Fast Running Blog

Magna Classic 5 K will take place on May 24th starting at 8:00 AM.  The start is at 3900 S 8400 W in Magna, UT. The finish is at Copper Park, 8900 W 2600 S.

The registration form is available at http://www.usatf.org/assoc/ut/magna-5k-2008.pdf

This is one race I strongly recommend everyone to run. Reasons:

* It is an honestly fast course. There is a 1.3% net elevation drop most of which happens in the first 1.7 miles. The times on the course historically have been comparable to what people have been running in Carlsbad 5 K (flat sea level course) and on the track at sea level. So this is a fairly accurate way to find out what you would do in a flat sea-level 5 K without traveling.

* It is a very competitive race, one of the most competitive 5 Ks in Utah. Last year the course records were set for open men (Teren Jameson 14:10), open women (Devra Vierkant 16:22), men masters (Dennis Simonaitis 15:12), and women masters (Michelle Simonaitis 16:45). So you get to meet some of the best runners in the state and race against them. You can visit with them after the race and get some advice on your own training. Due to the large elite participation we have a good amount of historical data on the performances on that course. Your time on that course allows one to accurately estimate your current level of fitness.

* The course is USATF certified. That means somebody measured it twice according to the USATF measuring protocol and did the paperwork to prove that you are actually running a 5 K rather than maybe a 5 K plus or minus a couple of hundred yards of error. Some even USATF-certified courses still have their mile markers misplaced. Not this one. You can be sure they are right on. And you have people calling out splits at the mile markers as well.

* The race director is Demetrio Cabanillas. Back in the days of his youth he ran 2:13 in the New York Marathon. He ran 2:16 on the old DesNews course all by himself. To achieve those feats Demetrio trained very hard often running 170 miles a week. He has made a lot of contributions to developing competitive running in Utah coaching many athletes formally and with informal advice. Even though he has never made much money on this race, I do not even know if he covers his expenses, he has always offered generous prize money going 5 deep. To me this is a sign of his commitment to encouraging and rewarding excellence in running. I think every runner in Utah should at least know who he is, and honor him by participating in his race. It is not so much a matter of honoring the man as it is of showing respect for the standards of work and accomplishments that he has set.

Demetrio, no doubt, the best overall marathoner from Utah.  His 8 or 9 wins in a row at Des News say it all.  The old course was a tougher than tough for a 2:16.  I remember Demetrio from our Magna days, always had nice things to say to other runners.  He was fast as lightning running his workouts on the Cyprus track.  Also, there is a story about him and possibly being on the Mexican Olympic team for the marathon (never heard the full story).   If Utah had a running hall of fame, Demetrio would be in.  Magna 5K, very good race to support. 

I was hoping to see a deeper FRB pack at the race but I did get to meet a few new faces. If you missed it this year you should REALLY make the effort to go next year. Demetrio is a great guy and the effort he puts into this small but crazy fast race is worth the effort to get there.

There was a huge FRB pack at Ogden last week which is probably why they didn't show up for this one. 

Understood. FRB did tear it up in Ogden!!! I guess we can't all run back-to-back races like Sasha  ;) My main point is that I want to drum up as much support for Demetrio as possible, to repay him for his efforts.