Utah

Utah. The land of mountains and desert. I had a difficult time deciding on a race in this beautiful state (there are so many!) and vacillated between running a summer mountain race such as Speedgoat, or a winter desert race in Moab.  I opted for Moab.  When I think of Utah I think of the red sandstone and slickrock that exists in Arches National Park as well as the several famous surrounding mountain bike trails. I think of the blue skies and red rock sunsets. I also think of world class skiing in Salt Lake City, which seemed like a great post race activity on my multiple day drive home. 

I drove to Moab in my camper and stayed at a nearby RV park. The race, put on by Mad Moose Events, was only 20 minutes away.  Mad Moose Events is a family owned race organization that puts on several races in eastern Utah and western Colorado. I have been following them for some time and heard good things. Sure enough they were very well organized and the race went on flawlessly. The swag was well designed and very colorful and it was fun to see everyone wearing the trucker's hats the following day around town and while exploring Arches National Park! 

I felt great during this race but it was cold!  The temperature started around 20 degrees and sun rarely peeked from the clouds keeping it fairly cold for me most of the day. I wore multiple layers and gloves and did not need to drink much water. The terrain varied from slick rock (I actually loved those sections although many people find them brutal on your body), single track, jeep roads and some short-lived (thankfully) deeper sand.  All of it was very beautiful and there were views of the La Sal mountains along with Arches National Park. When I was done I immediately wanted to go back and to keep exploring. There's something magical about Moab! The Mad Moose Events Triple Crown, or Destination Race Moab 240 may be in my future!