The Moab Trail Marathon, held Saturday, Nov. 3, served as the 2012 USA Trail Marathon National Championships. The race featured a highly competitive field on both the men’s and women’s sides, but it was Cody Moat (right, Chris Hunter), 34 of Fillmore, Utah and Kerri Lyons of Salt Lake City who emerged victorious from the slickrock, sand and rocky trails on a beautiful fall morning in this renowned high desert playground. The second year race, directed by Danelle Ballengee, launched from the Prichard Canyon trailhead.
Moat, a former track athlete at Southen Utah University, has acquired a reputation as an exceptionally tough competitor after collecting the 2012 Spartan Race World Championship title. Compared to the extreme obstacles (flames, barbed wire, mud pits, electric fences and more) of a Spartan Race, a day on the sandy Utah trails looks like a walk in the park. Moat says he sees the trail as a place to just let go, and he rolled to the Trail Marathon title in 3 hours, 8 minutes, 26 seconds.
Justin Ricks of Pueblo West, Colo. and Jason Bryant of Elkin, N.C. took the pace out conservatively, leading to a second place finish for Ricks, 32, in 3:14:39 and a third place finish, as well as a Masters win, for Bryant, 40, in 3:17:06.
On the women’s side, Kerri Lyons (left), 24, changed from the half to full marathon just the day before the race. Lyons has had great success on the roads this year, including a 35 minute-10K, 59 minute-10 miler, and second place finish at the XTERRA National Trail Championships in September. In just her third trail race ever, she ran to the women’s trail marathon title in 3:27:46.
Megan Kimmel, 32, took second in 3:32:06 for her third podium finish this year. Kimmel was runner up at the USA Half Marathon Trail Championships in June and claimed the national title at the 10K distance in August (Continenta Divide Trail Race). US Mountain Team members Michele Suszek and Melody Fairchild took third and fourth, and Kristi Anderson, 42, won the women’s Masters title.
2nd Moab Trail Marathon: USA Trail Marathon National Championships
Moab, UT, Saturday, November 3, 2012
MEN
1) Cody Moat, 34, Fillmore, UT, 3:08:26, $400
2) Justin Ricks, 32, Pueblo West, CO, 3:14:39, $300
3) Jason Bryant, 40, Elkin, NC, 3:17:06, $200
4) Kalib Wilkinson, 28, Flagstaff, AZ, 3:20:22, $100
5) Ryan Bak, 31, Bend, OR, 3:22:24, $50
WOMEN
1) Kerri Lyons, 24, Salt Lake City, UT, 3:27:46, $400
2) Megan Kimmel, 32, Silverton, CO, 3:32:06, $300
3) Michele Suszek, 30, Littleton, CO, 3:37:10, $200
4) Melody Fairchild, 39, Boulder, CO, 3:43:37, $100
5) Stephanie Howe, 29, Bend, OR, 3:44:35, $50
For full race results, visit: http://usatf.org/Events—Calendar/2012/USA-Marathon-Trail-Championships.aspx