2021 Bluffdale Badlands 10K Race Recap - Bluffdale, UT

Official Time: 48:16
Placement: 4th in the 51 - 70 age group, 18th overall
Results: Here
Race Website: Here
Weather: Low 70's 
Garmin Dump: Here
Previous Years: [2019] [2018]

Mile	Time	Comments
1	8:24	Slight uphill here. Just getting warmed up.
2	8:47	Hilliest stretch of the course. A little bit of a downhill at the end of the mile though
3	8:33	Final set of hills -- now to start cruising downhill.
4	7:45	Turning off fast.  Let's make up some time.
5	8:04	Hard to find motivation here. No one behind me, but dug deep and kept going
5.80	6.39	I knew the course, so I knew how much longer I had to go. Surprised they hadn't fixed the distance though.
	Total Miles: 5.80 - 48:14

Introduction

The last few summers my race card has had an entry for the Bluffdale Badlands race.  It is one of the few races in the middle of August and it is very affordable.  Pre-registration is around $15 and that includes a shirt, a shot at an age group medal and finally a pretty nice pancake breakfast.  It's hard to find these kinds of bargains in the race world so it always makes the top of my calendar.

The Race

I got the race site -- at Bluffdale City Park at about 5:45 AM for the 6:30 AM start.  I arrived just in time -- grabbing a decent parking spot and avoiding a rapidly growing line to get my bib.  Fortunately, they were really organized this year and getting my bib wasn't a big deal at all.

I wound up doing some drills and a very brief shake out run before the race.  It was already pushing 70 degrees so I just needed to feel loose and get the heart rate elevated a bit.

The race started at 6:30 and we were off.  Within 60 yards we separated from the 5K runners by hanging a left - the 5K runners hanging a right.  It's been 2 years since I've run the course and the memories of the 2018 and 2019 editions came flying by.

I was feeling pretty good and kept my pace in check.  I knew the first part of the race was going to be hilly.  I should've studied the course before the race but I tend to underestimate the hills at the start of the race.

I was a little shocked to see an 8:24 show up on my Garmin for the first mile as I flew down the residential streets of Bluffdale.  Definitely not where I wanted to be.  But I was patient and I knew that the first mile was a little hilly and that I'd get it back on the 2nd half.

I was running with a small group of people.  I wound up passing a few and I was trailing a larger pack.  This race is fairly small -- 50 runners for the 10K.  Part of me worried about getting lost.  There are a few turns throughout the course and I don't know my way around Bluffdale very well.  Fortunately, the organizers had the route well marked.

Mile 2 gets a lot tougher.  It is a grind up a very long hill.  You can see in the distance where you'll turn right but it is hard to not start to panic.  I was dismayed to see an 8:47 on my watch.  So slow? So early in the race?  Could I regroup?

The tail end of mile 2 sees the first real down hill but it is quickly followed up by a section of uphill.  I had also rejoined the 5K runners and it was sort of motivating to pass by them.  Mile 3 was a mix of downhill and uphill but my time seemed molasses slow -- 8:33.

The start of mile 4 saw the start of the downhill section.  There aren't any screaming fast sections on the course but this might as well be it.  I focused on turn over and just making up some time.  I was thrilled to see a sub 8 minute mile.  Redemption!  Could I salvage this race?

I was remembering a lot more about the course and once I hit the 2nd aid station. I pretty much knew where I had to go at this point and what the rest of the course was going to be like: flat with a slight downhill finish.  I knew I wasn't going to hammer anymore exceptional miles out, but if I could just hit some very low 8 minute miles, I'd be good.  I looked behind me and there was no one within a half mile.  There were a few people ahead of me but they had at least a quarter mile on me.  I figured I had a reasonable shot at and age group award but was worried about a guy who passed me early in the race and that I would hope to catch.  I was just working on chipping away at the lead the other runners had on me.

In my mind, I had remembered the course as just being over 6 miles.  However, that memory was from 2018.  In 2019, they made a change due to construction and it wound up shortening the course by at least a quarter mile.  Would the race be the same as this year? Would they have fixed it? The race's mile markers had been significantly off from the get go.  They were consistently off by about .13 of a mile and then over a quarter of a mile. 

