2024 Snow Canyon Half Marathon Race Recap - St George, UT

At the Packet Pickup

Official Time: 1:59:27
Placement: 34th out of 56, 964 out of 2135
Results: Here
Race Website: Here
Weather: upper 30's at start, low 50's at end, breeze from the south
Course Map / Garmin Route: Here
Previous Years: [2023] [2019]

Mile	Time	Comments
1	9:02	Right where I want to be. Just warming up
2	9:01	Consistency!
3	8:37	Starting to descend into Snow Canyon.  Still right where I want to be.
4	8:23	Now the fun and the real scenery begins.  Still holding solid
5	8:16
6	8:23	Definitely feeling it -- the downhills is slowing up and I have get back to running easy
7	8:44	Pretty sure I took a pottie break here.
8	9:38	Pretty much done with the canyon at this point.
9	9:06	Feeling better than I did last year. So long as I hold sub 9:10, I am happy.
10	9:18	Some of the hills slowed me up, but still on target but definitely running on fumes
11	10:16	I was suffering here. Into a subdivision. Lots of little climbs that my legs didn't have the fitness for.
12	10:13	More of the same
13	9:51	Finally a slight downhill to the finish. Felt like I was running faster here.
13.07	0:36	Gave whatever I had left.
	Total Miles: 13.07 - 1:59:29

Pending rain at the packet pickup on Friday

Introduction

One race that always is on my fall agenda is the Snow Canyon Half Marathon in St George.  It is put on by the same folks that have the legendary marathon in October: the St George Marathon.  It is a well organized and well-attended race and offers one of the last chances of the year to get in a half marathon before the Thanksgiving holidays.  Also, you get to experience running down the service road of the fabled Snow Canyon State Park, which is the highlight of the course.

It is also a nice weekend getaway for me: I usually get to spend the successive days that I am on my long weekend hanging out in one of my happy places Mesquite, Nevada.  Over the years, I've made a lot of fond memories of attending their races.

I was a late signup for the race.  I was waiting for a good deal on the hotels, which have been outrageously expensive of late.  Finally, I got a good deal on the local hotel I like to stay at and paid the much higher than normal registration fee.  

Chilly Start and waiting for the race

The Race

I arrived at the race packet pickup on Friday night after a 4 hour drive from Salt Lake City.  They had the expo at The Black Desert Resort.  It is an up and coming golf resort that is still under construction.  There was a bit of chaos there with getting parking but overall it was easy to get my bib, checkout the wares of some of the vendors and head on out.  

I was on the 6:45 AM bus the following morning and I managed to get a fitful (at best) sleep the night before.  I was well tapered and rested, having done a fairly low-key week in terms of mileage and intensity.

At the starting line

At the starting line

The bus ride was organized well and I managed to get to the trail head, where I'd have to wait until about 9:00 AM for the race start.  Fortunately, the threatening rain from the night before never really materialized, and while it was cold I was prepared with enough warm clothing to be fairly comfortable.  The time actually went by fairly quickly and I wound up seeing people I knew and making a few acquaintances along the way.

The race started off at 9 AM on the button and off we went down the highway back into town.

Heading into Snow Canyon

I'll be honest, I haven't been super well trained at the half marathon distance since the start of the year.  I had done about 4 long runs of 10 - 13 miles since the last one I had done (Cedar City) but I didn't feel like I had done enough.  And most of my workouts had been more geared to 5K / 10K races. I had three goals for the race:

1. Don't crash and burn like last year
2. Finish in under 2 hours.
3. Try to have fun.

With that in mind, I knew I had to stay under 9:09 minute miles and given the downhill nature of the course (at least for the first 8 or so miles) I knew that was going to be a breeze.

More Snow Canyon

The first 3 - 4 miles are on the highway.  I feel sorry for the morning commuters as they are relegated to a marshalled one-lane road and not before too long, they had a long wait to before they could get going.

While the race was crowded, I was never hemmed in or couldn't run my own race.  We basically had one and a half lanes of the freeway.  We were surrounded by desert scenery and the air was comfortable and crisp.  Almost immediately I noticed I had to go to the bathroom, despite going minutes before the race's start.

