By Joe Jurczyk | American Trail Running Association
Temperatures in the low 50s greeted runners at the start of the USATF Half Marathon Trail Championships in beautiful Moab, Utah on Saturday, November 8. The first wave of runners headed out on the course at 9:45 a.m., including all of the USATF runners which numbered nearly 80. Temperatures rose incrementally throughout race morning, but with little wind and low humidity, the conditions were nearly ideal for what turned out to be a course-record setting day.
The course
The race start was at Moab’s Pritchett Canyon entrance with runners heading up Pritchett Canyon trail for 5.7 miles, before connecting to Hunter Canyon Rim trail (1.8 miles). The route proceeded along the Hunter Canyon Rim single-track and down to Kane Creek Road (2.2 miles). After a right hand turn, runners continued up the infamous Kane Road switchbacks for about a mile, then back down to the Hymasa singletrack into the depths of Kane Creek drainage. Winding for one mile in the drainage area, the runners exited at the Amasa Back parking lot for another ½ mile dirt road before the final ½ mile of singletrack with two crossings of Kane Creek before the finish. In a word…exhilirating.
Men’s race
Defending champion Christian Allen was the clear favorite after last year’s dominant win in a course record time of 1:19:02 The 28-year-old from Orem, Utah eclipsed that performance with a time of 1:18:09 for the win and a new course record at this year’s race. Perennial USATF Champion at multiple distances, Andy Wacker, 37, Boulder, CO, finished runner-up in a time of 1:20:28, while Camren Todd, 26, Kaysville, UT, completed the podium in 1:21:23.
Women’s race
Not to be outdone, it was a course record for the women’s race with Tayler Tuttle, 29, Longmont, CO, besting last year’s CR set by Allie McLaughlin by more than two minutes. Tuttle’s time of 1:32:23, was well ahead of second-place finisher Camila Noe, 25, Bozeman, MT, in 1:37:15. Rounding out the top three was Alicia Vargo, 43, Breckenridge, CO, timed in 1:38:47, which also placed her first in the masters age division (over 40).
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