Race Report: The Other Half

Outdoor Sports Guide made the drive to Moab last weekend to participate in The Other Half, a fantastic fall half marathon celebrating its 10th year running. The scenery, weather, and organization was unbelievable, and I'd definitely recommend this race to others. 

Before I share my personal experience, here are the stats on the winners of this incredible race. 

Other Half Winner

Salt Lake City runner Nathan Krah won by a landslide with a winning time of 1:11:53. Mickey Wilson of Heber City, Utah finished second in 1:14:34 and Marty Wacker from Grand Junction, Colorado,  placed third in 1:18:12. 

Kara Henry of Boulder, Colorado topped the female finishers with a time of 1:24:44, with second place going to Lindsay Walsh out of Park City, Utah with a time of 1:28:08. Granville Wilson, the oldest race participant at the age of 83, came in at 2:38:34. 

Along the course

It was my first year participating in the race, and the friend I had originally planned to run with couldn't come down for as long a we'd planned, so I invited another friend to participate at the last minute. Rachael registered just before the 7:00 p.m. day-before cut off because she wasn't quite sure about running it, having done essentially no training and running a max of 6 miles as her furthest prior distance. Still, she and I have been besties for the better part of 15 years, and I knew she could handle it, so I encouraged her to sign up. (Spoiler alert: She killed it.)

The night before we carbed up at Pasta Jay's, my favorite pasta joint around with portions built for

Chilly 40 degree start. 

giants. Rachael and I shared a mammoth-sized bowl of pasta, and reloaded our garlic bread bowl to really top off our carbs Whether you're a big carb-loader or not, I can attest to the difference it makes for me over long distances, but only when done right. One bowl of pasta isn't enough.

Instead, I ascribe to a two-day 80% carb diet preceding long races and this helps me not get hungry on course. After a terrible hitting the wall experience during my third half marathon when I didn't appropriately card-load, I learned it's a necessity for me. 

Back to the race. We tent camped at Slickrock Campground (I know, I know...developed campgrounds aren't "real" camping, but potties and proximity to the race shuttle seemed more important in this case.) and awoke at 5, packed up our campsite, drank our coffee-coconut water combo drinks, and drove to our shuttle stop. The shuttle system was superior to most I've seen at races. The buses were waiting when we arrived and as each one filled they left for the course. No waiting in the cold, no hassle. The ride up the canyon from the back of the bus was a bit nauseating, but not much can be done about that. More reasons I don't eat before I run. 

Start line

The temperature was a brisk 40 degrees at the top of the canyon when we got off the bus so we kept our sweats on until the gear bag truck started to drive away. Coffee and fire barrels kept runners warm at the start, and we used the warm-up trail to walk and get our muscles loose. The Taiko drummers pumped us up at the start and we were off and running when the gun went off.

Gorgeous course

At first I wondered if wearing shorts was a bad idea since everyone around me seemed to be sporting tights, but as we started to run I quickly warmed up and was thankful for my shorts as temperatures rose to the high 60s. The course started with moderate downhills and I ran with my friend Rachael for the first 4 miles. The scenic course made for beautiful running and frequent water and Gatorade stops kept us fueled. At mile four I picked up the pace, knowing a huge hill awaited me at mile 7.

Top of Mile 7 hill

The elevation chart was not exaggerating about the hill...but thankfully training in steep Millcreek helped me maintain a steady pace going up. At that point I needed Gatorade and I did some serious rehydration and music shuffling before continuing from the top. 

I lost a bit of time climbing here so I quickened my pace from then on in an effort to achieve my 2:10 goal time. 

Top of the final hill!

Something that makes The Other Half unique are the Taiko drummers at the top of the final hill on mile 11.

This was great motivation to push to the finish! I sped up for the final miles down, finishing right at my 2:10 goal at the Sorrel River Ranch and Resort. I was stoked to receive my bottle opener finisher medal, and I found it brilliant that they put magnets on the back to hang it on your fridge.

Don't get between a half marathon finisher and brownies!

After I crossed the finish line I visited the refueling station for a banana, PB & J, and a sinfully delicious chocolate brownie celebrating the race's 10th birthday. I went back to the finish line to snap pictures of Rachael coming in, but missed her finish because she was so fast! She finished in 2:30! Wow. 

Over 1100 racers finished the 13.1-mile course, and many stayed to relax and listen to live music by The Swashbuckling Doctors, followed by an awards ceremony. Microbrew beer from Moab Brewery was free for racers, and we all received a fantastic Other Half pint glass to keep. 

Shuttles back down the canyon following the race took FOREVER, but that was the fault of road construction, not race planning. 

Finishers!

I loved this race and nabbing my finish time felt amazing, but the highlight of the day was watching my friend Rachael finish her first half marathon. We have been through nearly every stage of life together from the awkward teenage years to adulthood and though we've both grown and changed so much, it's only made us better friends. Running her first 10K with her this summer and her first half  this weekend was quite simply, an honor. She's a beautiful person and celebrating her accomplishing a goal feels even better than reaching mine. (I'm also thrilled to have a fellow distance running addict I can now convince to travel to distant races with me.)

Awards ceremony

To sum up, The Other Half is a challenging, scenic half marathon race with efficient organization and awesome volunteers that help the whole thing go smoothly. It's not the easiest course you'll ever do, but who only wants to run the easy races anyhow? Whether you're from Salt Lake City or across the nation, this run is worth traveling for.

I hope to do The Other Half again in the coming years! Here's to another 10 years! 

Results

Bottle opener medal!

Top 5 Overall Finishers - Male

Nathan Krah 1:11:53 Salt Lake City, UT

Mickey Wilson 1:14:34 Heber City, UT

Marty Wacker 1:18:12 Grand Junction, CO

Matthew Sheldon 1:21:46 Durango, CO

Peter Hendrickson 1:22:48 Salt Lake City,UT

Top 5 Overall Finishers - Female

Kara Henry 1:24:44 Boulder, CO

Lindsay Walsh 1:28:08 Park City, UT

Lynette Clemons 1:30:39 Salida, CO

Amber Young 1:34:15 Albuquerque, NM

Heidi Lafaver 1:34:25 Golden, CO

Top Masters Finishers - Male

Patrick Rutty 1:24:59 Littleton, CO

Top Masters Finishers - Female

Ilana Stern 1:35:57 Durango, CO

Disclosure: The Moab Half Marathon provided me with a free entry to this race, but all opinions are my own.