I went out in my Thanksgiving themed shorts, a short-sleeved shirt and thin gloves.  I wound up pocketing the gloves within the first 5K though.  At first, I was worried about being chilled, but I quickly warmed up.  I was racing in my Saucony Endorphin Pro 2s.

The first 4 miles went by in a blink of an eye and I was nailing my paces.  I felt comfortable and I wasn't breathing hard.  I was tailing behind the 2-hour pacer.  I remembered last year blazing out and running pretty close to 5K pace -- this year my pace was way more conservative.  Would it pay off?

We finally came to the entrance of the park.  What an epic view!  The red rocks, and towering canyon walls, the rock formations.  It all came into view and what a glorious site.

The next 4 miles would be downhill.  Not as bad as some other races I've done, but I knew I'd be running somewhere around 10K pace effortlessly.  It was at this time I also passed the 2 hour pacer. I was a bit hesitant on doing that but I certainly wasn't going to use my braking muscles to slow down too much.

The first aid station is also at this point and I'll be honest, it should be a bit sooner.  I had preemptively started a Gu and was nursing it down the entire canyon.

Again, the next 4 miles passed by quickly and I managed to jump into the bathroom at the final aid station, just at the exit of the park.  It wound up costing me about 30 seconds, but the peace of mind of having an empty bladder was helpful.  I had banked enough time to cover the loss.

When I exited the bathroom, I saw the 2-hour pacer had regained his lead.  I knew he had banked some time as well, so I wasn't too nervous and I had started a good minute behind him.  This is also where the race becomes more difficult.

We soon jumped onto a bike trail and while this race is quite large and the bike trail is fairly typical (about 8 to 10 feet in width) there was still ample room to run and pass.  We were also greeted with a cheering crowd at various sections which helped a lot.

Finish line area

Knowing I was in much better shape than last year (having not blasted down the canyon) I knew I had more or less accomplished goal #1.  I was fatigued but I was still holding a solid pace, passing people and felt like I could hold the pace I had for the duration of the race.

The race turns into a sidewalk / bike trail run for a few miles and the aid stations get more frequent.  It was also growing warmer, but not to the point where I was worried about it.  I was dressed appropriately compared to some of my peers, who kept their winter apparel on.

Finally the race dumps you into a subdivision and this is where the race got real.  Gone where the mostly flat bike trails and now I had to content with a good mile or mile and a half rolling hills.  I remembered walking last year because I was so spent.  This year, I was spent but not nearly as bad.  I managed to shuffle up the hills, work on some sort of rebound and make up a bit of time.  The scenery was kind of dull here but the houses were pretty cool and definitely new and unique.  A few solitary residents threw us some cheers as I waddled by.

The final mile is a gentle downhill and I tried to give it everything I had.  The 2-hour pacer was a solid 200 meters in front of me and I began to wonder if I'd be able to crack 2 hours and accomplish goal #2.  Part of me didn't care but I still stood a chance and glancing at my watch, I figured if I just got a few solid spurts in I could get it done.

I recalled races earlier in the year where I shocked myself and pulled off a final fast mile.  I also recalled all the training I had done, particularly the last half a dozen 30 second strides after speed sessions.  Finally, I could hear the din of the crowd from the Snow Canyon High School.  In the distance, I could make out the grandstand of the high school's track.  So close.  I probably looked ridiculous, but I dug deep and gave it whatever I had left -- must break two hours.

And I sped under the finish line!

Finish line photo!

Conclusion

So, I did finish in under 2 hours. Mission accomplished.  A solid 30 seconds under it.  It is a far cry from last year's race, but given all that I've been through in 2024, I was willing to take my win where I could.  While the last 2 miles were a slog, I felt like I hadn't blown up nearly as bad as last year and for the most part, I had fun.  There were times I was thinking "I really need to quit running half marathons" but once I hit the finish line, I was tempted to sign up for next year's event.

I grabbed a medal and some refreshments and hung around in the finish chute for a bit until I knew I wasn't going to be sick.  I was just tired and a bit dehydrated.  I was also incredibly sore from the downhill sections of the race.  I was already stiffening up.

