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| Okay I didn't run 26.2, but it was a photo opportunity |
Placement: 10th in the 55 to 59, 417 out of 1050
Results: Here
Race Website: Here
Weather: Low 70's breeze from the south
Garmin Route: Here
Previous Years: [2023]
Results: Here
Race Website: Here
Weather: Low 70's breeze from the south
Garmin Route: Here
Previous Years: [2023]
| Mile | Time | Comments |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 8:21 | Good start. Feeling comfortable and enjoying the race |
| 2 | 8:18 | Building up some steam |
| 3 | 8:49 | Declines stopped here but it was a grind upwards. |
| 4 | 8:43 | Mostly flat in here. Felt like I was running faster |
| 5 | 8:49 | At least I am consistent. |
| 6 | 9:39 | Grind to the finish. Just wanted to be done. |
| 6.22 | 1:59 | Not much left to go on. Pushed it hard to the finish |
| Total Miles: 6.22- 54:42 | ||
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| Packet Pickup |
Introduction
I was on the fence about doing the Deseret News race this year. My summer schedule has been packed with races in places and this was a bubble race. It is a well attended race and it would require a day off from work, so it wasn't initially high on my list.
I decided to pull the trigger and actually do the race a few weeks ago. A friend of a friend had a big to sell and was desperate to transfer it. I decided to help them out and purchase it from them. It wasn't cheap, but it got me into the distance I wanted to run: the 10KM.
Having run the half marathon in 2023, I knew the race was kind of downhill, it'd be warm and it'd be an early morning. Also, I knew all my friends would be there and there'd be a good dose of local elite talent there. This race brings out the big guns in Utah.
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| Lining up before the start |
The Race
The race requires that one get their bib on Friday at Liberty Park, which also serves as the race's finish line. I made the journey there on my lunch hour and pickup was a snap. I did some shoe shopping and scored an "on sale" price on some Saucony Endorphin Speed 4s.
I slept fitfully the night before the race. I am not sure why. I was in my own house, had an alarm set and it was just a 10K. It seemed like a lot of other people had the same experience. Just pre-race nerves.
With a race start at 6:05 AM, I made the arrived at the race sight about an hour early. It was dark but parking was easy to find. Pro-tip: In hindsight, I'd have parked to the west of the university in the suburbs and hoofed it to the start line. It would've made the race a LOT easier to leave.
I did a short warm-up (it was already pretty warm). I was sort of sore / fatigued from Sunday's long run. While I had taken Monday - Wednesday as mostly low volume / low intensity, I still had some residual soreness.
The race start is located near the Fort Douglas cemetery on the grounds of the University of Utah. They had plenty of porta-potties that were widely open but 30 minutes before the start, there were long lines forming.
After the National Anthem, we started on the dot at 6:05. I settled in about 100 runners from the start and got into a decent pace. It was crowded but we had a wide avenue to navigate. Within about a quarter mile, I was able to maintain my own pace.
I had scoped out some of my competition before the race, but with over 1000 runners, and previous race results to review, I knew there wasn't much of a chance to place. Still, I wanted to race / run hard and if I finished in the top 10 in my age group, I'd be reasonably happy.
The first mile went quick. I was shocked at how effortless it felt and it was a decent time. Granted, I had just ran a bit downhill, but I was off to a decent race and feeling comfortable. I knew the latter half of the race would be challenging, but the 8:21 was a confidence building start.
We started to run down Foothill Blvd and the gentle downhill was nice. I had settled into a good pace. Everyone had mostly sorted themselves out, I had plenty of room to run and I could comfortably push the pace a little. We had an entire lane of the boulevard and while there was some traffic, it wasn't much of a safety concern given how early it was.
Mile 2 tickled me pink: 8:18.
Eventually the massive drops ended and I remembered from 2023 that this was about the point that I started to suffer in the half marathon. Fortunately, I was only running the 10K and I was still early into the race.
We had to make a right and I was greeted with the first real uphill of the race. I remember running into it 2 years ago and the refresher view didn't lift my spirits. It isn't a back breaking hill, but it is a long, slow one. My Garmin doesn't seem to indicate much of a climb, but trust me there is.
