The St. George Marathon starts at about 6:45 in the morning high in the mountains of Central Junction. I got up at about 3:30 a.m. to start to get ready. I was on the bus at 4:30 and at the start line at 5:15 where I waited patiently. It was about 60 F. at the start of the race - the warmest start in marathon history and as the sun came up and as we descended in altitude the temperature climbed. By the end of the race, running on the black pavement was like running in an oven.

The starting elevation is at 5,240 feet and the finishing elevation is at 2,680 feet but it is not all downhill. The first seven miles are pretty much down, then miles 8 through 12 are generally uphill then flat for a couple of miles before the serious descent starts at about mile 14. Downhill may seem easy but by the end of the race it can be painful.

Some quick facts about the St. George Marathon:

Voted "Most Organized" by Runner’s World Magazine survey. January 2010 issue
15th Largest Marathon In The USA
Listed in Runner’s World as the "Fastest Fall Marathon" and included as one of Runner’s World "10 Most Scenic Marathons and Top 20 In the USA."
And one of the "Cream of the Crop" marathons in the nation.
Runners from all over the USA & nine foreign countries were represented.
60% Male Runners - 40% Female Runners
63% Runners were from Utah - With California coming in second place at 12%
There are 37 Runner & Wheelchair Divisions to compete in.
18 Wheelchair and Hand Crank participants in 2010
Over 200,000 cups are used at 15 Aid Stations along the route.
Over 4,250 gallons of water and 1,960 gallons of Gatorade hydration drink are consumed.


The scenery along the way is very interesting. Most of these scenery pictures were obviously not taken on the day of the marathon (I may be crazy to run the marathon but I am not crazy enough to try to carry a camera.) Also, there are clouds in these skies - There were no clouds on the day we did the running.

This is just past the midway point where we are near the Veyo Volcano. For a geology buff this landscape would be fascinating with a variety of different rock types and geologic formations.

Yellow, Black, Green, Brown, Grey, White, Red and that is just the moods you feel over the course of the run.

Fall colors and cloudy skies, but on the day of the run it was nothing but a bright, unrelenting sun.

This is at about mile 14 and the scenery is fantastic. The first time I ran this marathon I reached this point of the race and I was afraid I had too much energy and so I was able to really open up for this downhill stretch. Since that time I have never had quite that much gas at this point but it always feels good to come around this corner and relax down the downhill stretch.

When I came to final stretch I wondered why the military men were standing along the inside of the barricade. If I had known they were offering rides I may have taken them up on it.

OK I may be running but it looks as if both feet are on the ground so I can't be going very fast. The end was in sight but, at this point, every step was a painful eternity.

I may be smiling but it is a forced smile or rather just a dazed silly grin. Actually, I was really extremely happy to be at the end of the race. It was one of the most painful experiences I have ever had and I was so very glad to be done.

Before and after the race we did some sight seeing - Here are some pictures:

The temple is an amazing brilliant white standing in contrast to the red cliffs and stark beauty of the landscape.

Did you know that one of the main reasons that the saints settled in Saint George was for cotton. They grew cotton here but not as successfully as they did in the southern states. That is why it is called Dixie. Brigham Young thought it was important for the saints to have their own supply of this important material particularly as the supply was interrupted by the civil war. They have cotton plants on the temple grounds and at the Brigham Young home.

Eileen really enjoyed her visit of the Brigham Young home in St. George. Did you know that St. George was named after George Albert Smith who was also known as Saint Potato. Apparently one winter when food was scarce he let his kids eat the white of the potatoes and he ate the skins. His kids got really sick but he was healthy so thereafter he often preached of the benefits of eating the whole potato so that he became known as Saint Potato. So when they were looking for a name of the community that he was such a prominent member of they named it after him but instead of calling it Saint Potato they combined the references to him and called it Saint George. At least that is how I understood the story.

This is the Jacob Hamblin Home in Santa Clara, just outside of St. George. We enjoyed learning a little more about this amazing early pioneer and seeing how he lived helped us gain an appreciation for what his life was like. It would seem though that he spent little time at home and most of his time on the trail.