Top of Utah Marathon @ Mile 13!

Saturday I had the opportunity to serve as a volunteer at the mile 13 aid station for the 10th annual Top of Utah Marathon. This year over 2,100 runners registered for the event, and over 1,700 finished, ranging in age from 14 to 77! The 26.2 mile race is a great opportunity to test your physical and mental toughness, join hundreds of volunteers in service, or just watch and cheer on all of the participants along the way. over the 10 year history of the TOU, I have completed it twice, and volunteered for it twice. Helping at an aid station is the next best thing to running in it, as you get to help out and encourage all of the participants up close and personal! I think, however, that I may consider actually running it again next year :-) My day started when the alarm went off at 04:30 so I could get the papers delivered in time. Then I headed toward Blacksmith Fork Canyon. The two lane highway was scheduled to close to motor vehicle traffic at 6 am in preparation for the race.

This aid station is staffed by Skyview High School volunteers. There are a couple of teachers in our ward, so it is usually a mix of teachers & families and 13th ward members. There was also a first aid station, a ham radio communication station, the timing chip reader,

and the very popular porta-potties (personalized?)

It was a beautiful morning for a race - cool, but not too cold, with a slight tailwind coming down the canyon. The second half of the race winds through various valley communities, ending at a local park. Cloud cover and a few sprinkles of rain here and there helped keep temperatures from warming up too much at the finish area.

Participants began arriving at the start area by 6 am in the pre-dawn light via school shuttle-buses. The wheelchair division began at 6:55 am, and the runners were off by 7 am at the sound of a black powder muzzle-loader.

By this time we were setting up tables and preparing countless cups of water, gatorade,

sliced fruit,

and donuts?

Back at the finish area, the 5K race began at 7:30 am. Keri, Landon, Kim, Kristi, Amie, Justin, and Annie all participated in the "fun run".

Does it look like they had fun?!

The first wheelchair participants flew past mile 13 shortly after 7:30 am. The lead runner, Ezekiel Ruto, came through our station at about 1:09 into the race - that is a sub 5:30 average per mile time! He went on to win the race with a time of 2:22:57!After the first "wave" of serious runners...

going for "PR" times had passed through,

we noticed that the runners were smiling more, more relaxed and conversational,

often expressing gratitude for our help.

A celebrity "candidate" even stopped by to lighten things up...

by handing out some "Obama-Ade!"

As the runners became fewer and farther between,

some appeared to be in pain, many walking, and a few just stopped to contemplate if half of a marathon was enough for them.

After the last participant was accounted for, we cleaned up the station and started down the canyon.

I then went to the finish area

to take in some of the post-race festivities and spirit.

There can only be one overall champion, but in my book, everyone who participated - even the DNF'ers, are all winners!