Cheri Richardson's Staging Area

When I first looked at the course map for the Inaugural Salt Lake City Rock ‘n Roll Half Marathon, it appeared that the course would be similar to the Salt Lake City Half Marathon Course, only in reverse. And that I would be complaining about the heat rather than the cold.

Not so much. The course was different enough to be interesting to the locals, and interesting enough to travelers to make it worth their investment. The course took us past several Salt Lake City attractions – starting with the State Capitol, through City Creek Canyon to the University of Utah campus, past Ute Stadium, past East High School of High School Musical fame, and past the new – but now iconic – whale statue at 9th South and 11th East.

August in Salt Lake City is HOT. Thankfully there were multiple aid stations with cold water, electrolyte drinks, and snacks. My sincere apologies to the runner behind me that I sprayed water on as I was dumping a cup of water on my head at mile 12. There were cold, wet towels at the finish line – a brilliant touch that most of us took advantage of.

Per Rock ‘n Roll tradition, there were live bands (or DJ’s) near all the aid stations and along the route. So, if you forget to pack your earbuds (like I did), no worries. There was plenty of entertainment.

Yes, the course was hilly. There were enough downhill stretches to give the racers a break from the uphill climb through the canyon to the University, and from there it was mostly downhill.

The Rock ‘n Roll race series puts on a great race expo. You will want to go to the expo as early as possible to get the best selection of merchandise. By the time I arrived the t-shirts with all the participants’ names were almost gone – and there were no stickers for the half-marathon distance.

It’s official – Salt Lake City is now on the Rock ‘n Roll Race Series map! Come see us next year – you’ll have a great time on a fun and challenging course.

The Glacier Half Marathon presents both a challenging course and spectacular scenery. Yes, the first five miles are uphill – and you are at over 5000 ft. in elevation – but the views tend to take your mind off the climb, and the downhill after the first five miles is a reward in itself.

The course runs on the edges of Glacier National Park, so you see the park as you run. The race takes place on land owned by the Blackfeet Nation, and their support of the race was amazing. The Race Expo is held at the North American Indian Days Campground – which is walking distance to the Glacier Peaks Hotel and Casino, a sponsor of the race. Those of us who stayed at Glacier Peaks were treated to bottled water and trail mix and a special pre-race breakfast made available the night before the race. And finally, in addition to the National Anthem, racers were inspired at the Start line by the Blackfeet Honor Song and the Blackfeet Victory Song. The drums set the pace for a fantastic race.

I just can’t say enough about Vacation Races’ commitment to our environment. You’ll see it when you attend the Race Expo. Bring your own bag – they won’t give you one. Make sure you sort your disposables into the provided containers: one for recyclables, one for compostables, and one for trash. And you’ll see it on the course. Water and electrolyte drinks are plentiful – but no paper cups. Bring your hydropouch. Hint: it’s included in your registration and you can pick yours up at the Race Expo.

Vacation Races uses a “Wave Start” program to ensure racers are spread out over the course. This has served them well during the pandemic. Not only does your Wave set your start time, it also sets your time to board the shuttle to the start line. There was very little crowding at the start line waiting for your wave to start – and much shorter lines at the porta-potties.

As with all Vacation Races, you can’t go and not visit the National Park. This year, because of the pandemic, a ticket was required to use the Going to the Sun Road. Getting one of those tickets turned out to be like winning the lottery – and I didn’t win. Thankfully, if you arrived in the park before 6:00 AM or after 5:00 PM you could use the road. We did both – on different days – and were rewarded with no crowds, a beautiful sunrise, and lots of wildlife. Not getting a ticket was the best mistake I’ve made in a long time.

And running the Glacier Half was one of my best decisions in a long time. I highly recommend it.

When I signed up for the Las Vegas Rock and Roll Marathon as my first ever marathon, I did so because it was relatively low elevation and a relatively flat course – not to mention the fact that it’s an evening run on the world famous Las Vegas Strip! The run is touted as a party that happens to involve running, and my experience with the Half Marathon in 2014 proved that to be true.
Then came October 1. In the wake of the mass shooting that left 59 dead and over 500 injured, the race was in jeopardy. But the city of Las Vegas and the race organizers pulled together and made a plan to keep the race on and keep the runners safe.
The Goo Goo Dolls concert was moved from the concert venue where the tragic shooting had occurred to the 5K location, and was moved from just before the race to the night before the race. The first two miles of the course was intended as a memorial to the shooting victims. Large sections of posters, featuring the signatures and well-wishes of the racers in glow-in-the-dark marker, lined this part of the course, and the only music was a string quartet at the turn-around point. I get teary-eyed remembering the sounds of their poignant music.
The marathon course was tightened up considerably. There were several back and forth loops near the World Market Center, and a seemingly endless maze through the SLS concert venue before we finally found our way back to the Strip. There was a security presence on every corner. Not only were there armed police officers, but most of the intersections were also blocked completely by very large vehicles.
Even with these few adjustments, the festive atmosphere was unaltered. There were bands. There were lights. There were costumed runners – Elvis had not left the strip! There were cheering sections all along the strip. Even in the off-strip section of the marathon, there were bands, lights and spectators.
I was thrilled to see that the running community had banded together to support Las Vegas – much as we did in Boston in 2013. I spoke to a local couple who thanked me for helping to bring normalcy back to their city.
Next year they may change the course again, or change the concert venue. But what won’t change is the spirit of the race, the festival environment, and the fun low elevation, flat-terrain course at night under the lights. I recommend this race!

