Runtastic DINO
Vernal, UT
- Half Marathon, 5K, Kids Run
- Trail (Unpaved)
- Official race website
The Dino Half is one of the best courses in Utah! Dress up or come ready to get your PR! We want to invite you, your friends, and family to the Dino Half! Enjoy the amazing sights and experience of the Dino Run in historic Vernal, UT. Vernal was dubbed … MORE
Local Historical Weather (May 09):
| 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | |
| H (°F) | 78 | 79 | 57 | 73 | 56 |
| L (°F) | 46 | 47 | 36 | 38 | 33 |
Find Nearby Lodging (hotel, rental, etc.):
Fast downhill with epic medals
Love all the Runtastic races. Not sure why this is listed as trail, it definitely is not, it's pavement the whole way. It's a smallish field, only ~350 runners in … MORE
Love all the Runtastic races. Not sure why this is listed as trail, it definitely is not, it’s pavement the whole way. It’s a smallish field, only ~350 runners in the half. Also not sure why they need you on the bus so early. The buses are between 5:30-6:10 and the race starts at 7:30. Sun up is 6:30. The last bus made it up well before 7 so you’re standing around cold for too long. The bus drops you off and you have about 0.5mi walk to the start line. The course is pretty, running down Dry Fork Canyon and through the rocks and farms which is pretty. The last time I ran this, and again this year, it was burn season so they were burning off the fields or debris piles which really sucked because it was smokey with visible ash in the air floating around. Not great to be breathing that. There’s a segment called the Sprintasaurus which is about 1/2 a mile that you try to get the top speed for the segment (don’t be silly and burn your legs out at this because it’s only at 3.5mi and unless you’re front of the pack, you aren’t going to win!). Water stops at the odd miles. Comes out of the canyon and you’re running flat for the last 5-6 miles which is hard work after the downhill (which really isn’t that steep so you don’t trash your legs if you’re smart and run WITH the hill and don’t lean back braking). The medals are always epic with a dino on the front and his skeleton on the back. The AG awards are also really cool. They were brilliant this year with gear check. The bib numbers were divided between 4 color bags. You put your bag in the corresponding box and at the finish, they were divided by colors, significantly reducing the pain of picking your bag up. Stayed at the Springhill Suites which was super convenient to the start (~6 minute drive). Packet pick up was convenient and lasted till 8 since you likely will be coming from quite a far way unless you’re a local (it’s 3h from SLC). Don’t do what I did which was shower and jump in the car to drive 3h home…stay and explore to give your legs a chance to relax. I think the drive after the run hobbled me more than the run did.
Fun run
I did the 5Km race. It was fast and flat. Course was through a residential area with great volunteers and staff. A portion of it was through ranchland and that … MORE
I did the 5Km race. It was fast and flat. Course was through a residential area with great volunteers and staff. A portion of it was through ranchland and that was gorgeous.
Race was Ok definitely not downhill
Not as scenic as the website said nor downhill. The only downhill was at the beginning than the rest of the race was straight away. Would have hoped the race … MORE
Not as scenic as the website said nor downhill. The only downhill was at the beginning than the rest of the race was straight away. Would have hoped the race started earlier than 7:30, was hot by the time we started. Again race directors volunteers was great but the course wasnt one I would do again.
Runtastic Medals can’t be beat
I had deferred this from COVID hell year to this year and this was my first race since October. Vernal is no thriving metropolis and the expo was nothing big … MORE
I had deferred this from COVID hell year to this year and this was my first race since October. Vernal is no thriving metropolis and the expo was nothing big but the convenience of having it in the hotel we were staying at was nice. There was a bus that left the hotel for the start so we didn’t have to go to the official start line to get a bus. Up before the crack of dawn and going up the canyon was made easier by the roll out of bed and go to the parking lot bonus instead of having to navigate yourself somewhere. At the top it was chilly and I don’t quite get why you need to get to the top so early and then stand around and wait. I’d much rather have less time standing around in the cold or a later start that allowed sleeping in a little later. The first couple of miles in the canyon were somewhat sketchy due to crowds and broken asphalt daring you to twist your ankle. Try to pick a line and maintain…coming out of the woods, there is a turn and a little bit of a slog up a hill but then the downhill resumes. At mile 6.2-6.7 there is the Sprintasaurus where you too can run like a fool whose head is on fire to see what you’ve got…take a tenth of a mile to recover and then keep moving. Unfortunately at mile 11 there was a controlled burn of a field that nearly choked us to death due to the wind blowing the smoke right onto the course. Come around the bend and the finish line isn’t far. The medals are awesome as always, including the AG awards. Runtastic is one of my favorite race producers (I’m running almost all of their races this year). Really recommend them.
Fun Themed Downhill Half
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 … MORE
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!
Awesome medal
I’ll admit I was a dinosaur obsessed kid and I totally did this race for the medal. I wish I could keep doing it every year but the travel was … MORE
I’ll admit I was a dinosaur obsessed kid and I totally did this race for the medal. I wish I could keep doing it every year but the travel was a little nightmarish. Awesome course, shuttles to the start – it was quite cold but they had space blankets for everyone and fire pits going. I had fun the next day exploring the National Park and surrounding area.
Fast downhill and great medal
The run begins atop a mountain at 7000 feet and runs mostly downhill to about 5500 feet. There are some slight inclines, but the majority of the run is downhill. … MORE
The run begins atop a mountain at 7000 feet and runs mostly downhill to about 5500 feet. There are some slight inclines, but the majority of the run is downhill. The medal is a big attraction here. It features a dinosaur on the front and the fossilized dinosaur on the reverse (because the run is near Dinosaur National Monument where there is a dinosaur quarry and fossils). Some people described inconsistencies in their bag from the expo. I received gloves, many others received gloves, but some who arrived even before us did not receive gloves. Another couple of ladies said they did not receive gloves, but they received headphones. There was also a pre-run post on Facebook regarding free photos, but apparently near race day the photographer pulled out and there was difficulty finding someone else to do free photos. There was someone who snapped a few photos at the start, but that’s all I saw. I would definitely do the run again for the medal and the course. I would also like to explore the dinosaur national monument, which I didn’t get to do this time due to time constraints with my travel.