At the Moab 240 Ultra-run: Candice’s race

Candice’s profession is organizing long-distance runs.  And when we say “long distance,” we mean, like, some of them are unworldly LONG DISTANCE!

This year she has a new race, in Moab, UT.

The name of the race is the Moab 240.  Want to guess what 240 stands for? 

Answer:  You guessed it---miles.

Not only is the distance unworldly, but the organization and effort needed to pull something like this off is unworldly.

First, and probably most telling about the effort needed is that it is a circular route.  In other words, there is no repetition anywhere on the 240 miles. Candice spent weeks exploring miles and miles of trails and roads in order to create the route.  The route goes close to Canyonlands National Park and Arches National Park, so there are spectacular views along the race.   The route also goes up into the La Sal Mountains, so it ranges from desert to mountain terrain.  As if 240 miles isn’t challenging enough the runners also have to do a LOT of climbing on rocky trails. 

Another implication of the fact that it is a circular route is that aid stations cannot be re-used.  All of the aid stations are used for only one spot on the route.

Third, this means that the aid stations cannot just be placed in convenient places much of the time.  For one aid station, in fact, a jeep club had to be hired to get to it. 

Fourth, the course marking is a major effort.  She and her crew cannot just mark, say, 40 miles, and then reuse that 40 miles six times.  The entire route has to be clearly marked.  And then, after the race, all of the course markings need to be removed.  There is a crew that does nothing but remove all course markings. 

Food, water, first aid, communications, beds, blankets, etc., have to be at each aid station, with generators and tents for sleeping.  One thing Candice does that we believe makes a big difference is that she has honest to goodness real food at the aid stations.  There aren’t just tables with a variety of power bars.  They cook hot meals.  And do their best to accommodate special dietary needs.

We have found this to be a necessity on our organized bike rides.  In fact, we have gotten to the point where it is better for us to cart along our own food, as much as possible, rather than eating the foot at rest stops.  After 100 miles of cycling it is not the time to ask your body to be able to handle a new kind of food.

The aid stations also have sleeping facilities---tents, cots, blankets, etc.  The race is 5 days and 4 nights.  Runners are not forced to sleep at just one or two aid stations, but instead have choices depending on their own needs.  (and to be clear, when we say they "sleep" what we mean is an hour cat-nap here and there, not anything like a full night's sleep).  But to accommodate all of their schedules and progress it means there is a lot of equipment at each of the aid stations, and a lot of people at each one to make sure everything is done for the runners. 

So every detail conceivable is taken care of.  She has an awesome crew, including Garrett of course, and Kristal, and a large number of people who volunteer simply because they believe in the effort and because they like being around the energy that is there.

Here are some photos of the start line:

You can see that this is no small operation.

Here is Candice giving race instructions the evening before the start of the race:

Our job was to sell merchandise at the start line.  It was fun.  The runners and their crews were so excited.  We have been to some of her other races, and find the other people to be very nice.  And everybody is there because they want to be.  There is an energy that they exude that is hard to describe. They all know they are in for a very rough time, but they are upbeat about it. 

After hanging around for a day after the race started, and taking a nice hike, we headed out to a spot along the route about 150 miles into the race, along a 4-W drive road 25 miles or so south of Moab. 

We set up a little “cheering station,” which we lit up during the night (there were 8-10 runners who were already at the 150 mile marker of the 240 miles about 50 hours into the race---you can do the math). 

The night was VERY cold.   But the runners trudged on through it, with only their headlamps for light.  A few mentioned the cold, but they weren't whining about it---just saying what their experience had been like.

Meanwhile, in the camper, under 6 layers of blankets, we were STILL COLD (and, yes, in contrast to them, I was whining about it!!).

Then, the next day we clapped and cheered for a large number of runners.  Some we had met, most we had not previously met. 

An observation:  At mile 150 almost all of the runners looked relatively fresh, even though they were anything but fresh.  One man passed us, pointing to his elbow, and said:  "That's the only place that doesn't hurt!"  Still with a sense of humor after all of that effort.  Wow.  Another commented on what a good meal he had at the previous rest station, so we asked if he needed a glass of Chianti to go along with it.  He actually gave it serious thought, before deciding not to.  So, I had to drink it---my contribution to his success. 

Most of the time we could jot down the bib numbers of the runners we saw.  We wanted to see their finish times.  We wanted everybody to finish!

We are excited about finding out how it went for them.

They were truly inspiring.  A big thank you to them.  And a hearty congratulations to everyone who started the race.


With Candice at the start line.....