David Baker's Staging Area

This was my third year in a row running the Hobbler Half Marathon. This race is (usually) held the first Saturday in July, and winds its way down scenic Hobble Creek Canyon. This year’s race felt like it was warmer than past years, but maybe I’m just getting crotchety in my old age.

The first nine miles are great, going from the road to a nice paved trail that follows Hobble Creak out of the canyon. Beautiful ranches (many with impressive, ostentatious homes) line the left-hand side of the road. The trail is well maintained and just as scenic, with bridges and some rolling hills thrown in to keep things interesting.

Once you leave the canyon, the course winds through hayfields and suburban neighborhoods. Though it feels like the course flattens out at this point, my Strava record of the race shows that the gentle downhill continues pretty much all the way to the finish line. My Garmin pegged the starting line at 5,700 and the finish line at 4,670, with a total net loss of just over 1,000 feet. Total climb: 117 feet. (Your mileage may vary, void where prohibited.)

The race volunteers are friendly, the hydration tables well stocked. The finish line featured Fat Boy ice cream bars and made-to-order French toast (though no chocolate milk). Medals and shirts are both high quality and well designed. This year’s “THOU SHALT RUN” medal was almost a work of art. Overall, the Hobbler is an enjoyable, well organized race. The downhill has PR potential without jacking up your quads for the next three days. I’d highly recommend it.

Second in my age group, two years in a row! w00t!

No real “race expo” — just bib and bag pickup. Not a lot of swag. The starting area was cold, but they had space blankets and fire pits to help us keep warm. The starting line was very narrow, and the blacktop in the first several miles was pretty pitted and potholey. After that, it got better. Most of the course is a nice gentle downhill — not so steep that it hurts, but enough to kind of pull you along. The Sprintasaurus challenge was kind of fun, though I wonder if running that half mile stretch so fast might’ve hurt my overall result. The last few miles flatten out some, and you turn a couple of corners and suddenly the finish line is there. Great finish line, great organization, very friendly volunteers. Overall a great race to run in May!

It was awesome to go from running icy streets and snow-covered trails to a warm run through one of my favorite cities. I don’t live in Phoenix anymore, but this race took me back to my years in Phoenix. The course isn’t “easy” (the first 12 miles are a gradual uphill climb), but the weather is great and the spectators are generous. The light rail system makes it a cinch to get to the starting line and back from the finish line. That bridge at the end, though … that’s just mean. Maybe rethink the design of the finish area to cut down on crowd bottlenecks?

This fast downhill half goes through the gorgeous Snow Canyon State Park outside Santa Clara, UT (near St. George). Miles 4-7 are FAST! The total drop over the 13.1 mile course is over 1,800 feet, with only about 175 feet of total climb. Save a little strength for the mile rolling hills at the end. Overall, this should be on everyone’s half marathon bucket list.

This is my hometown race and I honestly feel sorry for people who never get to run it. It’s a relatively small race, but one of the prettiest courses I’ve ever run. In 2019 they added some fun “extras,” like a band at mile 12 and bagpipers in full regalia serenading us as we came around a bend. My only criticism is that I wish they would do more than hastily scribbled paper certificates for the age group awards. AG medals might add a few bucks to the registration fee, but they’re a nice touch to an otherwise professionally run race.

I’ve run this one twice, and will run it again in about a week. The middle part is the best, when you’re going through the mountain preserve. It’s good that they’ve moved the starting time up an hour, because those trails in the mountains can get pretty icy before things warm up.

I’ve enjoyed doing the Double Dare. If you haven’t heard of this, it means you get to the finish line early and run from the finish line to the starting line, then turn around and run from the starting line back to the finish line (a 26.2-mile total distance). Since this is a mostly downhill course, that means your first 13.1 is mostly uphill, which is great training. Last year I even managed to take second in my age group even though I’d run a full marathon distance while everybody else had only run a half.

I’m sad they’ve changed the name, though. I liked the “Dogtown” medals and the “Double-Dog Dare” swag. I loved their T-shirt designs. Last year I even took my dog with me on the final mile, so she could run across the finish line with me. I guess we’ll see how this year’s race shapes up.

This was my first full marathon, and it was a memorable experience. Everything about it went really smoothly. The expo was awesome, and the starting line was well organized and comfortable. Running through the streets of Salt Lake City was great, and the crowd support was pretty good for a race of this size. I especially liked seeing the young spectators—kids with card tables giving out water to whoever wanted it, little ones getting “low fives” from everyone who passed. The finish line experience was very well run. The course itself can be a challenge, with its ups and downs. Overall, though this was a great experience both times I ran it.