They had typical post race offerings: sports drink, Sunny D, fruit, and a few assorted prepackaged snacks.  To be honest, I was a little disappointed and was hoping to find either chocolate milk and some sort of protein drink.  

I managed to find a spot on the artificial turf of the football field and just basked in the warm sunshine and interacted with a few other runners.  I had managed to grab my gear bag (pro tip: use a different colored bag than the one they give you to more easily find your bag).  I had extra sports drink in there and a few snacks.

The medal was pretty cool and has a movable part in it.  The shirt -- what a piece of work! This shirt will likely win my "shirt of the year" award.  I thought it was a sin to see half a dozen discarded shirts along the race course.  It has a V-neck, zipper front, long sleeved and just a beautiful design to it.

Overall this race is a  must-do if you live in Utah or southern Nevada.  The course is absolutely stunning and the race well organized.  It is very competitive though, and the race is well supported for the tourist runner and the competitor.

Awesome shirt + medal

My only gripe, really, is the long wait at the start.  I had told myself before the race that if it was pouring rain, I was going to skip the race.  There is just no way I want to sit in a muddy, shelterless field for 90 minutes waiting for a race to start.  My pro tip is definitely bring equipment to survive the long wait to the race -- you definitely don't want to go expected a warm area to hang out in.

I enjoy this race and if the budget and my training permits, I'll be here again!

Posing in the awesome shirt.

Upcoming Races

11/28: 2024 South Davis Recreation Center Thanksgiving Run 5K - Bountiful, UT (Confirmed)

02/23: 2025 Las Vegas Half Marathon - Las Vegas, NV (Confirmed)

04/26: 2025 Salt Lake City Half Marathon - Salt Lake City, UT (Confirmed)

2023 Snow Canyon Half Marathon Race Recap - St George, UT

Official Time: 1:54:24
Placement: 28th out of 67, 746 out of 2054
Results: Here
Race Website: Here
Weather: low 50's, breeze from the south
Course Map / Garmin Route: Here
Previous Years: [2019]

Cool YouTube Video: Here

Mile	Time	Comments
1	8:16	Nice start. Easy going and feeling comfortable
2	8:19	\Settling in and feeling good. Gentle downhill
3	8:00	The decline is picking up
4	7:45	Entering Snow Canyon -- the views get prettier and prettier
5	7:44
6	7:53	Definitely feeling it -- the downhills is slowing up and I have get back to running easy
7	8:14
8	8:41	My legs are feeling rubbery.  Trying to hold on but I know it is going to get tough
9	8:42	Last good mile
10	9:04	Just shuffling along
11	11:41	Potty break here and was doing a fair amount of walking
12	9:55	Expected this mile to be worse.
13	9:37	Somehow managed to run this entire mile.
13.06	0:30	So happy to be done
	Total Miles: 13.06 - 1:54:25

Introduction

Sometime late this summer I wound up signing up for the Snow Canyon Half Marathon.  In the past few years I've signed up for this race, only to have my weekend thwarted by Covid scares or something else coming up.  Either I've had to eat the registration or I think in the case of last year, I was able to defer it to another race.

Either way, this year I fully intended to show up and  run faster than I had done in 2019 (1:55:09).  I put in a solid training block building towards over-running the 13.1 mile distance and having enough endurance to really turn in a great time.

Taking a walk around the area - St George LDS Temple

The race is put on by the folks who do the Virgin River Half Marathon (formerly known as the St George Half Marathon - January edition) and the famous St George Marathon.  The local recreation department does a world-class job of organizing this race.

This race is best known for it's jaunt through Snow Canyon State Park.  This park is a popular tourist attract and is on the edge of the city limits of St George.  The race starts just north of the park and runners doing the half marathon get to run the paved service drive down and through the park.

Finally, this course is fast -- for the most part (more on this later).  With about a 2000 foot drop over the 13 miles, you can really turn in a fast time -- if your quads can take the beating.

All the people behind me at the starting line.

