2022 Witch Run 5K Race Recap - West Jordan, UT

Official Time: 24:20
Placement: 2nd in the 50 - 54, 10th overall
Results: Here
Race Website: Here
Weather: Mid 50's, sunny, no wind
Garmin Dump: Here
Previous Years: [2021] [2020] [2019] [2018]

Mile	Time	Comments
1	7:59	Off to a decent start.  Things are holding up
2	7:45	Feeling confident, feeling good.  Pushing it a bit more
3	7:51	About to give up on myself, but running for a great time
3.10	0:41	A lot of turns in the final stretch, but getting it done!
	Total Miles: 3:10 - 24:18

Introduction

Since its inception, I've done OnHillEvents Witch Run.  It is held at the end of September and it kicks off the Halloween racing month.  In years past, it was a simple 5K race, held at night.  Last year, they introduced more distances and started the race well before sunset (resulting in some warm running).

This year they went to a morning race due to capacity issues and continued on with the 5K / 10K / half marathon options.

The race is held at Gardner Village, a local collection of shops and restaurants that borders on the Jordan River Bike Trail.  It is a really nice location for a race with plenty of parking, bathrooms, and the shops are all decorated with Halloween decorations.

The race's start line is a mere 2 miles away from my house and the course is very familiar to me -- I often run in that area.

I had signed up for the race during a Thanksgiving sale and it winds up being one of my favorite races of the year in terms of the sheer number of runners and the excitement it generates.

The Race

Originally I had signed up for the 10K and I had every intention of running it this morning.  However, when I woke up, my IT-band was inflamed and my hamstrings felt tight.  They had been bothering me since Tuesday's hard workout and despite having taken some ibuprofen and running easy, they hadn't really recovered.  I took an ibuprofen before leaving for the race.

While sitting in my car massaging my hamstring I really questioned whether it was a good idea to run, let alone race a 10K.  I headed over to the race director and got switched to the 5K.  Even if my hamstring blew up, I could get through a 5K.

I did an abbreviated warm-up and deemed myself ready to start running the 5K.

The race was delayed a bit.  There was a long line of people wanting to use the bathroom and the race director gave a grace period of about 15 minutes.  By the time the race started I was kind of itching to use the restroom.

In years past, the course headed straight out of the shopping center and it was pretty easy to navigate to the paved bike trail for the out and back course.  This year we had to make an immediate left after starting and running along a fairly narrow sidewalk until we reached the service drive and managed to get out of the shopping area.

It was slow going for a bit, but fortunately I had lined up at the front and it didn't slow me down too badly.

Within a quarter mile I was running with about 10 - 15 other 5K / 10K runners (the half marathoners had started at 7 AM).

I settled into a nice pace with a few other runners.  My hamstring and IT-band were holding up and I was running comfortably.  Occasionally I glanced down at my Garmin.  I didn't have any specific goals for this race, but I'd like to have hit the first mile in 7:55 or so.

I made some ground against the people I was running with and I felt really good.  I hit the first mile a hair under 8 minutes.  A little slow for the first mile but I was just happy to be running pain free.

Digging deeper, I pushed the pace on mile 2.  Having run a lot of 10K races in the past month, I knew I had the speed endurance to get this one done.  It was such a beautiful morning as I crossed over the bridge and worked my way to the turn around point.

Hitting the 1.55 mile mark, I was greeted by a course marshal who I knew and gave me a big cheer.  It was nice to get that encouragement and to be honest I didn't expect to see them at all at the race.  The course was going to be a legitimate 5K.

I was stunned to see a faster mile 2 (7:51).  I was expecting at least an 8:05 / 8:10.  Could this be an awesome race?  I had my doubts.

This race is a bit of a fun run -- getting a lot of casual runners.  There are only a handful of faster runners that show and I knew one guy was well ahead of me (I had had hopes I would've been able to keep up with him) but as the race progressed I was running solo, with the exception of another female was I worked with for miles 2 to about 2.75.  There was no one behind me, but at this point I was holding a solid pace and I was on target for a great race.  I had had hopes / dreams of going sub 25 minutes but I didn't think it would happen.

The final quarter mile of the race has a lot of turns and I had to navigate my way to the finish line (it was well marked) through the sidewalk / service drive of the shopping area.  It is always the most challenging part of the course but I was running solo.  It was awesome getting some cheers from the course marshals as well.

