Sugar Daddy Race 5k (20:51)

I was intrigued by the Sugar Daddy Race 5k. I thought, what on earth is this name?

But it was hilarious and centered around Father’s Day. I also had reservations about the Sugar Daddy Race because it is not cheap. It costs $80 (yes, really) on race day to sign up for the 5k. With that price, I figured it was along main roads, or they will closing down Los Angeles to run this race. They don’t; in fact, the Sugar Daddy Races all take place on the Santa Clarita bike path, which is an open bike path for anyone. That wasn’t the only thing that made me question the Sugar Daddy Race price, and the race shirts (which were cool) were all children’s sizes. I got an extra-large which was fine enough. They ran out of bibs, so if you wanted to sign up for race day, most people didn’t even get a bib. For $80 for a 5k, I expect none of these things to happen and for the race to be a cool, wide, scenic path. Moving on…

Before the Sugar Daddy Race 5k:

Santa Clarita is roughly 75 minutes from our house, and we left around 4:30. The Sugar Daddy Races started early to beat the heat, but Santa Clarita is about 10-20 degrees cooler than the Mojave Desert, so everything beats the heat for us. I picked up my bib and tried to use the bathroom, but they had four porta potties for the entire race. I then decided just to go warm up along the bike path. I’ve run on the Santa Clarita Bike Path, and it’s not flat, but I do enjoy running there. I didn’t feel great, but I was happy to finally be back racing (my last race was only two weeks ago, but it feels like a while). While running around, I passed the Sugar Daddy Race half marathon and 10k race starts. I could see how the bike path could get crowded. I saw some runners unable to pass and bikers getting lost in the congestion.

Sugar Daddy Race 5k Actual Race:

The Sugar Daddy Race 5k started right at 7:00 am. I’m all for prompt starts, and they did just that. In the first mile, I found myself running next to another female. I didn’t realize it until later, but we went slightly uphill. I was able to keep up with her as we went uphill but she surged and left me going down. I felt challenged as one does in a 5k. I hit the first mile in 6:36, and honestly, it felt like I was going “so much faster.” I really thought it would be a 6:15 mile.

Mile 2 of the Sugar Daddy Race 5k was challenging, and we continued along the gradual uphill. There were a few short downhills and back-uphill sections as we went under the roads. My watch said I was going 7:15, and honestly, I believed that too. I felt so tired. When we got to the turnaround and went back to the start, I realized we had been going uphill the entire time. No wonder it felt “so hard.” By the time we hit the halfway point, the woman who dropped me remained about 10 seconds ahead for the rest of the race. I hit mile 2 of the Sugar Daddy Race 5k in 6:50, and I was happy to still be under 7 minutes. While I didn’t have a goal, I was also hoping to at least run sub-7-minute miles for all of the races. So I guess I did have one.

The final mile of the Sugar Daddy Race 5k hurt. I just wanted to be done, and I was running alone. The last mile of any 5k never feels “great.” We had a gradual downhill, and I kept counting down. 4 minutes to go. 3 minutes to go. As I continued, I thought I could be under 21 minutes, so I tried to push it as much as possible.

I crossed the Sugar Daddy Race 5k finish in 20:51. I was happy to finish faster than my last 5k. I haven’t done speedwork lately (just races) so I’ll take any improvement.

Sugar Daddy Race 5k Thoughts:

While 20:51 is two and a half miles off my PR, I’m happy to be a few minutes faster than the Carlsbad 5000 with no speed work. (I meant to start speed work, but life happened, and I’m happy I still consistently ran). I’m looking forward to the next. Do I think the Sugar Daddy Race 5k is worth $80? No, and I am struggling to see where the money went because there was no need for police or to close down the road. The “swag” was a tank top (children’s sizes) and medal, so it wasn’t towards that either.

You can see Strava here