The Race

I got into town on Friday afternoon -- just shy of 3 pm.  I had made the 4-hour trip from Salt Lake City to the southern part of the state.  I actually made fantastic time.  I wanted to get there early on account that the earlier you got there, the better opportunity you had to pick your bus departing time.  The first bus would leave around 6:30 with the final bus leaving at 7:15.  The race started at 9:00 and during that time between arriving and starting, you have to sit in a cold field.  I managed to get on the 7:00 AM bus and I had about an hour and fifteen minute wait upon arriving -- not exactly the worst but I'd rather have it shorter.

Rainbow sighting upon arrival.

The weather for the race was looking iffy all week.  The air temperature wasn't looking bad, but the threat of a rainy race was looming.  I was NOT looking forward to a potentially long wait in a cold field while sitting / standing in rain.

So when I left Salt Lake, I was packed with just about every possible thing I could find to keep myself warm and dry.

Greeted by state / country flags for those in attendance

Fortunately, though, the rain threat vanished.  I think we got a few sprinkles and that was about it.

The wait at the start went quickly and with over 2000 runners, the bus loading and parking situation was staggered so I had absolutely no problems.  I had had quite a bit of anxiety prior to the race about the entire situation.

Making our way to the holding pen

The race started promptly at 9 AM and we were off.  I had lined up behind the 1:55 pacer but with an initial downhill start I quickly pulled ahead.  My breathing was in control, I felt good and I didn't feel like I was going out too quickly despite a bit of a headwind.

Memories of when I ran this race in 2019 filled my mind.  It had been a number of years and I had some vague recollections of the first few miles.  I had studied my splits from last year, so I knew these miles were going to feel easy. 

Ready to start. Should've brought sunglasses.

I wasn't surprised to blow through the 5KM in a fast time of about 25 and change.  With a downhill and easy stride, I felt really good.  Although, arguably, my pace was nearly 10KM race pace.

Despite the headwind, I was very comfortable in a short-sleeved t-shirt, Saucony Pro 2's, and shorts.  I had some thin gloves that I wore initially but at some point I wound up putting them in my pocket.

Mile 4 was the first aid station -- in my opinion it was kind of late in the race for an aid station.  I felt a little dry from the get go and for whatever reason, I didn't quite get enough at this aid station.  I think I wound up taking a water and missed most of my mouth.  I wound up digging into one my watermelon gels.  I only would wind up eating about half of it.

Coasting for the first few miles.

This was also the fastest part of the race as we were greeted by the epic view of Snow Canyon's north entrance.  With the early morning sun, it was just a beautiful site.  My pace quickened and I found myself ahead of the 1:50.  Was I going too fast?  I was now into my A-goal for the race, could I hang on?

The next 4 miles were what I came to run:  fast downhill and awesome views.  I could tell people's enthusiasm picked up and my pace quickened.  I was suddenly running pretty close to 5K pace.

Near the tail end of the canyon we were greeted with the largest ever-made American flag that was flown.  It was absolutely huge and a site to see.

Enjoying Snow Canyon views

You can see the flag in the distance

By the time we got to the bottom though, I felt winded.  I was definitely working too hard and despite the pace feeling easy I forgot to check in with myself.  My quads felt like they had been bashed and as the hills started to turn into flats, my head couldn't grapple with the fact that running wasn't going to be easy.

Largest flown American flag

Mile 8 and 9 I knew where the last of the good miles.  I was still running okay but my breathing was labored and I was working way too hard.  I had hit another aid station but I still didn't manage to get a lot to drink. I think I was too eager to dive into a restroom but it turned out that they were all full, so I continued to run.  So up until this point, I really only had a few sips of hydration and maybe a third of a gel.

Despite suffering immensely, mile 9 to 10 wasn't that bad from a pace perspective.  I had definitely slowed down, though.  My head wanted to run faster but my body was like no way.  There was still some downhill as we made our way down a gentle decline along the bike trails and ultimately into the surrounding neighborhoods.

Somewhere around mile 11 I decided I needed to stop.  I had had to go to the bathroom since about mile 5 (#1) and while I think I could've held it, I just felt that I needed a break.  I was at the penultimate aid station and I did manage to get a solid gulp of Gatorade in.  While in the bathroom, I realized I had to go a bit more than I thought and even during the break, I could NOT catch my breath.  

