Fun and community combine at the Ben Layton 5K

Posted on by Vanessa Junkin (She Runs by the Seashore)
ESRC team members pose for a photo by a green arch at the Ben Layton 5K.
ESRC had the largest team!

I haven’t been running quite as much as I usually do this year, so I wasn’t sure what time I’d be able to run going into the Ben Layton 5K on May 31. I hoped to be able to come in under 30 minutes, but I figured more likely was maybe under 32 minutes.

So, I was happy to be able to finish the race with a time of 30:54, which ended up being really close to the time predicted by Strava (Garmin is always a little too hopeful for me). I hadn’t run a 5K for speed since September, when I ran 28:37 at the Run, White & Blue 5K.

The race benefits the Ben’s Red Swings playground and the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. It’s held at the Salisbury City Park, starting out with a run through the Salisbury Zoo and onto the City Park greenway, which has a crushed stone path.

Selfie of Vanessa Junkin, a female runner, holding an iced coffee in front of a sign that says "We love Ben's Red Swings."
I got a post-race selfie.

I started out with my fastest mile of the day, 9:39. I knew that would be pretty close to what I’d need for a sub-30:00 5K, but I was skeptical as to whether I’d be able to keep up that pace. My next two miles were very close to each other in pace — 10:12 and 10:15. During the second mile, I took a short stop at the aid station, where I got a little Gatorade.

It was cooler than expected for May 31, but I ended up walking two other times in addition to the aid station. At the end, I picked up the pace again, and I ran slightly past the finish line to make sure my watch said 3.11. I logged a 9:56 pace for the last 0.11.

The Eastern Shore Running Club had a great showing and was recognized as a sponsor for having at least 10 people join our team. We also received a gift card to Island Creamery for bringing the largest team to the event.

I didn’t win any age group awards, but overall and age group winners received pies from The Ugly Pie, a great prize! There were also tons and tons of door prize giveaways, but I didn’t win any of those, either. I did enjoy some iced coffee from Rise Up Coffee and some snacks after finishing the race.

For the last several years, this race has given away custom socks as the premium, which I like, because I have plenty of shirts.

Female runner running just past green inflatable arch, set up in a parking lot.
In this race photo, I’ve just crossed the finish line.

It’s nice to have a recent 5K baseline, and I look forward to seeing if I can improve upon that this year and hopefully get back under 30:00. I ran another 5K today, and it was hotter and a little slower, but it will be fun to see what I can do in the late summer or fall.

Splits

Mile 1: 9:39
Mile 2: 10:12
Mile 3: 10:15
Last part (ran till I got .11): 1:04 (9:56 pace)
Final on results: 30:54 (9:58/mile pace); final on watch: 31:11 (10:02/mile pace)