[GRPRun]: USATF Half Marathon Trail Championships

The 13th USATF Half Marathon Trail Running Championships were hosted in Moab, Utah on Saturday, November 4th, on a beautiful sunny morning, with temperatures in the upper 40s. The challenging course featured a mix of single track, dirt roads, steep ascents, and technical footing (including deep sand), climbing a total of 1,700 feet. The race attracted nearly 1000 runners, many of whom train (some professionally) in the Colorado/Utah area, which made for a stacked field. Meikael Beaudoin-Rousseau won the national title and set the men’s course record with a phenomenal time of 1:21:37. Bailey Kowalczyk led from start to finish and shattered the previous women’s course record with a time of 1:36:44.

The Green Racing Project Trail Team had a pretty good day. On the women’s side, Hannah Rowe crossed the finish line in 6th place for women with a time of 1:44:35, finishing her debut season on the trails. In her first official first half marathon and the shortest trail race she’s ever run, Elena Horton had a strong showing and secured 17th place for women with a time of 1:51:07. On the men's side, Steve Kerr had a strong race, finishing 25th place for men with a time of 1:37:43. Nigel Bates did not feel himself early on in the race and called it a day after 4 miles, but he’ll be back stronger than ever next time around. Overall, it was a memorable day at the Moab Half Marathon USATF Trail Running Championships. Congratulations to all the runners who participated in this exciting race!