Second annual 5K Fun Run launches a busy South Salt Lake July 4
Jul 27, 2017 11:22AM ● By Brian Shaw
A man in a Captain America suit runs along the 5K race route. (Myrna Clark/South Salt Lake)
On the morning of July 4, approximately 40 runners took their marks, got set and sped away from Fitts Park on the word go.
From the park, the runners ran north on 500 East towards 3300 South and then ambled on to 300 East. They followed the same route as the parade route, according to event organizer Myrna Clark.
“[The route] looped backwards from 3300 South to 3rd East, and then it went north to 2280 South,” added Clark, deputy recreation director for South Salt Lake. Her department took over the event in 2016 from the Youth City Council, which had organized it several years prior.
From 2280 South, the runners got back on 300 East, inching towards 2700 South and then made a final push back on 500 East to end at Fitts Park, where the runners crossed the finish line around 9 a.m., said Clark.
From 22 runners who signed up in the first year, it ballooned to over 40 in the second year, she added. Overall, Clark said she was very pleased with the growth the event has made in such a short time-period.
“It was nice. You know, a man in a Captain America suit ran in the race, too,” said Clark. “He even finished in the top 10 despite pulling off and stopping along the route to take pictures.”
Everyone got awards for participating, added Clark. The top two finishers received two rooms courtesy of the Crystal Inn West Valley—a standard room went to Lilo Clark, the runner-up, and the winner George Hill got a Jacuzzi room where he could later relax and bask in his victory.
Not only that, a lot of runners participated in the parade and took part in the annual pancake breakfast after the race concluded, said Clark.
The biggest thing that stuck out to Clark was that not only does the race continue to grow in terms of numbers, it’s gaining a bigger foothold around the valley.
“I think it went well. You know, the course is very flat and because it has a lot of trees, the runners also get a lot of shade,” added Clark. “We had eight people try to register the night before the race, and of course, they couldn’t because the deadline had passed.”
Everyone who registered and paid their $15 entry fee by the deadline got a T-shirt and a medal, Clark said. But, there were a few surprises as well—including one who didn’t even get a chance to register.
“We even had one kid who wanted to race and he pretty much beat everybody else even though he didn’t pay. So, I said, ‘Sorry, dude. I hope you come back next year.’”
