Missy Reinstadtler's Staging Area

This course is pretty much exactly what I was expecting and preparing for, and I personally loved it. The first half of the course was either very sandy or very technical. I did a lot of beach running in preparation for the sand and I didn’t think it was too hindering. Miles approx. 6-10 was across rocky landscapes with some steep ascents and descents. A lot of runners took is pretty slow through here but I personally excel on technical terrain so I was having the time of my life through this section. Water holes slot canyon was absolutely epic, though there was about a ten minute wait to descend the first ladder (heard it got up to a 30 minute wait later in the day). After the slot canyon it was about a mile through more sand to get to a dirt road and that’s where it got runnable. From the second stop at horseshoe aid station it was retracing steps and then heading towards the page rim trail. This section was a ton of sand. Once you got to rim trail it was just crusading the best you can. It was very runnable, great views and overall I really enjoyed the trail. It was muddy at some parts due to rain, it was not too bad when I went through but apparently it got pretty bad later in the day. Overall I was happy with the course and had a wonderful experience. The aid stations were perfectly spaced and well stocked. Bathrooms were at every AS and volunteers were wonderful. I’d run this race again and even give the 50 mile a try, but you should definitely be mentally preparing for a lot of sand.