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| I think I am on the right in light blue. |
Placement: 2nd in age group
Results: Here
Race Website: Here
Weather: Mid 40's at the start, low 60's at finish
Garmin Dump: Here
Previous Years: [2021] [2019] [2018] [2017] [2016]
| Mile | Time | Comments |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 9:42 | Uphill to start. Hard getting the engine started |
| 2 | 9:02 | Felt like this should've been faster |
| 3 | 8:41 | Finally the fun part -- glorious downhills |
| 4 | 8:16 | Cruising along |
| 5 | 8:10 | 350+ feet per mile of descent == awesome splits |
| 6 | 8:32 | |
| 7 | 9:06 | A reality check here as I hit a little bit of an uphill |
| 8 | 8:14 | Dropping again |
| 9 | 8:34 | |
| 10 | 8:19 | Seeing more sunlight and it is getting warmer. Last of the fast miles |
| 11 | 9:22 | Some rolling hills -- quite steep in spots |
| 12 | 9:15 | Picking it up on the flats and down hills. |
| 13 | 9:44 | Please finish line come on! |
| 13.06 | 0:32 | |
| Total Miles: 13:06 1:55:38 | ||
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| All Smiles in the early miles |
Introduction
Once again it was time to visit one of my favorite places on planet Earth: Lamoille Canyon. If you browse around on this site, you'll see I've run this race a number of times and hiked here. I've had a ton of good times in Elko and running this race is always a special treat for me.
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| Heading out to the race at 4 AM |
The Lamoille Canyon Half Marathon is what I'd like to describe as a "boutique race." It is kept small -- about a 100 runners for the 5K and half marathon (each). The feeling is that you are doing a long run with friends rather than eyeballing your neighbor to see if they are in your age group. Don't kid yourself, though, it is a race and people are shooting for a fast time, but the atmosphere is a bit more low key.
The race is held at the end of a paved road -- the service drive -- to the top of Lamoille Canyon -- about 13 miles from the main road. It also starts at a thin-aired 8500 feet. The course promises a fast time though, with nearly 3000 feet of elevation drop over the course of 11 miles or so. If you are looking to set a PR, this race might be right up your alley if you don't mind running downhill.
The Race
I had arrived in Elko on Friday afternoon. I had toyed with the idea of driving down to packet pickup (about a 25 minute drive each way) but after the 3.25 hour drive, I was simply tired of driving. You did have the option of picking it up on race morning and given the size of the race, I figured it'd be no problem to get it the morning of.
I grabbed a fairly light dinner and turned in early. I had problems sleeping, although I shocked myself by getting about 3 to 4 hours (at best). My room's air conditioner really couldn't keep up with the warmth and stuffiness and I wound up sleeping above the covers with a cold rag on the back of my neck.
With a bus loading time of 4:30 AM, I was up at 3:30 AM and I shoved as much food as I could down. I was out the door by 4 AM and at the bus loading by 4:30 AM. Packet pickup was a snap and I was on the bus by 4:45 AM and on my way to the top by 5 AM.
I wound up making small talk with a fireman who I sat beside. I always seem to make friends at this race -- the Elko bunch are usually a friendly bunch.
The drive took a while but we made it and I had about 30 minutes to use the porta pottie and get settled in. The top of the canyon is usually cold and I had brought a lot of winter-ish gear, but it wasn't terrible and the time flew by.
With about 10 minutes to spare, I walked down the canyon about a third of a mile to the starting line. We were given brief instructions by the race director (the course is very simple) and told to keep to the left to avoid traffic. I was able to dump my gear into an awaiting vehicle and I was ready to run: choosing thin gloves, short shorts, Saucony Endorphin Pro 3's and a technical t-shirt.
I didn't have any hard goals on this race. I was shooting for 2 hours though. Given the downhill nature of the course, I felt that was an attainable goal. My training hasn't been that great for a half marathon race, so I was a little worried about my endurance.
The race starts off going back to the drop off zone. It is a horrible experience. I wasn't entirely warmed up and almost immediately it feels like you are breathing through a straw. The air is just so thin. I told myself to be patient as I started to breath rapidly. The first half mile or so is just a grind and I was jealous of all the runners who were ahead of me who seemed to be impervious to the elevation.
Once I started downhill though, even though it was slight, my breathing recovered and I began to overtake some of the runners who had gone out a little too fast.
I think I was too conservative going out though and I knew mile 1 was going to be slow, mile 2 wasn't much of an improvement. I just didn't have a lot of confidence in what I could do.
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| We have to run back to the top of the service drive |
Miles 3 through 6
The course suddenly got more "fun". This is where the efforts came easily. I settled into a nice rhythm and I began to soak up the beauty. I was cruising at below 10K pace without a care in the world. To my left, a stream could be heard babbling and to my right (and left) impressive walls of rock. Also, despite it being 6 AM there was plenty of light to see, but I wasn't baking in direct sunlight. There seemed to be a nice breeze at my back too. Perfect!
