2025 Sun Half Marathon Race Recap - Santa Clara, UT

Heading to the start line

Official Time: 1:55:38
Placement: 2nd in the 55-59 age division, 49th out of 176 runners
Results:  Here
Race Website: Here
Weather: Upper 20's, slight headwind into the latter half of the race.
Garmin Dump: Here
Previous Years:  [2024] [2020]

Mile	Time	Comments
1	8:47	Decent start. Just easing into the race.
2	9:01	Brief pee break here.  Probably cost me 20 seconds
3	8:38	Back at it.  Slight downhill
4	8:43
5	8:48
6	9:16	First real hill.  Had to slow up a bit
7	8:28	Return of the hill.  Get a nice downhill
8	9:16	A bit of a climb here -- a short but steep hill.
9	8:39	Getting into a groove
10	8:23	Let's close this race out.
11	9:27	Long 1 mile hill here.  I was still pushing but my pace wasn't that great.
12	8:35	Course leveled out now.  Running into some 5K / 10K runners
13	8:11	Super fast final mile.  Gave it a full-send
13.18	1:23
Total Miles: 13.18 1:55:30

Introduction

Last year, I ran the Sun Half Marathon in a time of 1:53.  It was my race of the year for me and I was hoping it would lead to a record setting year.

Unfortunately, it was sort of the beginning of the end for the year and I never really rebounded.

Around December of 2024 I decided I was going to run one of the 2 January Half Marathons that I had done last year.  I'd train hard for a half marathon and bank the appropriate training for it and then jump into one of the two -- dependant upon weather and whether I was injury free.

In late December, I got a coupon for the Sun Half Marathon and ultimately decided I'd roll with the fates.  I'd get down there one way or another and do the race.

The race is held near St George Utah -- the last town on I-15 before you hit Arizona.  It is a red rock community and features some breathtaking scenery. It is also known for some world-class racing.  And, it offers a bit warmer temperatures than what northern Utah has to offer.

The Race

I arrived in St George and made it to the St George Running Center just shy of 4 PM on Friday to get my bib. I was one of the first to arrive. Packet pickup was a snap and in short order I was set up for the race.

warmup on Friday

I took a quick drive over to the finish line of the Virgin River Half marathon, which was held just a week ago, and wound up doing an easy 3-mile shuffle around the area, getting loosened up and taking a few photos.

Sleeping didn't come easily for me -- I think I had had too much for dinner and I tossed and turned until my 5:15 AM alarm went off.  I ate enough food and packed my gear and was at Gubler Park by 6:35 AM for the 7 AM bus.

The race was smaller than last year -- there was the Virgin River Half from a week ago and another half marathon just east of this one.  Parking wasn't an issue.

I had about an hour wait at the top of the canyon near Gunlock Reservoir.  Fortunately, our cheery bus driver let us stay on board the warm bus.  It wasn't the worst up there but a warm bus definitely held and there were plenty of cool people to chat with.

30 minutes before the race, we had to exit the bus and it gave me an opportunity to cycle through the restroom and figure out what I was wearing.  With absolutely no wind and crisp temperatures I opted with shorts, a short-sleeved t-shirt, arm warmers and the Saucony Endorphin Pro-2 race shoes.  There wasn't a lot of sun but this wound up being a winning combination once again for me.

The race started promptly at 8:30.

The race format is point to point, from the about 3500 feet of elevation to just over 2500.  The drop wasn't terribly steep so your quads never get totally battered.  Also, the course does feature about 350 feet of incline, so it isn't a 100% screamer.  In my opinion it favors the patient.

I eased into the race -- hanging out in front of the 2-hour pacer.  My goal was to finish around 1:55 -- preferably under that.  I had run 1:53 last year and I didn't think I was in that good of shape this year, but that was the goal.

The first mile went off like clockwork, coming in at 8:45.  Despite having gone to the bathroom 15 minutes prior to the race, I suddenly kind of had to go.  I was looking for a place to jump behind a tree or bush but as we sped down the canyon, I didn't see anything that was too feasbile.  If the next aid station had an open bathroom I'd jump into it.

Sure enough, just around mile 2, the first aid station came into view and I jumped in. It wound up costing me about 30 seconds, but it helped my mentally -- I could focus on running.  Despite the time delay, I wound up running a little over 9 minutes.  Still a sub 2-hour pace.

I was breaking down the race mentally.  The first 3 miles are so pretty. There were hidden cows hiding in the brush and you can see the day getting started by what little sunlight was coming through the cloud cover.  I was working with a few other runners and trying to keep ahead of the 2-hour pacer, who clearly wasn't running a 2-hour pace.

Around the 5K marker, we hung a left and started down the next leg of the canyon.  This part was also open to traffic, most of whom were very respectful that we were running race.

I was still feeling strong and running a decent pace.  The downhills were helping and I wasn't bombing it.  I knew there were some uphills coming, so I was banking some energy for that.

Final downhill

At this point I found myself working with another runner.  We both had about the same pace in mind and he'd overtake me on any uphill and I'd wind up slowing down.  It then became my goal to catch up to him, which I would.  Clearly uphill running isn't one of my strengths.  I did chat with him after the race and he was working with me too.

I also inhaled a cola flavored Gu.  I usually don't take gels so early in the race but I felt my stomach a little on the light side and the caffiene and sugar perked me up a little.

I hadn't seen anyone in my age group and to be honest, I wasn't too worried about it.  Whatever would happen, would happen.  I was there for myself but I was also shooting for an extra medal.  

