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| The dawn before the storm |
Placement: 2nd in the 50 - 54, 21st overall
Results: Here
Race Website: Here
Weather: Upper 60's, breeze from the south
Garmin Dump: Here
Previous Years: [2023] [2022] [2021] [2020] [2019] [2018]
| Mile | Time | Comments |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 8:45 | Hemmed in at the start. Took a while to get going |
| 2 | 8:21 | Coasting along - settled into a solid pace |
| 3 | 8:22 | Surprised this went as well - had a little allergy attack |
| 4 | 8:27 | Still running pretty well |
| 5 | 8:29 | Intermingling with the 5K runners. Holding a decent pace |
| 6 | 8:28 | Lots of turns at the end. Chasing down another runner as best as I could |
| 6.04 | 0:15 | Sprint to the finish |
| Total Miles: 6:04 - 51:10 | ||
Introduction
One of my traditions for the last 6 years has been doing the Witch Run at Gardner Village. This race is on my "home" course in the fact that I run and train on it all the time.
Over the years, the race has changed, from a simple 5K that was run at night, to now, a morning race with the traditional 3 race distances: 5K, 10K and half marathon.
The race is well attended by both the serious runner and the casual one. And it is a great way to see people in costume and familiar faces.
The Race
The morning of the race found me a bit sore from an intensive training week. Since the Cedar City Half Marathon, I've been building a stronger base and added a few more sessions. In September there is a bit of a lull in the racing scene so it gave me time to focus my training.
I had picked up my bib the night before the race, saving myself a $5 fee and was dropped off at the race site in the morning to avoid the $10 parking fee (ouch!). Since I live only a few miles away, after the race, I simply shuffled home.
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| Runners assembling |
The half marathoners had departed at 7:00 AM and I had just missed them. My race didn't start until 7:30, which afforded me the opportunity to do a brief warm-up and get settled in.
I lined up about 30 - 40 feet behind the lead runners and off we went.
The starting line has changed this year: normally we start in a larger section of the parking lot and have to make immediate turn and then have traffic waived for us until we got on the Jordan River Bike Trail. There are a number of safety issues with this (including the cars) and I also found there were some tripping hazards. This year, we started along a partitioned off corridor along the side of the road. It was super congested and with lots of newbie-ish runners, it was a slog before I get going.
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| Half Marathoners Coming in. |
Soon, though, we were on the bike trail and another .1 of a mile I could run comfortably at my own pace without having to clip someone's heels.
I tried to gauge who my competition was (I had spotted one of my age group rivals) but since I was running with 5K runners, I wouldn't know for sure who I had to watch out for. But suffice to say, I was gunning for 2nd place at best.
All of the course was familiar territory and it is basically pancake flat bike trail running.
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| A pasture along the trail |
Mile 1 passed in at 8:45 -- slow but not surprising given how I probably lost 20 seconds (at least) with the slow start. I was feeling pretty good and just worked at dialing in my 10K pace -- about 8:15 - 8:20.
Soon, we reached the 5K turn around. A few master level runners peeled off and made the turn to head back. The amount of 10K runners definitely thinned out. My rival was running the 10K, which I was hoping he'd be running the 5K. Perhaps, though I could catch him -- our times aren't too far off.
Mile 2 came in around 8:20 -- pretty much where I wanted to be. I was still feeling good and just working on keeping an easy pace. I had a bit of a breeze coming at me, but I didn't feel like it was hurting my pace. I was working with a few other young men.
On my way to the turnaround, I started to get some allergy issues. I get this issue when the weather starts to get colder and I get -- for a lack of a better word -- snot that drips down the back of my sinuses and it is hard to get rid of. I knew this was likely to happen and had been working on clearing it, but I failed. I probably slowed down a bit during this section.
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| Typical stretch of bike trail |
As we made our way past the Sandy City golf course, I knew the turn around was coming up. A few of the lead pack were already headed back. I wasn't sure who, if any, were running the half marathon. My rival shouted that the turn around was coming up soon. I couldn't wait!
Finally, a simple turn around cone was in place. At about the point I hit it, my Garmin chirped letting me know I had run 3 miles. The course was definitely going to be short.
