Salt Lake City 5k - Race Report

This was the second year for the Salt Lake City 5k. Held in conjunction with the Salt Lake City Marathon it fielded nearly 4000 runners making it one of the state's biggest races. The weather was absolutely perfect, about 55°F, at the 7:30 AM start time. The 3.1 mile run started at Liberty Park and ended at the Gateway shopping district.


The starting line at Liberty Park


Waiting in line for one of the shuttle buses

Having the start and finish line at different points posed some logistical problems though. The picture above shows the line for the shuttle buses only 15 minutes before the official start of the race. Many participants didn't make it in time. My group made it in time however.


I'm on the right


The 5k course is considered "fast" as most of it is slightly down-hill or flat. But with the volume of people in attendance, the first mile was anything but fast. I clocked nearly 9 minutes at the first mile marker. Fortunately, the crowd thinned and I was able to run as fast as my legs would carry me for the rest of the race. My time was 24:55 beating my recent best by 5 seconds. I was much faster in my younger years, but this was my best time of the decade.


Running towards the city capitol building