Bob Delaney At Large: Hitting the Pavement with Biz Dash 2023

27 May 2023

Hitting the Pavement with Biz Dash 2023

I got off work early on Thursday (25 May) to head to downtown St. Louis. The 8th annual Biz Dash 5K run was taking place and I was among the runners taking part.

After finding a parking spot at Schlafly Tap Room, I walked to the Lou Fusz Plaza just east of CITYPARK to meet my St. Louis Sports Officials teammates. This group was put together by my friend and colleague George Gansner and was made up of soccer referees. At least seven of us took part in this event.

The Biz Dash 5K is an annual 5-kilometer (3.1-mile) run through downtown St. Louis organized by the St. Louis Sports Commission. Nicknamed "St. Louis' Healthiest Happy House," this event encourages promotes workplace health and wellness. Organizations form teams from their employees to run in this event. The 2023 Biz Dash had over 7000 participations and 224 companies. World Wide Technology was the presending sponsor, and I was so happy that my employer, Enterprise, is one of the other major sponsors of this event.

After changing from my work clothes to my running outfit--which included a referee jersey--I got my run number, which I pinned to the front of my shorts. Our group chatted and enjoyed complementary Michelob Ultra before we made our way to the start line on Market Street in front of St. Louis Union Station.

The run began at 7:00 pm and I ran as fast as I could to start off. I had not been able to train as much as I would have liked, and I haven't run in a 5K event in several years. As a result, I soon slowed down to a jog and ended up walking about half of the way. I would pick up the pace with a run now and then.

Our run took us east towards Ballpark Village, south past Busch Stadium towards Soulard, then north past Busch Stadium and Ballpark Village, and west on Chestnut back to CITYPARK. When I saw the finish line in the distance, I began to run as fast as I could, intending to put in a finishing kick. I crossed the finish line with a time of 35 minutes 55 seconds, which works out to a 11:33 per mile pace. This was better than I expected; I would have been happy if I finished in 45 to 50 minutes.

After getting water and half a banana just past the finish line, I walked back to the St. Louis Sports Officials assembly area in Lou Fusz Plaza. My fellow referees gathered there to congratulate each other on finishing. While having a fast time was desirable, the most important part of this event was to finish and to have fun doing so.

The big winner of Biz Dash was the St. Louis Sports Foundation, which will receive the proceeds from the event. This Foundation--affiliated with the St. Louis Sports Commission--promotes sportsmanship in the community.

We had some more Michelob Ultra and got a free dinner from one of the food vendors on site: an Italian sub sandwich from Anthonino's Taverna. After eating, we chatted for a bit more before leaving the area. It was a great time with some colleagues off the pitch and I was very happy to have done this. I look forward to doing this again next year.