K - Salt Lake City, UT (Confirmed)
10/26: 2024 Haunted Half 5K - Provo, UT (Confirmed)
02/23: 2025 Las Vegas Half Marathon - Las Vegas, NV (Confirmed)
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