2025 Lindon City Turkey Trot 5K Race Recap - Lindon, UT

The starting area near Lindon City Park

Official Time: 26:47
Placement: 2nd in the 50 - 64 age group, 24th overall
Race Website: Here

Results: Here
Weather: mid 30's breeze from the east
Garmin Dump: Here
Previous Years: First year for me

Mile	Time	Comments
1	8:09	About 100 feet of gradual decline here. If only the whole race was like this.
2	9:35	Who put the big, long hill at the half way point?
3	8:51	Took some time to recover but my pace was steadily increasing
3.03	0:14	Push it to the finish!
	Total Miles: 3.03 - 26:51

This guy was fast but had to get a photo with him

Introduction

My time is running out in Salt Lake, so what better way to hang out with my friends than to jump into a 5K in Lindon, UT?

The pickings for a race this weekend were pretty slim.  Fortunately, I was able to find a small race located in the heart of Utah county that was being held by the Lindon City Recreation Center.  Constant readers may recall that I ran a 5K there in 2023 for their city's summer celebration.

I am trying to get some solid speed work in and I figured why not jump into a (very) budget friendly 5K and see where I am at.

The Race

Lindon is located about 30 minutes from where I am currently living.  I collected a few friends to carpool with and arrived at Lindon City Park at 7:15 for an 8 AM start.  It was chilly out -- maybe in the upper 30's when I arrived.  There wasn't much wind, fortunately, and no ice or snow.  

I could tell the race was going to be lightly attended. Last year's results showed about 50 participants.  They had a bumper crop this year with 75 runners.  I think everyone must be tapering for the big Thursday races.  

First turn on the course.

I was shocked to get a VERY cool technical shirt (shirt of the year perhaps?).  As an added bonus, they had a bulging swag bag.  Packet pick up was a snap.  With the race lightly attended, it was easy to use the porta potties and I did about a mile shake out to get warmed up.

The race started exactly on time.  I had studied the course ahead of time, so I kind of knew what I was in for.  The first mile looked to be slightly downhill.  Then the course leveled out and around the half way point, it looked like we'd have to make an ascent before flattening out again in the final mile.  

The race starts off in the city's park and follows a bike trail.  The race organizers had it well marshalled so there was little doubt as to where to go.  I had warmed up on the course, running to the fun run's turn around (about .5 a mile) to get a sense of the course.  The pictures I've attached here are photos of the segments I ran.

Some of the view near the half mile mark

It was a crisp morning and I settled into a sensible but strong pace.  I was feeling really solid and I had checked out the awards beforehand:  nice Turkey trophies for the 1st place runner in each age division.  Unfortunately, mine covered a wide berth:  50 to 64.  Most of the runners, I sensed, were younger (teens or 20s).  I figured I had a shot, so I was going all in on the race; I wanted a trophy.

About 20 - 30 runners were well ahead of me and I had company for most of the race.  Despite a small turnout, there was always someone to work with.  I hadn't spotted anyone in my age group but I was careful.  

After .5 of a mile of bike trail, the course headed west.  The bike trail did continue to follow a road and occasionally we had cars tapping their horns cheering us on.  The course was primarily flat but I could sense I was going downhill.  My turnover was solid and I felt in control of my pace.  I ran an 8:08, which pleased me to no end.

The fun ended after the first mile and I suddenly had to work.  I had made a left turn and was now running on sidewalk and heading south.  I still felt like I was running at the same pace but my Garmin reports that I had definitely slowed down. Perhaps I lost focus or perhaps I couldn't sustain the pace but I know if I glanced at my watch at that time, I would've been discouraged.  

There were some older houses and large plots of land.  It was very peaceful running and even a few of the house owners were out cheering us on.  For a small race, it was nice to get a little community support.  I was still running with the same group and occasionally managed to pick a runner or two off.  I had put a gap on anyone tailing me. I was running hard and I felt consistently.  It felt like it was "my" day -- this race was going to go down as one of my best races of the year.  

However, upon making another left to begin my trip east and back to the park, I saw what loomed ahead: a long and steep hill.  Why couldn't we have run down that?  I still had high hopes and I had overestimated what I was currently running, but the hill was daunting and ultimately it was my dream killer.

Signage at about mile 2.5

I am too heavy to bound up hills anymore and my pace when I hit the steepest gradients crawled to a shuffle.  In looking at the climb, it was about a half mile long -- too long!  I almost mumbled to the woman running next to me, "well there goes my PR race".  I knew there was going to be a hill but I didn't expect the climb to this steep over such a short distance.

I reached the summit (finally) and made another left turn and hit the 2 mile mark. 9:35.  

I still felt strong though and while there was a bit of climb here, there was also a segment where I could coast downhill a little.  My pace quickened and I was working with two women, probably a third of my age, in pursuit of a finish.

I'd be running from that summit at about mile 2.25

If I had to guess my pace, I felt like I was running an 8:35 -- at least.  I was running strong and while I didn't see anyone behind me, I didn't want to lose a place to an age group contender.

I had measured the course when I started the box route and I knew that when I hung a right to head back that I honestly had about half a mile of running left. It was here, I think that I looked at my watch for a pace update.  It said 9:00+.  Wait, what?  Perhaps it was a mistake. I had to be running faster than that.

Finally, another right and I was back on the enclosed bike trail.  I could "smell" the finish line, even though I was well over a quarter mile away.  The two women I was running with put some distance on me and I couldn't respond.  I kept glancing over my shoulder and never saw anyone. I think that may have dampened by final kick effort.

I hit mile 3 in 8:51.  If someone had asked me to guess what my final mile, I would've confidently said 8:30.  

The course, on my watch, came in a little short and there was a sharp incline to the finish and I barely broke 27 minutes. 

Conclusion

Upon finishing, I was handed a pretty nice ribbon.  It was identified with their race logo and the year I participated in the race.  Not a medal, but still very cool.  And as stated, the shirt was a definite winner for me: long sleeved and technical fabric.  The shirt will definitely be used!

My ChickNLegs shorts were a hit -- I got a ton of compliments on the holiday design I was wearing.  I had worn a short-sleeved technical shirt and thin gloves.  Despite the chilly temperatures, I was dressed appropriately.  I know many people were bundled up.

Sadly, I didn't win my age group.  I thought for sure I had, given I hadn't seen many older folks. The winner of the age group finished a good 90 seconds ahead of me and if you are reading this: I would never have guessed you were in my age group (and I hope you take that as an honest compliment)

There was plenty of food at finish, especially for a small race: warm beverages, muffins, bananas and oranges.  For a $25 race -- this was a bargain!

I wanted one!

The race was well organized.  It was timed perfectly, it was budget friendly, the course was well marked and the crowd was friendly.  My only gripe would be that it was a tiny bit short, but otherwise a great morning out with friends.

As far as my performance went:  I felt really good in the race and throughout the race I felt like I was running strong (except for the half mile hill of course). I had MUCH higher hopes for my overall time.  However, for whatever reason I came out of this one feeling positive.  Mentally I was strong, I didn't give up, if I study the Garmin pacing heat map, I was running pretty strong.  I am disappointed but at the same time, not really.

This race is highly encouraged.  It is budget friendly, well organized and just a really nice experience.  I had never run any parts of it before, so the route was new to me and the course was scenic in its own way.  

Upcoming Races

11/27: 2025 South Davis Recreation Center Thanksgiving Day Run 5K - Bountiful, UT (Confirmed)

02/22: 2026 Las Vegas Half Marathon - Las Vegas, NV (Confirmed)

03/26: 2026 Mount Charleston Half Marathon - Las Vegas, NV (Confirmed)