My pace ground to a halt. While I was still moving okay, I was now running at half marathon pace. Fortunately, upon reaching the top, I was able hit a downhill stretch. Overall the mile wasn't the worst, but it had taken a lot of me. I'd say right now, that 8:49 is about an average 10KM mile.
The closer we got to the finish, the more crowd support we received. We also ran through the start line of the 5 KM race, where runners were beginning to assemble.
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| Runners coming into the finish line |
The heat was slowly started to get to me. It was warm and a little humid. My mouth was dry and I was feeling a bit swimmy at times. Despite the hill, I was still on for a decent time. I was hoping the distance between the 4th mile and 5th mile, would be a rebound mile. I felt like I was running fast, but I also knew I was working very hard. And, mentally, I knew the toughest mile was ahead of me.
Mile 5 rang up at 8:49. I could live with that, but it wasn't what I was hoping for.
Finally, the parade route. This is where races are made or broken and in my case, just like the half marathon two years ago, my pace came to a crawl. I was working hard and trying to get some motivation off of the crowds, but my legs were heavy, I was sweating profusely and my mouth was so dry. It was nice to get help from the crowd, but I felt embarrassingly slow.
I kept looking for the final left turn -- constantly calculating how much more I had to run.
Finally, it arrived and while I was hoping I had a short jog to the finish, the finish line wasn't in sight either. It was yet another slow grind uphill. There was still plenty of people to cheer for you but I might as well have been running in mud.
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| My form was crap |
The blue arches finally came into view. So close! Yet looking at my watch I still had half a mile to go. And it felt like an eternity.
I was counting down the .1 of a miles and I just wanted to be done. Once I hit mile 6, I gave it whatever I had left. The course's markers were pretty much matching up with my watch the entire race.
As I sped through the finish line, the finish line announcer shouted that I had the coolest shorts she had seen (I get a lot of comments on them). I had a laugh about that despite my suffering.
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| Putting on a brave face as I finished. |
Conclusion
So my time was about what I expected. For being sort of sore and of late running 26:30 for a 5K, finishing in under 55 minutes is decent. Still, it is another race where I fell short of my year's goals.
I wound up seeing some people at the finish line that I knew and made small talk while I recovered. One of the attractions of the race is also getting a chance to mingle with the elite and YouTubers. I got to meet a bunch of my favorites.
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| Mingling with the elites |
Post race refreshments were bananas, chocolate milk, cookies, and water. There were plenty of vendors in attendance though giving away free stuff. With thousands of runners at the race, there was no shortage of photo opportunities and things to check out. Also just about every runner I know in my social circle was there participating in one of the races: 5KM, 10KM, half marathon and full marathon.
The medal was nice -- larger than the usual offerings. I sort of wondered though if all runners got the same medal, which would've been disappointing if I had been running the full. The shirt was nice, but not the material I normally wear. The swag bag was filled with useful coupons and product samples. Definitely props to that.
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| Medal + shirt |
Despite my lackluster performance, I did come home excited. I got to meet a lot of my runner idols and overall, I had fun. It sure beat work.
The race was run by pros: it was accurate, mile markers were spot on, and while it was expensive (I paid about $60), I got a really nice experience.
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| Post race festivities at the park |
My only gripe was getting from the finish line back to my car. There were ample busses, but getting to my car, which was only about 5 miles away, took an eternity. And getting out of the university area was a mess due to many runners on the road. I shouldn't complain, because only an hour ago, I was one of those runners causing traffic congestion. I suspect had I lingered at the race for another hour, the situation might've gotten better.
Upcoming Races
08/02: 2025 Runtastic Heber 5K - Heber, UT (Confirmed)
08/09: 2025 Alpine Days 5K - Alpine, UT (Confirmed)
08/16: 2025 PC2PG 10K - Lindon, UT (Confirmed)
08/23: 2025 Path to Opioid Prevention Half Marathon - Riverdale, UT (Confirmed)
03/26: 2026 Mount Charleston Half Marathon - Las Vegas, NV (Confirmed)
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