Sure enough the race was exactly like the 2019 edition -- short.  I turned the final corner and expected to make a turn around an outdoor arena for another quarter of a mile, but saw that it was definitely not the way to go.  So I cruised towards the finish, with a well short 5.8 miles.

Conclusion

Okay, this course was well short -- by nearly a half mile.  Calculating out my time, I am finishing around 52 minutes for a full 10K -- about where I want to be.  So by all accounts, I ran about where I wanted to be.  And this course, in my opinion, isn't a terribly fast one, with over 250 feet of hills.

Upon crossing the finish line I grabbed an ice cold Gatorade and waited a bit for my result.  RunnerCard was providing the timing and my card said I was in 3rd place in my age group  Finally! An award at this race (they have VERY wide age groups -- 51 to 70).

It turns out that I finished 4th.  A late registrant wound up placing 3rd so the results weren't entirely accurate when I finished.  I am working on getting him his medal.

I walked off the fatigue and got some pictures of the park and finish line.  I wound up grabbing my pancake breakfast -- which was decent.  I'll never turn down free pancakes.  

So at first I was really disappointed with my time.   I had vague memories of finishing the course much faster in 2019.  However, when I got to my car and looked up my time from 2019 I was thrilled.  3 minutes faster!  And on the same course.

So overall, I was pleased with my race.  For $15 I got a nicely organized event with a tech shirt and pancake breakfast.  I'll continue to put this on my race calendar and it was nice to see the event back this year.

2019 Bluffdale Badlands 10K Race Recap - Bluffdale, UT

Official Time: 51:10
Placement: 6th in the 30 - 50 age group, 12th overall
Results: Here
Race Website: Here
Weather: Low 70's 5 - 8 mph wind from the south.
Garmin Dump: Here
Previous Years: [2018]

Mile	Time	Comments
1	8:43	Off to a slow start, some up hill here
2	9:22	More hills.  Like a gradual grind. Nothing major though.
3	9:02	A little bit more of an uphill, followed by the start of the downhill
4	8:12	Finally can crush it fast.
5	8:34	Flats here. Working by myself but an okay mile for mile 5 of a 10K
5.87	7.14	Cruise to the finish
	Total Miles: 5.87 - 51:10

Introduction

I registered for this race a few weeks ago -- as I was looking for something to do and I remember doing this race last year.  It is one of the best bargains as far as races go -- for a little more than $15, I got a breakfast, a race, and a shirt. 

Unlike last year, when there were a ton of wildfires making the air almost unbreathable, this year the air was pretty clear and the temperature was actually decent -- a low 70 degrees.  This race also starts at an ideal time: 6:30 AM, when it is just turning dawn and the air is comfortable.

The race is also located about 20 minutes away from my house and I just remember having a decent experience last year.  So I figured why not, I could at the worst get in a decent tempo run and a t-shirt or I could have a really great race.

The Race

I rolled in just shy of 6 AM for the race and I noticed a lot of people milling about.  Apparently the bibs / shirts hadn't arrived yet.  Uh oh, not a good sign...

I passed the time for using one of the copious porta-potties and by the time I got out, the shirts had arrived.  So I snagged by bib and killed another 30 minutes or so before the start of the race.  

During my warm-up I totally didn't feel like running, let alone racing.  I think I was just tired and had a case of the Saturday morning blahs.  So I was a little apprehensive about my whole experience.

The race started prompt at 6:30 and I was off.  I dug deep and told myself to just hang in there and do my best.  If anything, it would be a solid speed workout.

I remembered the course being an honest one from last year.  There were equal amounts of downhill parts as well as uphill.  I also remember the course as being kind of fun -- for a residential run that is.

The first mile is a little bit of an incline.  The lead pack clearly took off and I broke ranks from the back of the pack and I found myself clearly in the middle.  In fact, for most of the race, I only had the 3rd place girl in sight in front of me and hardly anyone behind me.

The second mile was definitely the hardest.  It is primarily uphill.  It isn't a crazy uphill where you are tempted to walk, but just a death by a thousand cuts kind of hill.  When I reached the summit, I took a quick look over my shoulder and yeah the sum of it was significant but luckily it was spread over nearly a mile.

Finally at the summit, I was able to rinse my mouth out at the first aid station.  And I also got a nice stretch of downhill.  I was able to really start to cruise here and my pace increased significantly. 

I was feeling a little tired / beat up midway through the race.  I certainly wasn't feeling 100% and I began to panic a bit that I was going to have a crappy race.  But I was giving it all I had.

The next 3 miles of the race was a fairly lonesome experience.  Again, I was chasing the 3rd place girl and occasionally I'd look over my shoulder to see if anyone was gaining on me, and no one was behind me.  The course was marked well and I remembered large sections of it last year.  At the important intersections there was a police officer, but Bluffdale is a pretty quiet community.  

This year, at the final turn they had someone marshalling the final turn into the park.  Last year, there was a very light chalk mark that a lot of people missed.  However, I think the 10K was supposed to make a left.  I had made up some ground on the woman in front of me and I saw her go straight on through.

As I was approaching to what I remembered the turn to be, I did not see a single marker to indicate I was supposed to turn.  Could I have been mistaken? 

Since the lead runner had gone that way and I hadn't seen any markings to indicate I was supposed to make a loop around a horse arena (like last year) I kept going and crossed the finish line with little fanfare -- it was a tiny race and most of the 5K runners had clearly finished well before me.

Conclusion

Hard to say how I feel about this year.  I think the race was clearly short on account that last year I ran the exact same course for 6.13 miles.  This year, it came in at 5.87.  Looking at my time from last year, I was in the realm of about the same finishing time, but perhaps a little slower...

There were no finishers medal at this race and unless you were one of the top 3 in your age group (they had super wide age divisions) you weren't going to get a medal.  This was fine, it was a $15 race so my expectations were low.

Post race they had a social pancake breakfast which included eggs, hash browns, I think Tang, and pancakes.  This was included in the price of your race, which was nice.  It was also time to meet and greet people but again the race had maybe a hundred people at most, and most of the 5K runners had already left.

The t-shirt was a tech shirt of similar design from last year's.  It was fine and one I'd use for regular training runs. 

I liked the course.  I know running through a residential area doesn't interest many people, but there was a mix of open fields, residential, and suburbia.  While not a stunning course, for whatever reason, it does hold my interest.

I was pleased with my experience, with the exception of the final quarter mile into the race.  I think the final turn should've been more clearly marked.  I would've liked to have been able to compare last year's time with this year's.  The course had 2 water stops, which is fine for a 10K but the mile markers were way off.  I am glad I was wearing my Garmin. 

But for $15, I got my money's worth.  I'd certainly do this race again.

2018 Bluffdale Badlands 10K Race Recap - Bluffdale, UT

Official Time: 53:15
Placement: 4th in the 31 - 49, 8th out of 16 in the men's.
Results:  Here
Race Website: Here
Weather: upper 60's, 5 - 15 mile per hour winds from the south
Garmin Dump: Here
Previous Years: Inaugural year for me

Mile	Time	Comments
1	8:49	Hilly start
2	9:19	Really had a hard time here with hills and wind
3	9:00	Finally done with the hills
4	8:01	Gaining back some of the hills... fast mile here
5	8:18	More down hills
6	8:49	Not a lot left here and some uphill and wind
6.13	0:55	Cruise to the finish
	Total Miles: 6.13 - 53:15

Introduction

The other day I was looking for a race to do and opted for the Bluffdale Badlands challenge.  I've seen this race pop-up every year and I've just never made it there.  It's only a few miles down the road but for whatever reason I have never signed up for it.

I looked at the price and figured wow, for $15 I get a t-shirt and a race?  So why not?  Plus it satisfies my goal of trying some new races.

The Race

I rolled in around 5:45 for the 6:30 start.  I have seen the results from previous years and it is usually a small race.  I suspect, also, that the smoky air from all the wildfires in the area also scared people off.