Upon exiting, I resumed running but quickly ran out of gas.  I wound up doing a run-walk method for most of this mile.  Even the slightest hill caused me to pull off to the side and walk.  This was infuriating to me. I had worked so hard to build my endurance and here at mile 11, I was resorting to a walk. 

The 1:50 pacer had gone by and at some point the 1:55 pacer encouraged me forward and not to give up.

Finish line crowds

I simply wanted to give up and sit on the curb and cry.  That's how low I felt.

Slowly, though, I started to get my energy back.  I somehow managed to cobble together a marathon-shuffle type of run for the final mile.  In fact, in the last mile, I didn't walk at all despite some uphill sections.  The pace wasn't fast but I was getting it done.

Finally, I could hear the din of the finish line and we entered the service drive of the high school.  I could hear the announcer calling people's names and there was a nice line of spectators (in fact, I have to say the last 4 miles did have a fair amount of cheering people).

The finish line is on about a 100 meter stretch of the high school's track and I threw whatever I had left at making it to the finish line with a smile on my face.  It wasn't easy but I was so thankful to be done -- and crossing with a time of 1:54:25 -- not exactly what I was hoping for, but certainly not the worst.

Group of finishers

Conclusion

So this was NOT how I wanted the race to go.  I knew the course was fast and the downhill wasn't that intense, so I was hoping to turn in a fantastic time.  In fact, given what I was running in training, I figured this race might go down as one of my top 3 performances of the year.  However, that wasn't the case.

So what went wrong?

1. I didn't hydrate well enough before and during the race.
2. I didn't eat the rest of the gel, despite feeling a bit hungry at the start
3. My pace was too fast during the downhill section -- as I forgot to check in with myself during the mid part of the race.

After finishing I grabbed my medal and got some water and simply sat on the side of the track.  It was a madhouse at the finish as most of the 2 hour finishers were coming in, which is about where most people do finish.  

I was upset with myself but also at the same time, I got through it.  And overall, my time was about where I've been at most of the year.  Still, I was far short of my A-goal, I did finish in under 1:55.

The race organizers had set a record with attendance at the half marathon, with over 2000 participants.  This is a long-running race (I see results going back over a dozen years) and to see this many participating was nice to see.  

Happy / not happy.

Post race refreshments included sports drink, water, bananas, fruit gels, and chocolate milk.  I think there were some granola bars as well.  They were plentiful but nothing out of the ordinary.

I really liked the medal -- high-quality and definitely worthy of a big name half marathon.  The shirt was also well designed -- although a little loose in the arms.  The swag bag also contained a lot of stickers and flyers for more events.

Finisher's medal and long-sleeved, collared shirt.

This race was a little on the expensive side -- I want to say around $80, but I got a well organized race from start to finish.  

I highly recommend this race.  The course is absolutely beautiful -- even the residential running.  There is decent crowd support and the aid stations are armed and ready to assist you.  I am not a big of the wait prior to the race, so it is important to prepare for any type of weather.  This year, they did have heating lamps, but they were hard to acquire.  Fortunately I was prepared and had a good experience waiting for the race to start.

Pro-tip: Be sure that you bring a different colored gear bag.  Just about everyone used the give-away bag, which made it harder for volunteers to find your bag.  I used the bag but wrapped it in a bigger clear bag (from the Rock 'n Roll race series) and that made it a snap for them to retrieve my bag.

Also another pro-tip: is to consider parking at the elementary school versus the high school. Getting out of the race site can be a challenge, but it looked like it was less of a challenge from this lot versus the high school lot.

They did give me a coupon code for 2024 Races (STG2024) so I may wind up registering for next year.  I had a wonderful weekend and despite not hitting my goal, I am still buzzing over the excitement of the race.

