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.

Later.

Websites of Entities Mentioned in This Post:

Biz Dash 5K: Home - Biz Dash 5K (stlbizdash.com)

CITYPARK: CITYPARK | St. Louis CITY SC (stlcitysc.com)

St. Louis Sports Commission: Home - St. Louis Sports Commission (stlsports.org)

St. Louis Sports Foundation: Home - St. Louis Sports Foundation (sportsmanship.org)

World Wide Technology: WWT

Enterprise: Car Rental with Great Rates & Service | Enterprise Rent-A-Car

Michelob Ultra: Superior Light Beer | It's Only Worth It If You Enjoy It | Michelob ULTRA

Anthonino's Taverna: Anthonino's Taverna | Italian & Greek Dining on The HIll (anthoninos.com)

Taste of Maplewood with Julie; CITY Beats Sporting KC

Yesterday morning (20 May), I drove to Julie's house in Florissant to pick her up. We then went to downtown Maplewood for the annual Taste of Maplewood street festival. I parked the car on a side street near Mystic Valley, a metaphysical gift shop. Julie wanted to shop there for a friend.

After checking out of Mystic Valley, we walked to the parking lot of Schnucks on Manchester Road, where several vendors had set up booths. She bought cookies from one vendor (she shared them with me), and items from two other vendors. After that, Julie and I walked to Sutton Street, where the Taste of Maplewood booths were set up. 

We walked among several food and information booths, before settling on Boogaloo, a Caribbean/Creole restaurant. Julie had jerk chicken and I had jambalaya. We found a table nearby to enjoy our lunch while listening to a cover band perform on a nearby stage. Our lunch was quite satisfying.

After lunch, Julie and I walked down Sutton to MAUHAUS Cat Cafe and Lounge. We sat in the lounge for about 20 or so minutes while we and a few other customers enjoyed the company of several cats. It was a different experience for Julie and I, yet we found it quite satisfying. We then had cake and beverages before leaving.

Julie and I admired some young dancers performing on a stage before we walked to the car. I then drove Julie home and we kissed each other goodbye.

I drove to Rally House in Richmond Heights to shop. After looking over some St. Louis CITY SC gear, I bought a City of St. Louis flag. This would be something I could fly at home or wear to a CITY SC  match.

Then, it was on to a CITY SC match at CITYPARK. Not just any match, but a regional rivalry match against Sporting Kansas City. After parking on Washington Avenue, I walked to Schlafly Tap Room for the pre-match party with the St. Louligans. I hung out with them and the St. Louis City Punks, buying one of the latter's scarves. I drank Schlafly beer and got dinner--gyro and Greek Salad--from the Go! Gyro! Go! food truck parked near the Tap Room.

Before the march into CITYPARK, I volunteered to carry a flag with the St Louligans. It was a hand-painted flag for LGBTQ+ rights. Our marchers circled CITYPARK before entering the stadium and finding our places in the Supporter Section. I found a place three rows up from the field from which I waved the flag throughout the match.

Prior to the teams entering the pitch, several St. Louis soccer legends were introduced to the crowd. That was exciting to see. The capacity crowd was in fever pitch when the teams came out.

CITY SC kicked off to the north, facing the Supporter Section. They scored twice in the opening half--an Eduard Lowen penalty kick in the 19th minute, and an Indiana Vassilev strike in the 25th minute. 

The home side kept up the pressure in the second half, scoring two more goals: Niko Gioacchini in the 55th minute and Vassilev in the 75th minute. Roman Burki made six saves to earn the clean sheet as CITY SC ran out 4-0 winners. 

We in the supporter section stayed around until the CITY SC players and staff came towards our section to acknowledge our support. After helping clean up the section by removing beer and soda cans, I left CITYPARK to walk to my car and drive home. It was around midnight when I pulled into my house. Yes, I was tired, but happy for this day.

Later.

Websites of Entities Mentioned in This Post:

Taste of Maplewood: Taste of Maplewood Street Festival - Mid County Chamber of Commerce

Mystic Valley: Mystic Valley - Mystic Valley (mysticvalleystl.com)

Boogaloo: Home, Maplewood, MO | Boogaloo (boogaloostlouis.com)

MAHHAUS Cat Cafe and Lounge: MAUHAUS Cat Cafe & Lounge (mauhauscafe.com)

Rally House: Rally House | Officially Licensed College, NFL, MLB, NHL, NBA, and MLS apparel and gifts

Schlafly Tap Room: Tap Room Brewpub - Schlafly Beer

St. Louligans: Saint Louligans – Supporting Soccer in the St. Louis Area – St. Louligans – Supporting St. Louis Soccer (stlouligans.com)

St. Louis City Punks: SLCP Home (slcitypunks.com)

St. Louis CITY SC: St. Louis CITY SC (stlcitysc.com)

CITYPARK: CITYPARK | St. Louis CITY SC (stlcitysc.com)

Go! Gyro! Go!: Go Gyro Go | Greek and Mediterranean Gourmet Cuisine (gogyrogostl.com)