... maybe the Haunted Half 5K? I don't know.
I've done Runtastic races before - ye olde Dino Half back in the day - and got back on their email list now that I've moved to Utah. I knew I might not be around for the Provo race (... which, turns out, I would have been, as it was this morning), but I definitely knew I would be for the SLC race, so I signed up for that one.
(Had I known about the closer Halloween race in Farmington that same morning, I may have done that instead, given that it was like 25 minutes closer, but alas.)
I drove down to Sugar House Park perhaps a bit too early, but eh. Triathlete - it's what we do. Later than the buses went off to deliver the half-marathoners to their start, but definitely well before the 5K.
Sunrise.
I waited in the car for a bit, then wandered off to make sure I was parked in an okay spot (fairly close to the start/finish - more the finish and then the start line was up the hill from the finish). I wandered some, warmed up a little, and took a few photos.
Part of the finisher's chute. We finished under that pumpkin arch which is pretty cool tbh.
Soon enough though, time to start.
I had absolutely zero expectations for this race because my training hasn't really been training and except for walking, my movement has been basically poop for the past month or so (spoiler for the monthly recap).
That being said, I seeded myself a bit back from the front but not horribly far, knowing how the first mile or so of 5Ks always goes with people starting out way too fast and the like.
I started off pretty steady, doing well to keep running but also not push myself too hard. It took a good chunk of time before my first walk break and the first mile (according to my Garmin) was a fairly standard for me these days 10:44.
The race, however, had the mile 1 marker at like 1.2 according to my watch.
Things went downhill (literally) soon after through the neighborhoods so I was able to take advantage of gravity some and wind my way through Sugar House, not walking too terribly much. I was getting passed a little, but not much. I also think I was making up some ground, as well. Mile two was a very happy neg split ... and happened a bit before the mile 2 banner - 9:44.
Most of the last mile and change was back in Sugar House Park so I got to internally wave hi to my car. There was also a race photographer on the curve just past where I parked.
Couldn't find my ref jersey and decided to not attempt running in the inflatable dino ... but I can always manage some sort of '80s something.
As you can kind of tell, the photog was on a slight incline and there was a decent hill we were climbing after. I made it almost all the way up, but had to walk a bit. I was kind of dying this final stretch, but I was fighting as much as I could ... meaning I also somehow completely neg split this race - 9:39 for mile 3.
I walked for the last time a bit before the world's longest finish chute ... which not only included the pumpkin arch, but a giant long black inflatable tunnel to run through.
(I watched quite a few people run around it after I finished, but I didn't even consider that possibility at the time).
My Garmin had things a bit short (3.07), but I finished. And kinda died.
Final Stats:
Time: 30:38.84
10/50 AG (F40-44)
76/436 gender
198/704 overall
... I don't know if all the fast people here do the half-marathons when there are these combined races, but dang. I was just outside the top-10 AG at April's 5K and 10th in this one? Obviously no awards for it, but I'll take it.
I will also take, somewhat reluctantly, the scariest race medal known to man. Thanks, Runtastic Events.
Random finishing tunnel behind said creepy-ass medal.
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