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A Beautiful Day to Run a 5K at Shangri La Ranch

On October 16 2021 Shangri La Ranch held its annual Bare Buns Desert 5K Run and the weather couldn’t have been more perfect.  It was cold enough as people gathered for the 8:00am start that some couples were entwined to stay warm, but once the race started the temperature seemed to warm quickly to a comfortable mid-60s.

Flooding in late July took out 3200 feet of last year’s course so this year 81 racers had to circle the shortened course 3 times to run the full 5K distance instead of the usual 2.  Part of the course ran straight down the flood-scoured wash that went through the middle of the property, which added to the difficulty as the runners had to contend with stretches of deep sand and piled boulders.  But since the course was run in the reverse direction of previous years, this section of the course was the first section the runners faced, after which they emerged onto the easy-running paved roads of the ranch.  In compensation for this grueling section, the water-stop where runners emerged from the wash gave out tequila shots as well as water.

The course circled the roads on the south side of the ranch before entering the Nature Preserve.  After roller-coasting over the hills of the Preserve on the west side of the ranch, it was all downhill to the finish line.  But since the course had to be run three times, Cyndie directed the runners down a parallel street so as not to confuse the timing mechanisms.  All the runners were given a timing chip to wear around their ankles, and on the third circuit the runners were directed down the finish chute to where 4 Peaks Racing recorded everyone’s race time.  After the race, the runners were directed to return their racing chips into a bucket of disinfectant as part of the Covid protocols.

Joshua B. was the fastest male with a time of 23:30.4.  Matthew G. came in second with 24:11.8 and Tim Z. came in third with 24:39.5.  Jenny H. was the fastest female with a time of 30:08.3, far outdistancing second place female finisher Christine G. at 36:15.9.  Ligen F. came in third with 38:40.5.  All the winners got a tote bag with various swag.  Congratulations to all who ran and a big thank you to all the volunteers who helped at registration, directed traffic, and manned the water and tequila stops.