I made the final turn and sprinted through the finish in a shocking 24:19.  I had totally smashed my expectations on this race.

Conclusion

I am simply over the moon with my success at this race.  The last few 5Ks I had turned in times of just over 25 minutes.  Prior to Covid-19 and my back injury, I was running low 24's.  It was about time that I turned in a great time.

I am not sure what to make of the soreness I was experiencing prior to the race.  Nerves? Did the ibuprofen block the pain and allow me to run?  I definitely know I had been plagued with some soreness and issues prior to the race.

I am happy that I ran the 5K though.  I've been shooting to get back to where I was this spring and this was a sign that I am there.  One of my goals this year is to run consistently under 24 minutes.  I think I would've achieved this goal if I had stayed healthy.   But I still have time.

Signing up for the race late last year, I paid about $35 for the race.  Pricey but still well worth the price of admission.

I didn't really check out too much of the post race refreshments but there was drink, oranges, granola bars and some candy.

The race was well done.  The course was well marked, accurate and had an aid station.  It was also accurate (at least to my watch).  It did start about 15 minutes late, which sort of led me to be cooled off by the time it started.  But that sometimes happens at races that have over 600 runners.

Once again, I am still really excited.  This race may go down as one of my top performances for the year.  I ran consistent splits and from the looks of it, negatively split it by a few seconds.  I am just happy that my training is leading to some positive results.

Upcoming Races

10/15: 2022 BYU Homecoming Run 5k - Provo, UT (Confirmed)

10/22: 2022 Haunted Emigration Canyon 5K - Salt Lake City (Confirmed)

10/29: 2022 Haunted Half Provo 5K - Provo, UT (Confirmed)

11/19: 2022 Snow Canyon Half Marathon - St George, UT (Confirmed)

11/24: 2022 South Davis Recreation Center Thanksgiving Day 5K - Bountiful, UT (Confirmed)

01/14: 2023 St George Half Marathon - St George, UT (Confirmed)

02/26: 2023 Las Vegas Half Marathon - Las Vegas, NV (Confirmed)

04/22: 2023 Salt Lake City Half Marathon - Salt Lake City, UT (Confirmed)

08/19: 2023 Rock 'N Roll Salt Lake City Half Marathon - Salt Lake City, UT (Confirmed)

    

2020 Witch Run 5K Race Recap - West Jordan, UT

Official Time: 25:09
Placement: 2nd in age group, 18th overall
Results: Here
Race Website: Here
Weather: 70F, 15 mph wind from the north / north west
Garmin Dump: Here
Previous Years: [2018] [2019]

Mile	Time	Comments
1	8:05	Off to a decent start. Had tired legs so was happy with the first mile
2	7:54	Wow, I rarely run a faster mile 2 than mile 1.  Where did this come from?
3	8:03	Hurting at this point, but an 8:03? No way
3.15	1:06	Cruise to the finish.
	Total Miles: 3.15- 25:09

Introduction

Each year around late September, I do the Witch Run, held at an eclectic shopping area called Gardner Village in West Jordan UT.  It is a super convenient race being that it is a mere 3 miles from my house.  

What makes this race fun, however, is that it is held at night and the temperatures wind up being significantly cooler.  I don't necessarily run well at night, but it makes for a change of pace and after the race there is a festive atmosphere.  This race is usually well attended too by the casual runner.

However, with Covid rearing it's ugly head, this race -- which was going to introduce a half marathon and 10K (and an earlier start time) it was reduced to a 5K -- with the earlier start time.  I had originally signed up for the 10K (way back in 2019) but was okay with the distance change.

The Race

I arrived at the race well before my 5 PM start.  I had picked up my bib the day before so it gave me ample time to find a good parking spot, get a few additional photos of the starting area and time to warm up.

It was warm and I had done a pretty aggressive hike the day before, so I was feeling sore in a lot of different areas.  My warm-up went well but it was absolutely minimal.  I honestly expected this race to be a lackluster performance.  I just wasn't feeling speedy at all.

The race got off to a slightly later start (approximately 5:05).  Before the race we had estimated our finish times and so we roughly lined up (6 feet apart) in that order.  There was about 15 seconds of intervals between each runner, so at least we started off at relatively the same pace.

