Nine years ago, I ran my very first marathon at the Salt Lake City Marathon and on Saturday, April 21st, I got an opportunity to run again as a pacer. I have paced the Salt Lake City Marathon many times and I always have a great time.
With my "A" race a week later at Mt. Charleston (trying to get some cushion on my 2019 BQ), I took the 5:00 spot. Don't get me wrong, I don't care how fast you run a marathon, it still hurts! I do recover more quickly the slower I run, so that was the perfect pace for me.
Friday after work, I drove downtown to the Salt Palace where the race expo was being held. It was a small expo, but it had more samples than a Costco on a Saturday afternoon!
Hanging with a couple princesses!
When I got to the expo, I met my Maniac friends (Stephanie, Lorinda, Suzanne and Corey and we walked around for a little bit (the expo was pretty small), then went to find dinner.
Stephanie, Lorinda, Suzane, Corey, and I at the expo!
We went to a couple places downtown, but there was a convention going on in the Salt Palace on top of the marathon expo, so everything close was packed with at least a 30 minute wait. So we walked down Main Street a few blocks and lucked out at some bar seats at Maxwell's.
They have pizza, pasta, burgers, and basically and kind of pub food you want. It was perfect for what we needed and the bartender was really nice too.
We had a lot of food at Maxwell's!
After dinner I made my way home and got ready for race day!
Flat Angie was pretty simple for this race.
I drove to the race finish early so I could secure a good (free) parking spot and got on the Trax (our version of the subway) to the start. Your bib gets you a free ride, so it is the best option and the start is only a couple stops away.
I met the other pacers, saw some more Maniac friends and before we knew it it was time to go!
Utah Race Pacers!
Always glad to see my Maniac friends Galen and Bill!
Matt and I at the start!
Got to see Corey and Josher too!
And we're off!
My co-pacer J.T. and I had a great time with the people in our group.
The first mile or so of the Salt Lake City Marathon is a gentle climb up towards the Avenues. Once we hit 11th Ave., we had a nice downhill section all the way down Memory Grove until we hit South Temple Street (passing the Salt Lake City LDS Temple and running under Eagle Gate.
So AMAZING to see my speedy friend Briggs as we ran down Memory Grove. He came out to cheer the runners on!
MANIACS!
Running down Memory Grove. (Photo Credit: Jun Ulama)
Running Through Sugar House Park (Photo Credit: Jun Ulama)
We hit the half marathon mark at 2:29:06. The second half of the race was hilly and the sun was shining hot. Even at 5:00 pace, it felt tough at times.
We had a nice group with us around the half way mark.
Between miles 18 and 20, it seemed the mile markers were not in the right place. We were pretty consistent in our pacing then with in one mile we were behind by a couple minutes! Confused we picked up our pace a little and got to the next mile marker a few minutes over and way off on our own GPS (we know GPS is always off a little, but in one mile it was off a lot). At this point we kept our steady pace and came in at 4:59:12.
The Finish!
My co-pacer J.T. and I at the finish!
After the race, I headed over to the beer garden to get my free beer. There I sat on the grass in the sun and hung out with a few Maniacs I had not met before.
Bling and a beer!
Maniacs in the beer garden!
The Salt Lake City Marathon/Half is not like all the downhill races you see here in Utah. It is hilly and will make you work, but that's OK, running hills will make you a better and stronger runner. So, don't skip the Salt Lake Marathon because it's not all downhill or you won't get a PR, run it because it's a fun and well organized race. I hope to be back for my 10 year marathoniversary!!
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