*RECAP* Donut Dash 5k... How Many Donuts Did I Eat?
/Donuts... and Running ... and my BFF -- OHH MYY!!
When I found out I would be going to visit my BFF and her family in Salt Lake City, I realized I had never raced in Utah. It got the wheels turning. The BFF ended up having her son just over two weeks before I was set to arrive. It was her idea to sign us up for a local 5k that would be taking place during my visit. Twist my arm I said. :P
The Race?
The Donut Dash 5k
Course Map
Proceeds from the Donut Dash went to support the mission of Utah Heritage Foundation, a statewide non-profit organization working to preserve, protect, and promote Utah's historic built environment through public awareness, advocacy, and active preservation.
When we arrived early on race morning since we weren't sure how many folks would be participating and what the parking would look like. Luckily for us, parking and packet pick-up were a breeze.
This gave us plenty of time to stay warm in the car and check out the swag.
I really liked the shirt design for the Fourth Annual Donut Dash. We also learned that the race would actually be 3 miles not 3.1 (which is the distance of a 5k). So I am not really sure why they were calling it a 5k, but to each their own I guess. Just seems a little misleading to the participants.
Let's focus on the positives of the run - the donuts! Here is the 411 on that:
Donut holes will be offered at the turnaround at the intersection of Bonneville Drive, 11th Avenue, and B Street. Please note that you will need to come all the way to the top of 11th Avenue and turn around before you stop to eat donut holes. Runners will receive time deductions for the number of donut holes you eat. Your deduction is made to your final time and is called your “donut adjusted time.”
You will only have one opportunity to eat donut holes. All donut holes must be eaten at the aid station. No running with donut holes! To get your time deduction, a volunteer will write the number of holes you ate on your bib number. When you cross the finish line, this number will be recorded along with your run time.
With a few minutes to go before the race started, we finally emerged from the warm car and headed to the Start Line. It was in the 30s that morning and someone (ie me) did not bring appropriate running attire.
Oops! Thankfully Zensah compression sleeves and make great faux leg warmers. :P
There were a couple hundreds folks milling around the start raging from kids in strollers to this 91-year old man! Inspiration was all around on that morning.
If you see the white line in between the kids legs in front of the man, you can see the Start Line. It would be a gun time finish time.
The horn went off and so did we ... at a faster than expected pace. The BFF and I were psyched to be running together and getting caught up in the downhill. Oops!
We made sure to bring it back and keep the pace in check. She was about 3 weeks out from giving birth and needed to make sure her body was setting the pace and not her heart.
The course was absolutely gorgeous. The course was run along the rim of City Creek Canyon completely on asphalt of varying conditions, while the lower part of the course was adjacent to City Creek.
Mile 1: 8:54
As we headed to the donuts, we could already see the leaders heading back towards us. Man those high schoolers were flying!
The BFF keep going up the hill so I could stop and snap a couple of pictures of these outstanding scenery.
Breathtaking, right?
We were greeted at the top of the hill with the donut holes!
Delicious looking treats. For every donut hole you ate, you had 30 seconds removed from your finish time. For every 10 sets, you had an additional 30 seconds removed. There were definitely some folks out there that looked like they could walk away with a negative finish time. :P
Since a potty break was needed, we opted to go for one cup (4 donut holes) each. The volunteer wrote a big 4 on each of our bibs and we headed back on to the course.
According to my Garmin 220, which tracks stop time, it took us 2.5 minutes to enjoy our donuts and water. I really wanted this info to calculate our actual running pace minus the donut break - which was delicious by the way. Mmmm glazed donut hole...
I have to give these women credit for having the best costume of the day. They were attached and had to move as a single unit. Boy that can be tough during a race.
Mile 2: 11:24
While the course wasn't the most difficult the navigate, it was reassuring to see the number of signs and volunteers they had out there. They were clearly marked and energetic.
We headed down the final mile when one of the many young high schoolers passed us. He knew the gentleman behind us and asked him how many donuts he ate. The young man said he ate 20! Damn gina! That is a lot of donuts... or so we thought!
We enjoyed the downhill to the Finish and were ready to rock a finish line leap.
Unfortunately there wasn't a photographer there to capture it. :/
Mile 3: 8:24
Woo hoo! We finished our first race together since May and I was able to cross Utah off as the 16th state I have raced in. :)
Official Time: 28:42
Donut Adjusted Time: 26:42
If you take out the 2.5 minutes for donuts - our official running pace was 8:47 min/mile, which is freakin' awesome! My new mama kicked booty!
We both felt great after the run and headed straight to the post-race snack area. Finally time to enjoy some additional donuts, coffee and water.
Once the potty break was taken care of, we met up with the rest of her family and headed to the Kids Day activities (coloring, building blocks, scavenger hunt, etc).
When we were heading to the kids stuff, we noticed this donut counter.
80 donut holes! Can you believe it?
Overall the race had 188 participants and was really well run. It has a great local vibe and the donuts were tasty. If you are looking for a fun local run in Salt Lake City, I highly recommend the Donut Dash!
