Zion

To make the month of April even more fun, I joined Ben and Kelsey on a trip to Zion. Mallory, Owen, and Kelsey's neighbors Dan and Maria (and their son Lucas) and Kelsey's friend Meghan also came along. Kelsey planned on running a 100-mile run, Dan was doing the 100K, Maria was doing the 50K, Ben was doing the half-marathon, and Meghan, Ben, and I were all going to be pacing Kelsey for the last 50 miles of her run. 

We flew into Las Vegas on Thursday and drove to where we were staying in Apple Valley, UT. We could see the Start/Finish area from our house, but it took about 15 minutes to drive to it. The house is on 39 acres and has incredible views!

The running events didn't start until Saturday, so on Friday morning we drove out to Zion National Park, which was only about 45 minutes away. We did the Watchman Hike, which is about 3 miles long, right at the entrance to the park. Apparently, it's one of the most photographed mountains in the park!

Friday afternoon we went to the race expo and everyone collected their race bibs and dropped off whatever drop bags needed to be dropped off. The 100-miler started at 5:00am on Saturday and the 100-K started at 6:00am. It's not a very spectator-friendly course, but we were able to get to the aid station at the 25-mile mark. We got there way earlier than we needed to, but it was fun to watch all the runners coming through. 

Maria, Meg, and I...waiting for Kelsey and Dan

The Aid Stations were very organized!

Kelsey-headed back out with fresh shoes and refueled!

Dan, just coming in to the aid station area

This was the only place where it was possible to see both Kelsey and Dan. After they both went by, we headed back to the house for a little while before heading to the next aid station just before mile 52. (There were a lot of aid stations along the way- we just weren't allowed to go to them) At this point, Ben joined Kelsey and they ran miles 50-70 together.

Meg and Ben- waiting for Kelsey

They looped back around to the same aid station at mile 70, which is where I took over. We had a steep one-mile climb and did a fast walk for most of the 10 miles.

Once again, at the aid station way to early!

Beautiful sunset!

That's Kelsey and Ben coming into the aid station

Making a little video update

It was so so dark! There was no moon and so many stars. It was incredible. 

Meg took over at mile 80, which was about 12:30am. They finished the last 20 miles and Kelsey crossed the finish line just before 7:00am. Ben was there to great them. 

All the 100-mile finishes got to hit the gong!

Dan made it to mile 43 of his race but wasn't able to keep going after that. Ben and Maria both ran their races on Sunday. 

Lucas running with Maria (they are almost to the finish line!)

Dan's parents came along too, and they spent all day Saturday with the kids. The rest of the time, we tried to keep them entertained!

Mallory- doing jumping jacks as part of an obstacle course we created

Kelsey...after the race and before she made it to the shower, or her bed!

We spent the last day(Monday) back at Zion. We rode the shuttle bus to the end of the park, walked along the path to the Narrows, and then did a short hike to the Emerald Lakes. It was a beautiful day!

Lower Emerald Lake (from behind the waterfall)

The Virgin River

I'm standing on the stairs that are the start of the Narrows hike. The hike is only open if the water is flowing <150 cubit feet/sec. Today it is flowing at nearly 800!

Zion is such an incredible park and everything in this entire area is so beautiful. It's nearly impossible to look at it all and not see the beauty and creativity of our Creator. Nothing about this weekend made me want to run 100 miles but I definitely would spend more time in this area!