Somewhere on mile 6 we came to the first of 3 hills in the race that are worth mentioning.  It is a doozy and I shambled up it.  I knew it was going to slow me up and I didn't want to burn up it -- especially so early in the race.  I was passed by a ton of people who definitely were better than I am at hills.  My competitor sped ahead and part of me sort of gave up.  I knew the hill would end but would I have the mental fortitude to pick it back up.

The short answer was yes.  Once I eclipsed the hill, I was greeted with a sweet downhill.  My pace quickened and I managed to get back on target.

We were pretty much done with the canyon and now were on a bike trail that led back into Santa Clara.  I'll be honest, the visuals weren't very stimulating here, although the beautiful red rocks of Snow Canyon were to my left but whizzing cars were to my right.  

Another long hill reared its head and my pace dropped off. My competitor zoomed by me and two young women I was working with sped by me too.  My goal was to ease up the hill and get back into a rhythym once I got to the top.

Once the hill ended I knew I had less than a 10K to go.  I was still feeling remarkably strong and I had had the same experience last year.  Despite a sudden bit of headwind, I got back into half marathon pace and began to pick off a straggler or two.  The two women I was working with were coming into view and my competitor I caught up with and then stepped on the gas.  I never saw him again until after the race.

I knew there was one more hill and it was the worst of the bunch.  It is a long one -- a slow grind for about a mile.  The further along you got along on it, the worse it got.

Finally we made the turn off the bike trail and I was greeted with the hill.  I had worked my way up to the two women and I slowed down to grab a watermelon Gu.  We gave each other cheers (I think they liked my cool ChicknLegs Ducky shorts). I gave a full send up the hill -- I knew the race was hanging on how well I did this hill.  I also knew the final 2 miles were fast.

I honestly felt like I was running around 8:30 or 8:45 pace, but I was clearly in the 9's.  It was just a tough effort but I didn't give up.  I had visions of catching a bright orange vested guy a quarter mile ahead of me, but I never quite could reel him in.

Finally I summitted the hill.  The first of the 10K runners were coming at me at this point and I got some shouts of encouragement. An occasional full marathoner would blow by me though (they had a 90 minute head start).

I was in my element. I was working hard and giving everything I had. My breathing was in gasps but I was running a solid 8:30 mile.  It was also encouraging to get the 10K runners cheers.

The final aid station and final turn came into view.  I remembered last year bombing this mile.  With one mile left to go and it being mostly downhill, I turned on the jets.  No one was behind me and the orange tank guy was long gone.  But I was still running hard.  

The 5K runners were also coming up the hill and I saw friends and got even more shouts.  

I have no idea what my pace was and for most of the race, I didn't really look at my watch, other to determine when the next mile was coming up and the pace of my last mile.  I just wanted to be dialed in to running and not fretting about everything.

I wound up running an 8:15 final mile. Once again, outdoing myself. Normally, I have absolutely nothing left that final mile, but today -- I had a lot.

The mile markers were mostly defined by the marathoners and being it was a Boston course, I knew they were probably accurate.  I was coming in about .10 of a mile off on my watch.  I know last year the course had come in at 13.13.

I wound up running 13.18 -- which may have come up long because I let my watch run while I was taking a potty break.  I did see a few others on Strava coming in around that distance as well.  

But on the plus side, I hit a 1:55:30 on my Garmin.  Mission accomplished!

All smiles

Conclusion

So first off, I was really happy with my time.  I had put in a LOT of work in preparing to run a decent half marathon.  While I didn't max out on the miles, I did make a few tweaks to my training regime:

1) I did more efforts at just below half marathon effort and just above 10K effort for longer periods of time.

2) I did more sessions of 5K efforts at half marathon effort

3) I did several tempo efforts.

4) I did boost up my mile mileage but didn't kill myself with long runs

5) I obstained from racing to focus and get quality sessions in.

This was the first half marathon trainig cycle that I really dedicated to half marathon racing and it paid off.

I did manage to get 2nd in my age group, so I came home with 2 cool medals.  The t-shirt was a nice design and I've worn it a few times already for easy runs.  I prefer the polyester material over the blend, though.

The race was chilly at the end and I managed to have a lot of warm clothes.  It was social hour and I think a lot of people had good races, so it was fun to chat with everyone.  Post race refreshments included oranges, granola bar, Fat Boy ice cream sandwiches string cheese, and sports drink.  

The course organization was flawless.  There were plenty of well stocked aid stations, and the course marshalls were great.  In addition to marshalls at major intersections, there was chalk and cones, so it was hard to get lost.

The race was on the pricey side but the coupon definitely helped.  All things considered, though, it was money well spent:  A beautiful course, well staffed, profressionally timed, cushie bus transport.  You'd be hardpressed to find a better deal.

I also have to thank "my competitor" for keeping me pushing throughout the race and the two wonderful women (who incidentally took my finish line photo) for giving me shouts of encouragement.

What can I say? I had a fabulous time.  From start to finish, it was an easy race to partake in.  The scenery was wonderful and peaceful and I ran well.  Running in January in St George is always the best and this was a great way to start the 2025 season.

Cool photo from my warm-up

Upcoming Races

02/15: 2025 South Davis Recreation Center Sweethearts 5K  -- Bountiful, UT(Confirmed)
02/23: 2025 Las Vegas Half Marathon - Las Vegas, NV (Confirmed)
03/01: 2025 March Madness 10K - Woods Cross, UT (Confirmed)
03/15  2025 Lucky 13 10K - West Jordan, UT (Confirmed)
04/26: 2025 Salt Lake City Half Marathon - Salt Lake City, UT (Confirmed)