My rival was a solid minute (or two) ahead of me and another masters level runner I had passed about a mile before was still tailing me. I wasn't sure if he was in my age group, but I suspected I was at worst in 3rd place in my age group.
I also got to see if anyone was coming up behind me and most of the runners were definitely under the age of 40. Getting their cheers and encouragement spurred me on, and with a bit of a tailwind, I bumped up the pace a bit.
Mile 4 saw me slow down a bit, which was a bit discouraging. I felt like I was running faster.
I was in the home stretch though and soon I went through the 5K turn around. There were a handful of 5K walkers scattered about for the rest of the race and I had to use a bit of energy to weave around them. It wasn't terrible though and they shouted kind words as well. While I am (very) far from any sort of elite athlete, I definitely felt like one.
The next mile also saw a fairly consistent split of 8:27 or so.
The masters runner, at this point, had caught up with me. I was trying to gauge how old he was and I almost asked him. He looked younger but there was a hint of gray in his hair. Could he be? I wasn't sure. He overtook me but he was in my sights for the rest of the race.
My goal was to try and catch the runner. He knew I was dogging him, and a few times I made some spurts but I was holding back: the last quarter mile has a series of sharp turns, small hills and places where you definitely have to slow down. It always costs me time.
On one of the final turns, the guy missed it and proceeded to head south (you have to do nearly a 270 degree turn). Fortunately (for him), he figured it out pretty quickly, but it allowed me to gain a few seconds on him. The course is clearly marked and we weren't alone, so I think he just zoned out on it.
I felt bad for him and I tried to keep up but he knew the finish line was coming up. With a few other 5K runners coming up and a very short and sharp descent, I had to slow down. I was hoping I'd catch him in the final .1 of a mile of the funneled chute but he had another gear.
I hadn't really paid too much attention to my overall time, but as I passed under the chute I looked at my watch: finishing in 51:10 and just seconds behind my goal runner.
Conclusion
I felt pretty good about my time. I've alluded to the fact that racing in 2024 has been a challenge, given the health setbacks I've had. But this seemed like a step in the right direction. My splits were fairly consistent, I felt strong and never totally gassed, and I didn't give up.
I wound up getting a few photos and congratulating other runners I was working against. I honestly felt really good.
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| Finisher's Medal + Age Group Award |
With some fear, I looked at the age group awards: I was in 2nd place! It does turn out -- the guy I was running against was in my age group. Right before the awards ceremony he found me and thanked me for getting him in 3rd place. Since he had started in the front, and I had about a 10 - 15 second delay before starting the race, I had a bit of a cushion -- I wound up taking 2nd by a mere 2 seconds. I suspect, his goof on the turn cost him.
Post race refreshments were candy, oranges, bananas, sports drink, carbonated water (provided by a sponsor).
I had signed up for the 10K race way back during OnHillEvents Thanksgiving day sales. It winds up being a nice bargain and the medals were a hit. The shirt was pretty basic and again, the cotton / polyester blend doesn't do much for me.
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| T-shirt + socks (I love the socks) |
Overall, I was pleased with my experience. I wish the course was a bit closer to an actual 10KM, though. The course was well marshalled and there was an aid station we hit twice (I think the 10KM turn around station was misplaced). I do think with a full 10KM, I would've run about 52 minutes -- nearly 2 minutes slower than last year.
Upcoming Races
10/19: 2024 Haunted Half 5K - Salt Lake City, UT (Confirmed)
10/26: 2024 Haunted Half 5K - Provo, UT (Confirmed)
11/02: Vineyard Blizzard 5K - Vineyard, UT (Confirmed)
11/09: Sandy City Thanksgiving 5K - Sandy, UT (Maybe)
11/16: Snow Canyon Half Marathon - St George, UT (Maybe)
11/28: 2024 South Davis Recreation Center Thanksgiving Run 5K - Bountiful, UT (Confirmed)
02/23: 2025 Las Vegas Half Marathon - Las Vegas, NV (Confirmed)
04/26:2025 Salt Lake City Half Marathon - Salt Lake City, UT (Confirmed)