Upcoming Races

11/23: 2023 South Davis Recreation Center 5K - Bountiful, UT (Confirmed)

01/13: 2024 Virgin River Half Marathon - St George, UT (Confirmed)

02/25: 2024 Las Vegas Half Marathon - Las Vegas, NV (Confirmed)

03/02: 2024 March Madness 10K - West Bountiful, UT (Confirmed)

04/20: 2024 Salt Lake City Half Marathon - Salt Lake City, UT (Confirmed)

06/01: 2024 Utah Valley Half Marathon - Provo, UT (Confirmed)

07/24: 2024 Deseret News Half Marathon - Salt Lake City, UT (Confirmed

09/07: 2024 Cedar City Half Marathon - Cedar City, UT (Confirmed)

10/XX: 2024 Haunted Half 5K - Provo, UT (Confirmed)

2019 Snow Canyon Half Marathon Race Recap - St George, UT

Official Time: 1:55:08
Placement: 287 male out of 597, 561st overall, 26th out of 53 in the 45 - 49 age division
Results: Here
Race Website: Here
Weather: Low 40's, sunny and warmed up near the end
Garmin Dump: Here
Previous Years: First Year for me

Mile	Time	Comments
1	8:54	Warming up here. Toes were frozen
2	8:37	Settling into a pace.
3	8:12	Hitting the meat of the downhills
4	8:09
5	7:55	Wish all the race was like this. Fast downhills
6	8:03	Nearly 300 feet of drop
7	8:23	Course is starting to level out now
8	8:51	More or less on the flats. At this point, I was just tired.
9	8:52
10	9:11	Grinding away.  Felt really tired at this point.
11	9:52	Garmin reports no uphills, but there were some.
12	10:02	Gassed at this point
13	9:42	Doing whatever I can just to finish
13.05	0:20	Thank goodness it is overt
	Total Miles: 13:05 - 1:55:09

Introduction

One of the most popular November races in the Utah area is the Snow Canyon half marathon.  It is located in St George, where the weather tends to be about 15 degrees warmer than the northern part of the state.  Being that the Salt Lake area was getting its first taste of colder weather, it was refreshing to head down and "warm up".

The Snow Canyon race is also popular in the fact that the meat of the race is held on the service road through the Snow Canyon State Park.  The park is a popular destination for visitors in the area as it offers stunning white, sand and red rock formations, climbing and hiking opportunities.  It is just a beautiful area to visit.

Also the race bills itself as downhill and fast.  It isn't a crazy drop and I've certainly ran faster downhill races but this one was nice in the fact that it didn't burn my quads out like other ones I have done.

Either way, I was looking for something to do and decided to make it a long weekend by including this race.  Also, this race normally is the week before the Las Vegas Rock 'N Roll marathon and hence I am generally reluctant to do it just on account of logistics.  This race was scheduled 2 weeks before my annual Vegas jaunt so I decided to knock this one off my bucket list.

The Race

Packet pickup was held on Friday.  The race allows you to pick up your bib on race morning, but I took half a day from work and got down there by 3 PM.  I love their venue for packet pick-up.  It is clean, spacious. and I actually knew a vendor or two.  I was in and out in about 15 minutes.

I did NOT sleep well before this race.  I normally don't while on destination races.  Sleeping in a different bed, wondering if my alarm is going to go off and worrying about all the details of finding parking and the race's location kept me tossing and turning most of the night.  I think I may have slept about 3 - 4 hours and was not well rested when I woke up at 5 AM.

I had my re-race food (Wheaties) and a couple cups of hot tea (for the caffeine) and packed my gear.  I brought a ton of warm gear too -- not for running but for the long wait.  And boy I am glad I went with the heavier stuff.

I drove about 15 minutes to Snow Canyon High School and easily found good parking.  I was there at about 6:15.  The buses loading period was from 6 AM until 7 AM with urgent warnings of "get there early".  With the race starting at 8:30 and probably a 20 minute bus ride, I loafed in my car as long as I dared before jumping onto a school bus at just a hair over 6:30.

The bus ride seemed to take forever as it headed out of town and into the outskirts of St George.  I couldn't really tell where we were going but the houses gave way to barren desert and grassy fields.  We were dumped off at a Red Mountain Trailhead which doesn't have a lot of amenities

It was cold... I am so glad I brought my heavy gear for the roughly 80 minute wait.  I found a clump of dirt / hay to sit in (the parking lot had no pavement) and just sat there shivering and trying to stay warm.  I had my running gear on, plus tights, a sweat shirt and a warm running jacket on and I was still cold.  My toes were frozen by the start of the race.

