Snow Canyon Half Marathon
St. George, UT
- Half Marathon, 10K, 5K, Kids Run
- Road (Paved)
- Official race website
The Snow Canyon Half Marathon features a beautiful route through the scenic landscape of Snow Canyon State Park. The course is USATF certified and includes some steep downhills! It’s fast, and on one of the most breathtaking courses St. George has to offer! The 10k starts in Snow Canyon State … MORE
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Beautiful route
Had a great time in St George. This is a smaller production but well run. Race route was quite pretty but hillier than I expected. The packet pickup was a … MORE
Had a great time in St George. This is a smaller production but well run. Race route was quite pretty but hillier than I expected.
The packet pickup was a little rough but likely due to construction.
Awesome race for my 100th!
This is an all time favorite that I try to hit over and over. They moved it this year to the weekend before Thanksgiving (used to be first weekend of … MORE
This is an all time favorite that I try to hit over and over. They moved it this year to the weekend before Thanksgiving (used to be first weekend of Nov). Because it is now after DST, the start time is later (9A) and you don’t have to be on a bus quite so early which is lovely. It’s cold up top but they have space blankets and SO MANY porta potties and hot chocolate/coffee. This is incredibly well supported at the start. you cannot beat the scenery, you run into Snow Canyon and it is staggering to see as the sun lights the rocks. You come out of the park around mile 8 and then the work really starts–you have some flats and some hills that hurt because of your canyon legs. As you finish, you’ll be running through some neighborhoods and then up into the high school track. Push hard! The medals are good and the AG awards are always nice (not another medal, usually pottery or some statue thing). Great food at the finish. If you’re a 50 stater, this one is a kind UT one since the altitude isn’t awful (top of canyon is not even 5000 ft).
Scenery was AMAZING!!
The scenery put this race over the top - the part of the race that went through the Snow Canyon State Park was absolutely breathtaking! Even though most of the … MORE
The scenery put this race over the top – the part of the race that went through the Snow Canyon State Park was absolutely breathtaking! Even though most of the course was downhill, it got increasingly difficult to run for the second half of the race. I will treasure the run through the beautiful red rocks and the photos that I took along the way!
Kindness is free…
Me, my brother, and my sister-in-law are new to running. This was our first 5K ever. It started out with an unfortunate miscommunication. We went up to the booth by … MORE
Me, my brother, and my sister-in-law are new to running. This was our first 5K ever. It started out with an unfortunate miscommunication. We went up to the booth by the finish line to ask where we could get our bibs. We were unaware that we were supposed to pick them up in advance before the race because we didn’t get the email, I’m not sure why, but stuff like that happens and I figured I would just ask if we could still get our numbers. The man at the booth was extremely hostile towards us. He laughed in our faces and told us that all the numbers were probably gone by now and that we were supposed to get them days in advance. When we told him that we didn’t receive the email, he proceeded to say that he sent out several emails and so did the other guy he was working with. Regardless of how many emails were sent out, it just so happened that we didn’t get them. Luckily, there was a nicer man that was willing to help us out. Even though we weren’t able to run with numbers, he was still able to get us our shirts, and we were still able to run the 5K. It was a little discouraging to start out our first “big” run being made to feel stupid over something that was out of our control. However, the scenery was beautiful, and the run was mild to moderate intensity. I suggest choosing kinder people to be in charge of these events.
Beautiful course, cool swag
I've run this one 5 times now and it never fails to impress. This year at the start line they had propane patio heaters, buckets of handwarmers, mylar blankets, hot … MORE
I’ve run this one 5 times now and it never fails to impress. This year at the start line they had propane patio heaters, buckets of handwarmers, mylar blankets, hot chocolate, gels and bananas…wow! Because it was the 15th anniversary, they had quarter zips which were really nice and the medal was awesome! It was like a sun catcher and seriously big! Finish line was great, chocolate milk, cookies, pizza. AG awards were outstanding trophies (they always have great AG awards). The only thing I wish they would improve was corralling–people do not understand the simple concept of if you are not racing or a speed demon, don’t crowd the front. The first 2 miles were way slower than they should have been given the course because of the ridiculous number of people who were at the front who did not belong there and did not understand how to yield. If you DO follow appropriate corralling, you are penalized by being stuck behind people who do NOT.
Poor management
City of St. George Cancelled our event: The Snow Canyon Half Marathon with 3.5 days to go. We had already booked: hotels, sitters and taken time off work. We lost … MORE
City of St. George Cancelled our event: The Snow Canyon Half Marathon with 3.5 days to go. We had already booked: hotels, sitters and taken time off work. We lost over $300 and a lot of time also.
In their announcement: They didn’t apologize to all the athletes, they didn’t apologize to anybody in fact.
WHY on earth would you host events in the first place DURING a pandemlc IF you cannot safely control them? It makes me feel like I wasn’t safe in the first place if spread is a concern.
So by cancelling, I guess they are HOPING that 2500 entrants won’t stay in their un-refundable hotels and take to the city instead. Right? You’re literally banking on people losing out and not staying there anyway!
Except your race company is hosting an in-person packet pickup ANYWAY! And it’s also too late for people to cancel. What a total joke!!!
Fun race in a beautiful setting
St. George Races (www.sgcity.org/sportsandrecreation/races) does a great job putting on this point to point race, finishing on one of the town's high school tracks. 1. It is a very FAST … MORE
St. George Races (www.sgcity.org/sportsandrecreation/races) does a great job putting on this point to point race, finishing on one of the town’s high school tracks.
1. It is a very FAST course, mostly downhill with some rollers the final three miles. Ideal if you want a PR or to just burn up the quads with some downhill running
2. Running through Snow Canyon State Park is worth the price of admission on its own. An amazingly beautiful spot and you get to run right down through the park and canyon.
3. Logistics of getting all the runners via bus to the starting line takes some time. Once you arrive at the start line there is an hour to hour and a half wait so worth layering with warm clothes (it was ~37 degrees Fahrenheit our race morning and can sometimes be windy up there) and then making use of the bag drop.
4. A big, gorgeous medal awaits you at the finish.
One of my favorites!
If you're a 50 stater or looking for a beautiful, warm (but not hot, perfect temps, warming by finish) to run in November, this is the race to run. This … MORE
If you’re a 50 stater or looking for a beautiful, warm (but not hot, perfect temps, warming by finish) to run in November, this is the race to run. This was my 3rd time, I’ve PR’d here once, got a second best time here and debuted my 16y daughter at one. This is amazing. You go to the top of the canyon in the dark and watch the sun come up and light the volcanic park beautifully. The first 2-3 miles feel flat but are net downhill, then the canyon really starts. Blazing fast downhills through the petrified sand dunes and volcanic fields. The sun lights the red rock in a stunning way. You tear through the park, temps are cool to cold but you’re fine as you are running. At mile 8 you come out of the canyon and the real work starts. It’s neighborhood running on flat bike trail or street with rollers for a solid 5 miles with some steep but short uphill climbs. Hold on and you can still PR. You finish on the high school track with all your family waiting. Chocolate milk and huge muffins at the finish. Got a finisher’s hat and a huge metal. Gu on the course which is nice. Age group awards are incredible. Huge piece of pottery (decreasing size for 1st, 2nd, 3rd), gift card for shoes at local running store, some other swag. Expo isn’t big so you can be quick. Fly into Vegas and drive 2ish hours, fly into SLC and drive 4.5h or fly from SLC for $200 round trip. Lots of places to stay. LOVE this race. Will run over and over again!!
One of the Prettiest Races Anywhere
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 … MORE
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.