Rob Hall
Saint George Marathon, St. George, UT
October 4, 2008

After staying a night in Las Vegas, it was a short two hour trip up to Saint George for the expo on Friday.  The expo was easy to find and they had the packet and swag (great looking long sleeve black technical shirt, poster, bumper sticker, and the chip was also a souvenir) in the back as normal.  A very nice couple working the distribution of stuff told me that the weather was going to be very cold and rainy for the hour plus I had to wait for the race to start.  They suggested I get some trash bags and it is funny that no one sells them at the expo.  The hot new item I saw was the “Fuel Cell Hat or Visor”.  It had little straps that hold gel packs on the hat.

After the expo, my wife and I drove back to Mesquite Nevada (about 45 minutes down I-15) to check into the Falcon Ridge Inn.  It was just like a Hampton Inn and unlike the hotels in St. George we only had to pay for one night instead of three.  We had dinner at a local sports bar and went to the Wal Mart for a $5 long sleeve shirt to toss and some 40 gallon trash bags.  We did not venture around Mesquite because we needed to get to bed ASAP.

We got up at 2:15 AM PST (earliest time yet to awaken for a race) and left the hotel by 3 AM PST.  We got into St. George around 4:45 AM MST and found parking at a local stadium near the bus pick-up area.  You had to take a bus to the start of the race and they did a great job with the number of runners they had (entry cap at 7,000 with 5,030 finished).  I left my wife, who went back to the car to sleep, and got on a bus in about five minutes.  It took about 40 minutes to get up to the start.

It was around 5:30 AM MST when I got off the bus and entered the starting area.  I crossed the start line on a two lane rural highway and made my way to the waiting area.  The right side of the road was a line of port-o-johns as far as the eye can see and the left side was a double line of camp fires.  They had some lights near the johns and I went over to them to fix my belt and put the trash bag on (best money I ever spent on race gear).  I then went to the camp fires for warmth as I heard the announcement that they needed a doctor to come to first aid as someone got an ember in the eye.  I ignored the warning in my head to stay away from the fire as I was really cold and getting wet.
The three day out weather forecast was a low of 60, a high of 78, and a 30% chance of rain.  I did not think it would rain because it is in the desert and it has never rained on the race in 31 years.  The weather at the start was 47F, raining, and wind gusts up to 20 mph.  The weather at the finish was 57F, raining, and wind gusts up to 10 mph.  The temperature was an improvement over the forecast but the rain and wind was not.

I waited sitting on the ground inside my trash bag by the fire for an hour.  I got up as they started the wheelchairs at 6:40 AM MST and made my way to the mass of people getting ready for the start.  The herd started to move forward and I removed my bag and joined in.  I never heard the start, but I was soon crossing the line.  I went off road for my first walk break (doing five and ones) and almost broke my neck in the dark.  I just went to the edge of the road after that.  I started to make out the cloud cover around mile three, and I wished I could have seen the sunrise.  The course elevation was 5,240 feet at the start, 2,680 feet at the end, for a drop of 2,560 feet.  Miles 6 and 16 had a 6% down grade and I ended up with a 7:30 and 8:20 pace.  There was a good bit of uphill and mile 11 went uphill more than Lassiter Mill Road.

I crossed the half way point at just under two hours and started the section of rolling hills (3/4 mile down and then a ¼ mile up).  Snow Canyon had the first real spectators (besides a few ranchers and horses) and I gave a few kids a high five.  It turned all downhill after mile 20 and I averaged around an 8:30 pace to mile 25.  I entered St. George around mile 24 and it got flat in town.  I cursed the guy who said just a mile to go (around mile 24.5) and called him a liar.  I was probably low on blood sugar and starting to hit the wall, but I kept the legs moving and gave up on the walk breaks for the last 2 miles.  I normally have enough left to pass people on the final stretch, but I had nothing left and got passed as I crossed the line.

I set a new PR for the second time this year with a chip time of 3:56:09 and completed my 10th state.  The sandstone medal was one of the best I have gotten and it was interesting to see all the different colors as they sat on the racks.  A few people actually looked over the medals to pick a color and pattern.  I looked for someone to take the chip till I remembered it was a souvenir and moved into the food area.  I told the guy who handed me a nutty buddy ice cream cone that he was an angel.  It was a great treat as I hobbled my way to the car.  The next best thing was dry clothing and a seat in the car.  I was now ready to find our hotel in Vegas and take a warm shower.  You know what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas.