Placement: 59th overall, 2nd in 50 - 59 age group
Results: Here
Race Website: Here
Weather: 66 degrees, no wind
Garmin Dump: Here
Previous Years: [2024] [2023] [2022] [2021] [2019]
| Mile | Time | Comments |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 8:26 | Congested start. Took a bit to get going. |
| 2 | 8:37 | Some nice segments here, but even the tiniest uphill slowed me up |
| 3 | 8:42 | Felt like I was running faster than this. |
| 3.08 | 0:31 | Turned it on in the final stretch |
| Total Miles: 3.08 - 26:18 | ||
Introduction
I've been really look forward to the Taylorsville Dayzz 5K race. This race always makes my calendar and gets circled in red.
It is a simple community race that is less than 5 miles down the road from me. It is about as my "local" race as it can be.
What makes it special is that it is a fairly fast course and they offer a small cash prize for winning one's age group. In the past, I've won $20. They only offer an award for first and the age groups are in 10-year increments. As a 55-year-old, I am in the middle of the pack and the competition can be tough.
The race is well-organized and is affordable, so it is something I really look forward to in the summer months.
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| Typical stretch of walking trail at the park |
The Race
I got to the race about 45 minutes before the start (7 AM). I quickly found parking, socialized for a bit and got my bib.
I did about a mile warm-up, getting photos of the course and using the porta potties. I felt extremely dead-legged and sore during my warm-up. I had done a fair amount of mileage leading up to the race, and I was feeling it. I crossed my fingers, in hopes that once the start kicked off, that the adrenaline would see me through.
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| Circus rides abound at the Taylorsville Dayzz Race |
I wound up starting about 50 people back and that was kind of a mistake. There clearly were some faster runners that deserved to be near the front but there were also many who in all honesty, shouldn't have been up at the front. Almost immediately after the race started, a little boy ran right in front of me and I almost tripped over them. I don't mind easing into the race but this definitely cost me some time and had to take the least advantageous route.
The race is held on the walking path at the Gary Swenson Regional Park. It is wider than most paths, but still it was congested. Fortunately after about a quarter mile, I could run without worrying too much about tripping or running into someone.
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| Part of the course around the baseball field |
As I sped through the first mile, I felt like I was breathing heavier than I should've and my legs just felt stiff and not very springy. My warm-up had been thorough, but I was coming into the race fatigued. The race rush I was hoping for wasn't really there and I knew I was going to have to work for it.
It was warm but not stiflingly warm. My mouth, however, was already dry. I was breathing less hard than my competitors and I was trying to find people I could work off of. Every now and then a faster runner would fly by me and other times I'd pass by other runners. There was a mix of ages -- mostly younger runners, and while I suspected other 50 year olds were in the race, I hadn't spotted any.
There were some rolling hills (and downhills) in the park but nothing outrageous. I hadn't really glanced at my watch during the mile and it buzzed at mile 1 in about 8:26. A lot slower than I had hoped. I definitely wasn't going to have any sort of personal record day.
After a mile, we reached the south end of the park and had to do a lap around the baseball diamond. I am not sure what makes this section speedy. But here, I ran some of the best I had all race. I had younger people to work with and perhaps I could at least evenly split the race.
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| Almost to the end of mile 2 |
The effort was short lived as after making the loop around the park, you exit the park and there is a fairly modest grade of hill as we run on the blacktop street. Every year this gets me and my pace came to a crawl.
We made another turn and began running down a quiet street. To my left, were well-to-do houses and to my right, a babbling creek. I love this section of the course and while my pace was fairly constant I felt like I was putting in a lot of work.
Finally, mile 2 came up, I had definitely slowed down and it was a disappointing 8:37. I honestly couldn't wait to finish.
The final mile in this one always seems to be the longest.
We finally made a right hand turn and jumped into an older subdivision. It was pancake flat here and I had plenty of people to chase down - again mostly people half my age.
My form had deteriorated by the time I had gotten back into the park. I could hear the finish line to my left -- less than a quarter of a mile away. Unfortunately, I had about half of a mile to go (or slightly more). Even while running in the neighborhood, I could hear the announcer calling out the names of the sub 20 minute finishers.
I kept pushing and my head was "go go go" but my legs were like "no no no". It was incredibly frustrating.
I always worry about this part of the course because midway through I think the organizers change the directional arrows. Once again, they had it set up so that I could complete the final quarter mile.
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| Final turn |
At this point, the course is run on grass and packed dirt trail. It'll slow you down a little but nothing serious. Finally, the final turn came into view. This part of the race is a bit of a question mark, as you can really short cut a bit of distance. It really needs to be coned off to make everyone's finish route "official".
Either way, I took the same route everyone else did. As soon as I hit the sidewalk, my watch vibrated I had hit 3 miles. The course usually measures in at 3.06 miles, but today, I'd finish in 3.08. I think, in part, because of all the zig-zagging I had to do at the start.
I gave it all I had in the final .1 of a mile. I didn't have much but at least I'd make a good showing for the YouTube finish line video that was being recorded. I saw the finish line clock and saw that it was well into the 26 minutes -- not what I was hoping for at all.
I sped under the finish line arches, grabbed my finisher's medal.
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| Runner crossing the finish line |
Conclusion
This race didn't come together very well for me. I was dead-legged coming into the race and even during my warm-up I felt tired and stiff. Sometimes that is just pre-race nerves but I didn't have anything from the start.
If I had to blame it on anything, it would be that I did too much training leading up to the race. I did a harder long run on Sunday, and a longer half marathon workout on Wednesday morning (10 x .5 miles). I figured that I would have enough time to recover from it but I never really did. Also, I am still feeling like I am not recovering from my last half marathon and 10K. Excuses aside, it wasn't my day.
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| Smiling at the finish |
I was very frustrated with myself, but in all honesty, this is about where I've been running at this year. Low 26's on an average day. I was hoping to get in around 25:40 or so. So clearly, I missed my mark.
Overall, I was happy with my experience. I paid about $30 for the race. I got a technical t-shirt, a finisher's medal, and a pretty nice spread of post race food. The race was also well-attended, having sold out. And there was a solid, friendly crowd there. The course, despite its complex, twisty-turny nature, was well marshalled. I think there was only spot where I felt it wasn't clear, but having run the race many times, I knew where to go.
If you are looking for a fun, community race, on a flat course, check this one out. This race always reminds me of the simpler days of racing that I started with two and a half decades ago.
Upcoming Races
07/04: 2025 Sandy City 4th of July 5K - Sandy, UT (Confirmed)
07/12: 2025 Farmington Days 5K / 10K - Farmington, UT (Maybe)
07/19: 2025 Mantua 5 Mile Race - Mantua, UT (Maybe)
07/24: 2025 Deseret News 10K - Salt Lake City, UT (Confirmed)
07/26: 2025 Handcart Days Races 5K - Bountiful, UT (Confirmed)
08/01: 2025 Parowan Half Marathon - Parowan, UT (Maybe / Probably)
03/26: 2026 Mount Charleston Half Marathon - Las Vegas, NV (Confirmed)