The first mile involves a lot of turns and going under a street via a rickety part of the bike trail.  The Jordan River Trail people have installed some bouncy plywood that makes it a little awkward to run over.  Fortunately, it is pretty short lived but the first quarter of a mile is always tough.  You want to get going but you are changing directions quite a bit.  I also had caught the guy who started before me (and I suspected he might be in my age group too).

Once I got into the groove, I felt like I was holding a decent pace.  As I was running, however, I was trying to figure out which way the wind was blowing.  I thought it was coming from the west, which would mean virtually no impact on the run (since it was primarily a north / south race).  

It was great running weather and I felt in control during the first mile as I zipped along the bike trail.  I was passed by 2 people, but whom I would trail for most of the race.

Typical stretch of bike trail, but not part of the race.

I was so busy running I really didn't pay too much attention to my first mile split but I knew I was running pretty quickly and the soreness from yesterday's hike: it was gone.  But could I hold this pace?  I really wasn't sure.

The course is an out-and-back along a standard issue paved bike trail, which I have run many times for this course's 5K (it was one of my first 5Ks when I moved here in 2012) so I had a great deal of confidence in how far I had to run and exactly where the turn around was.

Sure enough, around the corner I hit the turn around, still feeling pretty good (the trail actually dead ends here).  I circled the cone feeling like I am going to have a really great race, only to get hit by the wind.  Every runner's nightmare....   I figured the wind would be short lived on account that I was running slightly west -- but no, it was more or less in my face for the rest of the race.

I tried tucking in behind the second place girl but to no avail.  I'd get close and she'd pull ahead.  Obviously, she was out to beat me. 

It was great getting shouts of encouragement.  Over a 150 runners and walkers of all abilities were working the same bike trail I was.  My name was called out a few times and I waved or gasped a cheer to others I knew.  While probably not terribly Covid safe, it was nice to see everyone.

The final mile is usually where I fail.  Again, I totally missed the Garmin alert for mile 2 but I glanced at my watch shortly afterwards and realized I was running pretty close to 8 min / mile.  

I dug deep and I knew my form was sloppy.  I was hurting but I was on target for a decent race after all.  And I knew this was a legit 5K -- it definitely is not a short course.

I wound up catching another runner who might've been in my age group about 15 seconds before the end of the race (I suspect he may have beat me though with the delayed time).

I wound up crossing under the Halloween themed arch in a hair over 25 minutes for a 3.15 mile course.

Conclusion

After crossing the finish line I looked at my watch.  I was disappointed to see a 25 minutes on the screen.  But the overall distance was 3.15 miles, translating to a "true" 3.10 mile race, it winds up being about a 24:43.  

The last few years I've been hitting well over 25:30, so this was a breakthrough -- mostly because I am about 15 pounds lighter than last year.

I was handed my medal and some treats in a bag and a bottle of water.  I waited about 5 minutes before seeing if I had placed.  I wound up taking second place in my age group, which sort of shocked me.  While I had seen some runners who looked like they were in my age group I didn't see any of them ahead of me in the race.  I suppose that's the drawback of a staggered start.

I paid $25 for the race during a Thanksgiving / Christmas special.  I was happy with the amount paid and had a good time at the race.  Given the festive nature of the race, I really had a good time and it is quickly becoming one of my favorite annual races.

2019 Witch Run 5K Race Recap - West Jordan, UT

Official Time: 25:45
Placement: 1st in age group, 11th overall
Results: Here
Race Website: Here
Weather: 50, slight rain. Night race.
Garmin Dump: Here
Previous Years: [2018]

Mile	Time	Comments
1	8:07	A little hemmed in at the start, but running okay
2	8:13	Hit the turn around and lost a few seconds but was hurting here
3	8:15	Running by myself mostly. Fairly consistent splits.
3.14	1:09	Lots of turns in the final haul but cruising to the finish
	Total Miles: 3.14 - 25:46

Introduction

Last year, I ran OnHillEvents Witch Run.  And during the awards ceremony I won a free entry to this year's event.  So when the race rolled around this September, I signed up.  I think this was my first comped race ever.

The race is held at Gardner Village and is used to kick off their fall / Halloween celebrations.  They really go all out decorating the storefronts with lights and spooky stuff.  Every year I am blown away with how much they do to prepare the village shops.