Fortunately the time went by quickly and with about 12 minutes to spare, I made about a quarter mile walk to the starting line.  Along the way I started to take off my clothes -- reluctantly, as it was still chilly.  But I knew as soon as I started running I'd be fine.

Ultimately, I went with cheapo gloves, shorts, a hat and a long-sleeved t-shirt.  My only mistake was wearing a black shirt, which seemed to attract the heat of the sun as the day warmed up.

The first two miles was mostly run to get some feeling back in my toes.  I hit the paces I wanted to, about 8:30.  It was run along the highway and we had an entire lane dedicated to ourselves.  There were a slew of runners so I was never running by myself and I settled somewhere near the 1:50 pacer and the 1:55 pacer.

I felt pretty good despite not sleeping well but I could feel a little fatigue in my legs from last week's half marathon.

The first 7 miles of the race are primarily downhill and just shy of the 5K mark we entered into the Snow Canyon State Park area.

At the state park, the run gets a lot more scenic and pretty.  I didn't take any photos of the race while running (I was attempting to race the course and not carrying a phone or any hydration).

The state park is known for it's beautiful white and red rock formations.  It is a popular tourist attraction and normally costs about $7 to enter.  Today, I had free entry to at least run down the service road.

It was a joy to run down the road surrounded by natural beauty and the cool / pleasant morning air.  Also it helped that the course was downhill, so I was knocking off low 8 minute miles.  No wonder this course boasted that people could achieve some fast times.

I worried about going too fast.  I was about 30 seconds per mile faster than I'd like to be, but with the downhills, I figured I'd just go with it.  However, the fatigue in my legs was building up.  I had a feeling I was going to pay for it in the latter stages of the race.

After exiting the canyon, the course winds its way through the neighborhoods of St. George.  We were jumping onto bike trails, sidewalks, and finally the road for the final 4 miles or so.

My Garmin output leads one to believe it was a gentle downhill but in reality there were a bunch of "micro hills".  At this point, my legs were dead and I was feeling listless.  The course was still interesting to me, but I wanted to be done.  I couldn't make up my mind if I was carb-depleted, dehydrated, or what.  Maybe it was a little bit of both.

It was disheartening to be slowly swallowed up by runners as they passed me.  My once glorious 8:30-ish pace was creeping into the 9's and then humbling me into the 10's.

It was hard to enjoy this section of the course as we ran by chic desert house dwellings.  I was hurting and sort of wanted the race to end.  There wasn't much left in my legs and the downhill sections were clearly over with.

The final mile couldn't come any sooner as I shambled my way into the high school's parking lot.

I was greeted by a large group of cheering folks as I hustled under the St George Races blue and yellow arch with a decent time of 1:55.

Conclusion

I grabbed a medal as I walked on the high school's track towards the refreshments. I wasn't feeling that well and my stomach was sort of in a dizzy.  The temperature was definitely warmer but not insanely hot but I think a combination of being overly tired and slightly dehydrated had me feeling weak.

I grabbed some Gatorade (I think Endurance formula judging from the salty taste) and circled around waiting for everything to return to normal.

Post race refreshments were chocolate milk, muffins, and potato chips.  Once my stomach had settled down enough I was able to eat some of the food but it took a solid 15 minutes before I felt well.

The medal was a big one and well designed.  From top to bottom, I really enjoyed this race.  The shirt was well designed and high quality.  And I absolutely loved the course.  It was pretty in all aspects and despite the final 4 miles being a slog and less glamorous than Snow Canyon, it had its own charm as well.

I wish there was another aid station closer to the start.  The first one was at 4 miles and I think that sort of lead to a bit of dehydration.  There were amply stocked aid stations, however, roughly every 2 miles.

The course's mile markers were also way off.  The first 10 miles or so they were about .1 of a mile short.  Suddenly around mile 11 or 12 it was right on target.  Ultimately the course came in at 13.05 for me.

I loved this race.  Even writing this a few days later, I am still kind of on a "buzz" from my experience.  The course was fast, scenic, and well-organized.  From start to finish, I was happy with my race.  I just wish I had been a little more fresh for running, rather than having so much fatigue from last week's race.

Hopefully I can swing by next year.