I live about 15  minutes north and the air quality wasn't too bad.  Down there, it seemed a lot worse.

I grabbed my shirt and bib and basically went back and forth to the bathroom for the next 30 minutes.  The race headquarters were at a park where the city fair was going to happen so there were a ton of bathrooms and no waiting at all.

It was pretty warm and there was a stiff wind.  I knew this wasn't going to be an "A" race from the get-go on account of the air quality.  Still, I figured I had a shot at the age group awards, which were awfully wide.

The race started on time.  I was a little worried about where to go on the course.  When races have less than 40 people, the racers tend to get thinned out and if the course isn't marked well, it is easy to get off course.  Luckily, with one exception, the course was well marked with signs.

The race is held primarily on residential streets.  I am pretty sure at one point this was a "Badlands" but now you are running through city streets that can't quite make up its mind on what it is.  There were all kinds of houses with horses in the back and some farm-fields.  It was kind of interesting, but not super glamorous.

The important intersections were marshaled by the police though and I saw volunteers on golf-carts cruising the streets looking for people to help.

It was a tough start.  Almost immediately I was running into a wind and going uphill.  I also found myself sort of running alone.  The fast group clearly had pulled ahead and I was working with a few guys and a young woman.

I was a little dismayed at my pace.  I had no clue as to what the rest of the course was going to be like, but I certainly hoped I'd be able to improve my average pace.  9 minute miles were more akin to late half marathon paces, not for a first mile of a 10K.  We did join up with some of the 5K racers as well but they were the slower bunch but it was empowering to pass them a bit.

Eventually I got my wish and got some downhill followed by some tailwind.  It was awesome.  I suddenly made some gains on the people I was chasing and my my turnover greatly increased.  I hoped I was done with the hills and I could maintain this pace.

Suddenly, I found myself leading the way.  I was fortunate to have someone ahead that I could follow and use them to prepare for a turn, but now, I was running solo.  I had some people following me though.  I figured I had a chance of an age group award at this point -- if only I could hold on.

Around mile 5 two of the guys I had passed, passed me.  I just couldn't respond and my legs and my breathing was labored.  I was under the mistaken impression that the age group was 35, not 31 and these guys appeared to be in that age group.

I dug deep though and worked on getting more turn over on my legs.  I kept telling myself, just a few more quarter miles.  The mile markers were also off, according to my Garmin by about .07 of a mile so I figured the race was going to be short.

I wound up passing one of the guys at the end.  He was cramping and I felt bad because he probably had me beat.  The other guy missed the final turn and just kept running.  In fact, this was the only fault of the race.

The service drive we were supposed to turn onto didn't have a sign or a cone near it.  It was spray painted with orange paint that indicated a turn.  It led into the park and we were told we were supposed to take the service drive but the other runner in front of me had gone straight.  Darn it.  I turned around to the folks chasing me down and asked if we turn here?  They didn't know.  I figured, okay, I am going to turn here... and they followed.

Luckily it was the right thing to do and in short order I saw the 6 mile marker.  It too was short by .07 so the final stretch was an eternity.  I hauled ass here as I ran around the park's service drive (which was under construction in spots) and flew through the finish line.

Conclusion

The race was timed by RunnerCard and almost immediately I was handed a card with an apology that I just missed an age group award (I was 4th).  The awards were given with little to no fanfare.  Just cross the line and if you won something they handed you a (cool) medal.  If not, better luck next year.

I congratulated and thanked the runners around me.  The one girl and I had raced almost the entire thing and the cramping guy was happy to finish right behind me.

They had a pancake breakfast and I wound up chatting with the winner of the race.  Pancakes, Tang and some hash browns.  I was surprised it was free.  I mean, I paid about $17 for the race -- and I got a free breakfast, race results, and a t-shirt?  It was a steal.

Course support was okay.  I think there were two, maybe 3 water stops.  It was warm but the stops were present and easy to access.  My only complaints were the wide age division awards (a little tough competing with people 15 years younger than me) and the final turn to the race.

I liked the course actually and for the price paid, I had a good experience.  I would do this race again.