I was still picking people off. I was keeping myself motivated by finding someone ahead of me and trying to reel them in. With a race this small, I wasn't really running with anyone for very long and it gave me a drive to run a little faster.
I hadn't seen anyone in my age and honestly I didn't care. I was running strong and I was questioning whether I was going too fast, as I hit paces that have cost me in the past.
I wound up consuming a Roctane GU, which definitely perked up my pace.
Miles 7 though 10
Mile 7 was a bit of a hiccup. I knew it was coming and mentally I was ready for it. Here, the race levels out and there is a bit of a hill you have to climb. Your quads have been pounded by the preceding miles so making yourself push, when everything hurts is definitely a challenge.
At this point I was working on keeping up with a woman runner. She was holding a solid pace and a good hundred or two yards in front of me. There was another runner (or two) even further ahead but she kept me in the game. Over the course of these miles I picked up my pace every so slightly and started gaining ground on her.
As I sped down the S-curves of the canyon, I noticed that soon we'd be running in broad daylight. We'd lose any sort of shade, which I was really enjoying. I also knew the final 5 kilometers where most people's dreams of a great race are dashed.
If only the race continued to drop a few hundred feet over the final 5K.
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| Final stretch |
Mile 10 through 13
I was on the woman's tail by the time we hit the sunlight. I was honestly kind of surprised I had caught up to her. At about the final downhill, I overtook her and figured it was time to start working on the next competitor.
I was still running, what I felt was strong, and was trying to summon my inner speed -- recalling the great final 5K I had had at the Sun Half Marathon in January.
It was getting warmer and the uphill sections came more often. The woman I was "competing" against, kept overtaking me on the uphill portions. Once we had ascended, I would resume more normal pace as we either took on the flat sections or got another small downhill.
This back and forth lasted until mile 12. It was fun while it lasted, but I felt like my pace dropped off a cliff. She obviously had another gear and she put me in the rear view mirror. It was good spirited and after the race we congratulated one another on our efforts.
The final mile was a doozy. There just wasn't much left. I felt like my once smooth, easy going glide was now a desperation shamble. I was overtaken by a few other runners in this final desperate time. There is a bit of a drop as we headed into Lamoille Grove -- the village's park -- but I couldn't take advantage of it. Glancing over my shoulder, I didn't see anyone I was too concerned about passing me.
I knew there'd be photographers at the finish and I put on a brave face as I ran on the grassy lane that was lined with American flags to the finish. There was a lot of crowd support here, with families cheering people on. For a small(ish) race, this almost felt like crossing a finish line of a much larger event.
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| Finish line Chute |
Conclusion
So, from about mile 8 or so, I knew I had a good shot at finishing under 2 hours. I had banked so much time on the faster sections. While my times were definitely slower on the final 5K, I was still in solid contention to finish under 2 hours. I was really pleased with a 1:55:40. However, there is no way, I could've gotten anywhere near this on a flat course. I suspect the race does give you about a 5 to 10 minute boost.
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| All smiles at the finish line |
Post race refreshments were chips, Gnarly sports drink, water, and chocolate milk. I think there were bananas as well. Typical fare for a race.
I loved the finish line vibe. The park was decorated with American flags, there was an announcer shouting finisher's names. The 5K runners were getting awards and people were just friendly and willing to recount their race. It was also a picturesque day: sunny, warm and just enough of a breeze. I didn't mind too much that it took a while to dole out the awards.
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| Shirt + finishers medal + age group award |
The new starting time (6 AM) also gave me plenty of time. Normally I have to rush back to the hotel to get cleaned up and out of the room. This time, I had another hour to loaf around and mingle.
Initially, I had thought I had won my age division (55 to 59). I had fears they were 10 year brackets. I do think my name was called out in first, but looking at the results, one of the top finishers was definitely in my age group. So I am claiming 2nd. The age group award was a simple ribbon.
Overall, I was very happy with my experience. The course was easy to follow, there were several aid stations (I think 4 but I could've used another). The volunteers at the aid stations offered encouragement and had hydration ready to go. The bus ride to the top was nice too -- coach buses are always nicer than the yellow school buses.
The finisher's medal was pretty basic and the cotton t-shirt was a bit ho-hum. I still wear their grey technical one all the time that I got years ago. I wish they'd go back to that style of shirt.
Overall, though, I was had a wonderful experience. This course is so incredible and I hate to spoil the secret that this canyon is indeed Nevada's Swiss Alps. Definitely put this race on your list if you want a fast time and don't mind smashing your quads to get it.
Upcoming Races
07/04: 2025 Sandy City 4th of July 5K - Sandy, UT (Maybe)
07/12: 2025 Farmington Days 5K / 10K - Farmington, UT (Maybe)
07/19: 2025 Mantua 5 Mile Race - Mantua, UT (Maybe)
07/26: 2025 Handcart Days Races 5K - Bountiful, UT (Confirmed)
03/26: 2026 Mount Charleston Half Marathon - Las Vegas, NV (Confirmed)
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