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)

05/10: 2025 Run Farmington 10K - Farmington, UT (Confirmed)

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)

2024 Sun Half Marathon Race Recap - Santa Clara, UT

Waiting for the race to start

Official Time: 1:53:31
Placement: 3rd in the 50-54 age division, 52nd overall
Results:  Here
Race Website: Here (race date 1/27/2024)
Weather: Mid 30's no wind at the start, finish in the mid to upper 40's
Garmin Dump: Here
Previous Years: [2020]

Mile	Time	Comments
1	8:43	Gentle downhill start
2	8:49
3	8:43	Being consistent and daring to go a little faster
4	8:40
5	8:34
6	9:10	First real hill.  Still holding a decent pace.
7	8:24	Fast downhill here -- 150 feet of decline
8	8:52	A bit of a climb here -- a short but steep hill.
9	8:32	Time to step it up.
10	8:17	Starting to run fast.
11	9:24	Long, grinding hill
12	8:21	Mostly flat -- time to finish strong
13	7:56	Awesome final mile. 90 feet of decline and the smell of the finish waiting for me
13.13	0:57
Total Miles: 13.13 1:53:27

Abandoned structure along the course.

Introduction

So 2 weeks prior to this race I ran the 2024 Virgin River Half Marathon and astounded myself with an amazing time of 1:54:15.  I felt like I could've run the course faster despite having a fairly lackluster lead up to the race.  

Running the Virgin River Half Marathon

After the buzz of the race began to where off, I began to question myself -- was it a fluke or was my fitness really where I hoped it would be?

I had a bit of race fever and buoyed with the thought of being to run faster than I thought I began to look for another race.  Given that the Salt Lake area is pretty devoid of races, particularly half marathons in the winter, I wasn't given much of a choice locally.  I did spy the Sun Half Marathon in St George.  It seemed to fit the bill -- a fast course, warmer weather, a beautiful area, and I had run it before in 2020.

I did some research and some soul searching.  Did I really want to race again?  Make the four hour drive?  I found a decently priced hotel, made sure it was within the budget and ponied up for the last minute race entry (about $85).  I was set for another, hopefully, epic weekend!

Waiting for the race to start.

The Race

The race hasn't changed much since I did it pre-Covid.  My how the world has changed in the last 4 years.  I remember the course being mostly downhill, but not crazy downhill.  My Garmin indicates that I ran about 900 feet of downhill, but to keep things honest, there was about 425 of uphill.  

Anticipation before the start

I had picked up my bib the night before at the St George Running Center and I arrived at Archie Gubler Park at 6:30 AM to jump on a 7:00 AM bus.  There was plenty of parking and I could chill in my car for a bit before loading on to the bus for the 20 minute (or so) ride to the start.

I had brought a fair amount of clothing.  I knew that the starting area wasn't going to have much for amenities and there is nothing worse than waiting for a race to start and freezing.  I was quite comfortable though and I wound up making small talk with people and seeing familiar faces.

Run4Fun Group from FB

In 2020 the course came up a bit long on my Garmin (13.30).  This year, we started close to a quarter mile closer to the finish than the previous year.  I knew that we were going to have an accurate 13.10 miles (the mile markers also were spot on).

Taking care of pre-race nerves

A few minutes before the race, I took off all of my warmer gear and was ready to race in the slightly cool air:  shorts, a single t-shirt, and thin gloves.  I was perfectly attired for the race -- although I'd probably recommend sunglasses.

The race started promptly at 8:30 and we were off running down a lightly traveled canyon just a mile or so south of Gunlock Reservoir.

I stuck with the 2-hour pacer for the first mile or two.  That had been my strategy 2 weeks ago at the Virgin River race.  But I knew I could run faster and while the 2-hour pacer was going a little faster than 2 hours (on account of the decline) I wound up pulling ahead.  Part of me was wondering if I was making a mistake -- was I pushing too quickly?

I don't normally pay attention to my heart rate on a race (it's always too high) but my breathing felt good and I didn't feel like I was straining in the slightest.  My pace was good and not crazy.

The first few miles flew by and memories of the course came back from 2020.  It was so peaceful and the sunlight was playing off of the red rock canyon.  Around the 5K point, the runners joined up on Route 91 -- an older freeway.  We had a good portion of the shoulder and traffic was still light.  I was enjoying the easy pace and the mostly downhill part of the race.  My pace was improving and I still felt in control.

Mile 6 or so was the first "test".  Here was a decent hill and it took a bit to get up and over.  It was nearly a half mile long.  I remained patient and conserved energy here.  I was still within my goal of a 2-hour half marathon thanks to having banked time.

The closer we got to civilization, the more traffic there was on the road.  It sort of lost its coziness and peacefulness.  Fortunately, unlike in 2020, there was a new bike trail put well off to the side of the road.  This made it a lot safer and I could focus on running versus wondering if a speeding car was going to take me out.  

