Several years ago, when I first started my quest to run a race in every state, we went to Utah on vacation. I had not yet decided I needed to run half marathons in each state, so I ran a lovely 10K in Provo, UT. I've been kicking myself ever since - I still need to get out there to run a half marathon. Enter the Utah Valley Marathon, Half Marathon, and 10K. Located in the beautiful Provo Canyon, it has a reputation for being scenic and fast. When I was offered the opportunity to run the race, I was super excited: new state, beautiful race, slightly downhill course, and an awesome jacket as the premium because it is their 10 year anniversary. Add in plentiful aid stations (seriously at 2,4,6,8,10,11,12) with water and sports … [Read more...]
State #14: Utah
We traveled out to Utah for a family vacation this year. We were able to make it coincide with the Pioneer Days race, so my dad and I ran the 10K and my mom ran the 5K. To make things as challenging as possible ('cause you know altitude and a wicked hill weren't enough), we walked up the 1.5 mile trail to Timpanogos Cave the day before. Feeling good before the race Long story short, I was breathing hard from the first step, I thought my heart was going to explode *walking* up the big hill, and my legs ran out of energy completely at mile 4. I truly was thrilled to even finish. The below pictures tell the story pretty well, LOL. "This hill sucks, but I can give you a … [Read more...]
