State #44: Utah
State #44: Utah
Bryce Canyon Half Marathon
July 13, 2019
Bryce, Utah
Finished: 2:09:22
Pace: 9:53M
Overall Place: 44/807
Gender Place: 228/449
Division Place: 15/42
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Getting There
Tuesday: July is always my momma’s race. I always race on her passing day to celebrate her. This month it was Bryce Canyon Half marathon in Utah.
Boston has three non-stop flights to Salt Lake City (SLC) a day. The day she passed July 9th, was the day I was flying out. I decided to fly standby. I didn’t make it the first two times, 6:20 a.m, 3:25pm. The third time was a charmer, 5:16pm. And I was in Comfort + which meant free wine and extra snacks. Yeah!
First Stop:
I landed at 8:50pm. After getting the rental car I drove 4 hours to Moab, UT. I arrived at my hotel, Super 8 at 1 something in the a.m.- Wednesday
Moab
Wednesday: morning after my nap :), I wanted to explore Arches National Park( National Park #1). This place was amazing. I took my time driving through the park and getting out to explore the different arches and landscape.
Afterwards, I went to Negro Bill Canyon Trail which runs along the Colorado River. Yup, that’s correct. I was very disturbed by this name and I can’t believe the name has not been changed.
Then I explored downtown Moab and ate lunch at Food Truck Park. There is a lot of shopping, bars, restaurants, bookstores, and art in downtown Moab. It’s pretty lively.
Thursday: Got up and left at 5am for the 4 hour and 17 minute drive to Bryce National Park( National Park #2). I could have stayed here all day. Jaw dropping unbelievable. I’ve never seen anything like it. After hours of wonder and exploring I drove to my hotel, Bryce Canyon Inn which was 7 miles away. I didn’t realize that the racing route runs by the inn and it’s one of the pick up stops. Very convenient. The “cabin” was so cute and lovely.
After checking in and relaxing I drove to Mossy Cave, a couple of miles outside of Bryce National Park..
Friday: In the morning I drove to Zion National Park (National Park #3). It was 1 hour and 30 minutes away. Zion was massive and I couldn’t do it all, though I wanted to. I did hike up Angels Landing and meet and interacted with all the hikes and visitors. It was a challenge but the views were just breathe taking.
When I left I drove to Cannonville for packet- pick up. On my way there, I drove on the race route. I saw all the mile markers that I would pass on Saturday.
Packet-Pick was small, quick, and simple. This is a local race with less than 1,000 runners. There was not a lot of hopla.
Saturday: Race Day
“The Half Marathon starts at Ruby's Inn on Hwy 63, Bryce (elev. 7,652 ft.). The course heads north, then turns east onto National Scenic Byway 12. The route descends through Bryce Canyon National Park, through the town of Tropic, and ends in Cannonville (elev. 5,800ft.).” https://www.brycecanyonhalfmarathon.com
Race started at 6am and the shuttle picked us up at 5:00am. It was pitch black out and a cool 68 degrees.
The race was just outside of Bryce National Park. Because it was so early and dark, the race organizers had several firepits going. What was scary to me about this was the darkness and gravel. I couldn’t really see what was under me. I had to careful because I didn’t want to twist my ankle on a rock or something.
This race had 807 people for the half and 177 people for the 5k which started at 6:30a.m.
This was the first race that the star spangled banner was not played or sang- Side note
Course
It was beautiful to run along the highway and see the sunrise as it was coming over the Canyon .
As I ran down, I was just it awe. It was so beautiful and magical . The downhill for over 6 miles and the drop of over 1000 feet elevation was tough on my quads, thighs, and back. I could feel it. Then we started to incline up the road. By this time the sun was coming up and it was getting hot. This was a good challenge and just beyond scenic. I finished in good time and I’m proud of myself
Lots of highlights, the only low light was an insulting comment:
After the race, everyone is congratulating each other, taking pictures, and getting snacks. A random runner commented when I got done that “ I killed it”. I said thanks and moved on because I needed a beverage and I had to cool myself down.
Then this same man happen to get on the bus that I was on to be dropped off at our various hotels. Now I’m on the shuttle bus with over 85 people and I’m the only black women on this bus. This man said to me again “ You really killed it. Do you have some Kenyan in you?”. He was all smiles.
My thoughts: WTF, that was insulting and some racist shit that you just said to me, is what I wanted to say But I didn’t. On this journey this isn’t the first time that some has made some insulting comment about my race and my body. Ugh
In my passive aggressive way , I said, No, I don’t have Kenyan in me and many African-Americans that run probably don’t have Kenyan in them( said with a smile and a light laugh) , but I killed it because I’ve run two marathons, 49 half marathons, and I live in Boston. I looked smiled and walked away. That was my FU .
Always something.
Overall highlights: Visiting three national parks and running on a beautiful yet, challenging course that I would normally not have run.