The course support was really good -- and hydration stations were about every 2 - 3 miles.  For the temperatures of the day, it was perfect.  There were pockets of spectators -- mostly cheering on family members, but for the most part it was solo running.  Occasionally I'd get passed by a full marathoner, who had had a 90 minute head start but I was slowly picking off other half marathoners.  And my pace was quickening.

I wanted to start my pickup a bit sooner on this race and around mile 7 I was moving well.  I was aided by some downhills.  I had also consumed a Roctane GU and I think the jolt of sugar and caffeine perked me up.  There was a hill that made me slow down but overall, I was very pleased with my pace.

Mile 10 - So hard

I had visions of smashing the final 4 miles and it was also at this time I passed what I thought was a person in my age group.  I had hopes that I'd place in my age group, but having studied the results from the past few years I knew I had what I figured to be a 50-50 chance.  It all depended who showed up and if I got lucky.

I definitely remembered mile 10 through 11 from 2020.  It is where you leave the highway and you have about 5KM left to run.  That mile is where things are starting to hurt. I still felt really strong and plowed up the hill. I saw the 10KM turn around and did the math in my head and knew that this course should come in right at 13.1.

Visions of running 8:30 or so were playing in my head as I ran up this mile-long, gradual hill.  I dared to look at my watch and I was well over 9 minutes.  If there was a heartbreak hill to this race, this was it.  My heart rate was definitely spiking as I willed myself to run fast.

It was only discouraging me, though and I told myself to be patient.  I remembered that once I got to the top, it'd be flat and then a final fast mile.  Sure enough, upon the summit, I was back on the flat section and I could feel my confidence and pace quicken.  A solid 8:21 rang up on my watch.

I was running with the outbound 10KM runners.  It was nice to see them coming along and I was still reeling in a few other runners.  I knew I was on for a good time.

Home stretch -- finish line to my left

The final mile is through a well-to-do section and it is primarily downhill and fast.  I couldn't ask for a better mile.  I gave it all I had as I slalomed down the twisty drive. I hit my fastest mile of the race -- a but 8 minute.

I was cheered by a throng a well wishers as I closed in to the finish line.  A sharp turn and a short distance later, I had finished.

Final stretch

Crossing the finish line!

Conclusion

To say I was ecstatic would be an understatement.  I smashed this race -- running faster than the previous half marathon.  This course came in accurately and my final mile was the fastest of the race (okay it was downhill but still).

I still felt good too -- there wasn't any death march on this race and I could've put in another mile or two.

The moment of truth came though -- had I placed?  I wound up looking up the live results and I found myself 3rd in my age group.  Would it hold though?  Was there someone who started behind me who would beat me?  No.  I was really happy -- always nice to go home with an additional medal and a bit of bragging rights.

All Smiles after a successful race.

I managed to get some snacks in me: fruit, granola bars, sports drink and ice cream sandwiches.  There was a really good crowd at the end -- with a 5K, 10K, half marathon and full marathon, the race was well attended and there was a lot of excitement.

It didn't take long to hand out the awards and it was nice to socialize with runners.  The morning was absolutely beautiful.  Sunny, not a cloud in the sky and a comfortable 50-something degree weather.  I probably should've hung out a bit longer but once I got my award, I decided to head back to the hotel to get cleaned up.

Overall, I had an awesome time at this race.  Not only was my running a success -- my fitness for a half marathon *is* there, but the morning and course was absolutely beautiful.  I just felt so fortunate that I was able to experience the beauty of Southern Utah.  Also, I didn't kill myself running the race: my pace was controlled and at no point did I feel like the wheels were coming off.  What a difference it makes when you run a half marathon like that versus some of the final miles of my half marathons in 2023.

There's been a lot of improvements to race since 2020 -- namely the safer route that avoids some of the fast traffic along the 2-lane highway.  The race was also well supported with ample aid stations and bathrooms.

I kept asking myself why did I wait so long to run this race again?  Hopefully I'll remember this experience next year and make the journey back down to St George to run this race.

Upcoming Races

02/10: 2024 South Davis Recreation Center Sweethearts 5K - Bountiful, UT (Confirmed)

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

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

03/30: 2024 Eggs Legs 10K - West Jordan, UT (Confirmed)

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

04/27: 2024 Apple Blossom 10K - Santaquin, UT (Confirmed)

05/27: 2024 Run of Remembrance 10K - American Fork,  UT 

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

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

08/17: 2024 PC2PG 10K - Lindon, UT (Confirmed)

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

09/28: 2024 Witch Run 10K - West Jordan, UT (Confirmed)

10/05: BLOCKED OUT WEEKEND

10/19: 2024 Haunted Half 5K - Salt Lake City, UT (Confirmed)

10/26: 2024 Haunted Half 5K - Provo, UT (Confirmed)