The race was run in two heats to accommodate the large number of runners and cars. Since the start line was in a remote area outside of the park, every runner had to be bussed to the start line. No exceptions. The first heat began at 6:00 AM, so the first heat’s runners departed their assigned parking lot at 4:30 AM. I have no idea how many busses it took – but doing the math: 1500 runners per heat divided by 50 seats per bus = 30 busses. That looked about right.

About that 4:30 AM departure – our hotel was only five minutes from the parking lot, so we left at 4:20. Big mistake. So did every other carload of runners, and the two lane highway with a single stoplight at the turn to the parking lot was backed up for a couple of miles. It took 20 minutes to make that 5 minute drive. Thankfully, there were plenty of volunteers to direct the cars to the overflow parking, and plenty of busses to get us to the start line – with about 10 minutes to spare. Not enough time for the porta-potty line. Thank goodness for the bathroom on the bus!

The first five miles of the race were on a decent dirt road with only a few muddy spots. The race staff had roped off a couple of significant trip hazards. Then it was downhill most of the way, with miles 5 – 10 being quite fast but not so steep that you needed to brake.

At about mile 10, beautiful Bass Lake came into view, and rolling hills past beach houses and shore-side businesses dotted the course. The race finished at the site of the race expo, on the shores of Bass Lake.

Vacation Races is the most environmentally friendly racing company that I’ve run with (hopefully there are others I don’t know about). Their races are always cup-free, but they provide a hydro-pouch as part of registration. It clips to your belt so you can carry it with you and fill as needed. There were trash and recycling receptacles at the start and finish lines and at all the aid stations.

Vacation Races also makes a big deal of the awards – complete with a podium honoring the five places overall and in the age divisions. The only downside was that those of us in the first heat had to wait for the second heat’s results before they could start the awards – cutting into our time at the park. But that was OK – standing on the podium is the very best!!!

A couple of tips: 1) my GPS couldn’t find the Race Expo, resulting in an unexpected tour of Bass Lake. Be sure you get accurate directions, and 2) Yosemite National Park was very crowded on race day. Plan to stay an extra day or two so you can really see the park.

The Salt Lake Half Marathon course is truly beautiful. It begins at the University of Utah, climbs into the Avenues where it runs through some historic neighborhoods and past an old cemetery, then descends through Memory Grove and into the city. It runs up South Temple to 9th East, up 8th South to 11th east and into the Sugarhouse area. At 21st South the marathon runners turn east; the half runners go west to 6th east, then through Liberty Park, then down to 2nd east with the finish line at Library Square. If you’re not familiar with Salt Lake City, you’ll have to trust me that this is a really nice tour of the city. I think they might take foreign tour buses along part of this route.

There are two fairly major hill climbs in the middle of the race, but the majority of the race was either rolling hills or fairly flat with a downhill slope.

There were aid stations every two miles with water and Gatorade. The finish line was both runner- and family-friendly. Beware of the lines to visit Captain America and the Disney Princesses on the way to the beer tent.

The best way to get to the start line is to use the light rail (Trax). Your race bib gets you a free ride on the train, and then you don’t have to deal with the limited parking.

The race has become large enough that the start line is now divided into corrals, but the corrals aren’t specifically called to start, and it appeared to me that being in your assigned corral was merely a suggestion. Since the race is chip timed the biggest issue with starting at the back of the pack is picking your way through the slower runners.

The weather in April is always a crap shoot. We were prepared for rain, but the sun decided to surprise us. There was actually more wind after the race than during the race – but that’s just this year.

A confession: Salt Lake City is my home town, and I’m proud to call the Salt Lake City Marathon my hometown race. See you next year in SLC!

The Mesa Falls Half Marathon was my first half marathon. Ever. I chose it because it ran through the campground I was managing in 2013. The race is run by a local grocery store owner in Ashton, Idaho. It takes you through an area worthy of Vacation Races fame – the Mesa Falls Scenic Byway.
Marathon runners start on trails above the highway and actually run past the Lower Mesa Falls.

The Half Marathon started in the parking lot at Lower Mesa Falls and started on a three mile trail down to Warm River Campground. The trail is quite narrow but otherwise not difficult. As we exited the campground we ran past potato fields and farmhouses, finishing in Ashton City Park to a crowd of cheering fans.

The race was extremely well organized. We picked up our race packets near the finish line, so we knew exactly where to meet the bus that would take us to the start line. Personal race results were available immediately, and since the race was gun timed only we also knew immediately if we had placed in our age divisions. I placed 2nd in mine. Not bad for a first race!