Gardner Village is also conveniently located about 2 miles from my house.  I probably should run as a warm-up there, but it starts at 8 PM and it makes it a chilly run on the way back.  However, I did pick up my bib on Friday night, so I was ready to go when I rolled into the race site at 7:15 for the 8 PM race. 

The Race

All week, the weather forecasters were saying it was going to be raining -- hard.  Fortunately, it didn't.  There was some rain throughout the day, but nothing major.  However, even during the race, there were dark clouds hanging over the area.

Occasionally, while I was doing my warm-up, it started to run and I was cursing myself for not bringing something semi-water proof.  Oh well, it was "just" a 5K.

The race started at 8 PM and the race had a good turnout.  Just lots of people in costume.  The themed races generally don't draw the big-time competitors.  So I lined up near the front and once the gun was fired, I ducked under a very small arch and began making my way to the Jordan River Trail.

The race is a 1.55 mile out and back on the Jordan River Bike Trail. I train / live near this trail, but on a stretch further north.  I've run on this section of the trail many times so even though it was dark, I knew where to go and what to expect.

With so many runners - and many first time racers it was clogged initially.  However, after less than a quarter mile I was with folks running my pace.

I hadn't done that much of a warm-up and it kind of showed.  I was breathing hard as we ducked under a road and made our way south along the trail.  There are a lots of turns and small hills to begin with, but once you are done with that, it is nothing but straight and flat.

Being that it was dark, I had a hard time checking in on my pace.  It just seemed like work to slow down, find the light button on my Garmin and check it.  Normally during a race, I can just glance down... but my focus was on running and not tripping.  Occasionally I'd throw on my night light to verify I wasn't going to trip on anything but there was enough light that that wasn't too much of a concern.

After a mile, the crowd had thinned out and I found myself running with a young woman -- probably no older than a young teenager.  She was holding on to a decent pace and I was using her to motivate me.  And every time I tried to gain ground on her she'd push a little extra harder.  Perfect! Just what I needed.

However, just shy of the turn around point she seemed to run out of gas.

I figured I was close to a top 10 position judging by the number of runners coming back and I was so happy to see the volunteers at the turn around.  I went around the turn around point and ran back, only to be greeted by all the runners behind me.  It was cool seeing all the folks behind me as I received support and accolades.  It just made me push harder.

Another 3/4ths of a mile I ran into the walkers.  90% of the runners / walkers were on their side of the 6 foot wide bike trail.  Occasionally someone would drift over to my side and that's when my head lamp (now a hand lamp) came into action.

The last part of the race I was hurting.  The 5K, in general, is just painful from start to finish but the last mile always hurts the most.  I wasn't really near anyone so gaining ground on someone wasn't really an option.  There was someone coming in from behind but I had enough ground on them that it would take a while for them to catch up.  I had a sense I was going to finish in the low 25's on account I had checked my splits whenever my Garmin dinged that a mile had passed.

I was so happy to see the finish line but a little dismayed to see almost 26 minutes had elapsed by the time I crossed under the spooky arch.

Conclusion

I was a little miffed that my overall time was slow, but it was a night race.  While it seems like you are running fast at night, it is harder to judge your overall pace.  The weather, however, was perfect.

After the race there were a ton of people I knew, so it was social hour.  I wasn't too surprised to see that I had won my age group.  The race is mostly filled with younger folks, families and social runners.  Themed, night races tend to draw that sort of crowd.

Post race refreshments included fruit and ice cream sandwiches.  There was also sports drink / water, but I had stashed my own supply in the bushes before the race.

Overall, it was a nice, low stress evening and I came home with two cool medals.

See ya there next year.

2018 Witch Run 5K Race Recap - West Jordan, UT

Official Time: 25:29
Placement: 7th overall, 1st the 45 - 49, 1st masters
Results:  Here
Race Website: Here
Weather: low 70's, light wind from the south
Garmin Dump: Here
Previous Years: First year

Mile	Time	Comments
1	8:05	A little hemmed in at the start but got settled in pretty quick
2	8:12	Hurting here on the way back on the out-and-back
3	8:14	Pushed it to the finish
3.12	0:58	Hauled ass to the finish
	Total Miles: 3.12 - 25:30

Introduction

I am not sure what possessed me to run 2 5K races in one day, but I guess since it has been a while since I had raced, I figured I might as well go for two races in one day.

The previous post explained that I had run the Jordan River 5K race in the morning and it wasn't a terribly great experience performance-wise for me.  So it was with a little bit of fear that I rolled into the race location at Gardner Village on Saturday night.

