Arts Festival 5K is a blast for runners, walkers, pets

The 14th annual Art Attack 5K race, presented in association with the Utah Arts Festival, took on all comers last weekend. The competitors ranged from Olympic-caliber athletes to recreational joggers and walkers just looking to break a sweat.

Ages of the competitors ranged from 7 to 98. The three-mile course followed a flat and fast track to Liberty Park, then looped back to the Main Library for the finish. Experienced runners liked the layout, and some observed that it was refreshing to race on level ground for a change. Many 5K courses in Utah go through some pretty hilly terrain.

Overall winner Neal Gassmann finished with a time of 15:56.36, nearly one full minute ahead of the pack. The 40-year-old Illinois man is a serious runner and says he thrives on the competition.

"That's the fun part of coming out ... (just) to see how you can do against your competitors. That's probably the biggest reason I run," said the two-time winner of this event.

Gassmann's season is just getting started. He plans to hit 5K races at Murray and Draper in the coming weeks. Finishing just behind Gassmann was 35-year-old Chad Derum, and third place went to Jake Heaton.

The top woman was Luzana Tomas of Salt Lake City. She finished in sixth place overall with a time of 18:02.62. After taking second place in the women's division at the Salt Lake City Marathon, the Slovakian native said the Art Attack was a nice tune-up for bigger events down the road.

A graduate student at the University of Utah, Tomas is preparing to compete in the upcoming Chicago Marathon. She moved to Salt Lake City to follow a dream.

"I've been an athlete my whole life and the Olympics is a big thing. It was amazing to come here that year (2002 Winter Games) and knowing how much I would like to compete in it," said the 30-year-old aspiring Olympian.

Tomas works out with Abby Larson, who was a member of the 2006 U.S. Olympic cross country ski team. Larson, by the way, finished seventh right behind Tomas in the 5K race.

In addition to the human competitors, there were also plenty of four-legged racers. Dozens of canine runners and their owners participated in the race but none were more pleased than a pooch named Chippers. The dog was recently adopted from a pet shelter and got to run his first 5K.

"He did really good," said his new owner, 13-year-old Cody Black. "I was pretty scared that he might be lagging behind, but he kept up with the pace."