Trail Running Blog

UCSD Triton 5K Race Report

Hopefully this race report is even more ‘brief’ than the last one. It should be too, it was only a 5K; not even a week after last week’s half marathon! Because the race was so short, the slightest difference in results made a huge difference in pace. The results I got from my phone were 2.93 miles, 19:47 (6:46 min/mile). But since the official results assumed you ran the full 3.1 miles, it was saying my pace was 6:23 min/mile, which again is a big difference. The course did feel pretty short, but almost .2 miles? Maybe. Placing wasn’t bad, 61/1852. I have to admit though, running with a bunch of college kids (almost 10 years older) was tough, they were crushing it! And they were running a week before finals week too, better than procrastinating, I suppose. 

I’ve wanted to run this race since I’ve been an undergraduate at UCSD. But the race was always on a Friday and I either had class or work during that time. I remember walking through campus during the race one year and just watching other runners go by, which made me want to run it even more. This was the first year they moved it to a Saturday, so I finally got the chance to run this race (6 years after graduating!) The good thing about this race was since it was on campus, I was able to more or less memorize the course.

Most races are for a good cause, this one was no different with student scholarships. “Thank you for making the 2013 Triton 5K a huge success. Together, we have broken every record – from student and alumni participation to funds raised for our students. The Triton 5K is much more than just a race through campus. It’s knowing that outstanding students are attending UC San Diego because of you.”