By Justin Anderson
Winter means a lot of things; snow, hot chocolate, cuddling
up on the couch with a warm blanket to watch a great movie and stay out of the
cold. But for some runners in Utah, it means it’s time for the annual Striders
Winter Racing Circuit.
Striders recently celebrated 10 years since it first opened
in Layton and has since added a store in Ogden.
This Saturday at 8 a.m. marks the beginning of the fourth
event of the circuit - the half marathon.
Runners began the circuit on February 1 running a 5k at the
Dee Events Center in Ogden. Throughout February and March participants have run
a 10k and a 10 mile race, both held at the Dee Events Center. The Half Marathon
will be held at The BeeHive Homes, an assisted living center in Eden, Utah.
Winter races present challenges that are not generally
experienced at other racing events.
“It’s cold,” race director John Wojciechowski, said. “It’s
cold and icy, and we still get 500 people coming out and doing it. On top of
all that, the courses up at Weber State are just extremely difficult. You’ve
got the hills, the wind, the snow, freezing temperatures, icy corners. It’s a
challenge.”
Ben Van Beekum, of North Ogden, is currently atop the
leader-board for the circuit.
“The Winter Racing Circuit is a different beast than any other
circuit races that I have run before,” Van Beekum said. “The first three races
are above Weber State University and there are a ton of hills.”
Van Beekum said that the first few races, in past years, have helped him prepare for the next two, which are flatter.
“As you come out of Ogden and up into Huntsville for the
half (marathon) and 30k, the courses are mostly flat, which allows runners to
see the benefit of working hard on the hills for a couple months,” he said.
Wojciechowski, in the past, has set up courses in sub-zero
temperatures. This can present a challenge to more than just the runners.
“There have been days when the computers have frozen up,
there’s freezing rain, and people have to literally stop and walk around a corner
because it’s all iced over,” he said.
For those training for the Ogden Marathon, coming up on May
17, this race will present them with an opportunity to get to know the course,
as the race covers the first half of the Ogden Marathon.
A medal will be given to each of the finishers of the race.
This year the medals will be split in half, one side given to those finishing
the Half Marathon, and the other to those who race in each event of the
circuit.
Van Beekum, who is a part of a running group called Ogden Crew,
hopes to stay atop the leaderboard and claim the top prize at the finish line
of the 30K. Running, for him, is all about achieving new goals.
“My motivation to run is to see how far I can push myself,”
said Van Beekum. “I have been living this year by a quote my running partner
told me: ‘Quit reaching for the moon and shoot for the stars.’ So now every
workout and every race I show up and just go to work and accomplish goals that
I never thought were achievable.”
Van Beekum’s goal for the half marathon is to run it in
under one hour and nine minutes which would be an average of 5.12 to 5.15
minutes per mile.
Runners will park at the finish line at BeeHive homes and
busses will depart at 7 a.m. to take the racers to the starting line.
Runners will begin above Ogden Canyon in between Perception
Park Campground and South Fork Campground on Utah State Route 39 and continue
down past Pineview Reservoir and eventually to the finish line in Eden near
Snowcrest Jr. High school.
“With this (racing) series, it’s a good way to come out,”
said Wojciechowski. “When there’s 500 other people coming out, it just makes
those long runs or those training days more bearable because you’re just out
there with your peers.”
Registration is open online through 7 p.m. on Friday, April
4 and costs $55. Due to the high number of runners there will be no same day
registration available.
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