The Race

I've run this route many times before.  Gardner Village is only a few miles from my house and is the site to many races.  It is held on the south end of the Jordan River Bike Trail.  It is a multi-use trail that serves cyclists and runners alike.  It isn't near any houses or such and it can be dark for running.  But it is flat and the paved trail is in good shape.

This race was a Halloween-Themed race.  I am not big into themed races but I figured why not.  Most of the runners were fairly casual.  There were a few speedy, serious runners, but for the most part, most of the folks were in costume and there were a lot of kids and families.

I was really worried because the Jordan River bike trail is not a huge bike trail.  And with the crowd there, it was definitely a big race, as far as 5Ks go (they estimated close to 400 runners).  I had fears of being crammed / hemmed in by walkers and while I figured this wouldn't be an "A" race, I definitely wanted to redeem myself from the morning's less than glorious finish.

The race started at 8 PM and it these days it gets dark by 7:30.  I brought a headlamp with me, mostly for others to see me running.  The course was an out and back and with the majority of folks appearing to be slower runners, I figured it was best to let people know I was coming on the way back.

The shopping center was decked out with Halloween lights and atmosphere.  Aside from the runners, there were also a ton of shoppers and people just soaking in the Halloween atmosphere.

The race started on time and fortunately the race director had everyone lined up according to pace.  There were only a handful of folks in the front that shouldn't been there, but I was within 15 feet of the start and when I took off I wasn't hindered at all.

I really didn't know what I had in me but I felt pretty good.  My goal was to go out cautiously for the first mile and then if I felt good push it to the finish.

The first mile went according to plan.  I was running with the 2nd place woman and another guy, who I soon dropped.  The girl and I wound up working off one another until the turn around point, when she turned on the jets.

I used my headlamp, which I carried sporadically but a few of the other runners had theirs on so I didn't need to use it.  However, once I got to the turn around the front runners had either pulled well ahead of me or were far behind me.  It was as if I was running solo.

This course is spot on 5K -- it might be a little long, but I was happy to see the turn around properly placed (it is at a dead end so it can't really be misplaced).

Up until this point I had been running a bit into the wind and I was hoping I'd feel a little bit of a push from it as I returned.  But alas, I just didn't seem to get any benefit.  The second place woman was well ahead of me and after hitting the 2 mile marker I looked behind me and there was no one behind me.

The crowd heading out were generally polite and I had very few problems not having a lane to run in.  I think if I had been in a group of runners, there might've been issues.  However, most people stayed to the right and it wasn't even a concern for me.

I was breathing hard at this point and while I felt my pace was decent, I sort of felt like I was losing it a little.  I don't fiddle with my Garmin in night races but my splits, for a change, were fairly even.

The shopping village finally came into view and I couldn't have been happier. There are a few turns and small hills on the way back, including running under a bridge.  Sort of treacherous footing in places and the turns tend to be fairly sharp.  So I probably lost a little time there.

I crushed it to the finish with the help of some of the volunteers who encouraged me to cruise in.

Conclusion

My time was fairly average, but for the second race of the day, I felt like I had run a lot better than my first race. Also night races are a bit harder to run due to the lighting.  You always hold something back.

I felt pretty good after the race.  I had stashed some Powerade in a bush before the race and it was still there.  I nursed that and watched people come in for a while before going back to my car for a jacket and my phone.

Awards took a bit but I am glad I stuck around.  I wound up winning an entry to next year's race.  I never win anything at race drawings and a race this large, I was surprised I came up in the drawing.  Score for me!

I knew I had finished in the top 10 and was glad to see I had won my age group.  There were a few other older guys in front and I wondered what age they might be.  Glad they weren't in mine.

Post race refreshments included candy, sports drink, and Fat Boy ice creams.  It was a really nice spread of food.

Once again, I was happy with my run.  I had low hopes on my performance and I figured the race was going to be a fiasco with first-time runners.  But all my fears turned out to be unfounded.  In fact, I had a great time.  I was smiling ear-to-ear and it was so much fun to see a bunch of people I haven't seen since I left for Arizona.

The price of the race was a little steep.  I think I paid nearly $40 for it including service fees.  Granted, I did register the week of the event.  I love the shirt design and once again, I had a great experience.  I look forward to running this one next year.