Spectrum 10K

I tried to sign up for the St. George Marathon last year and did not get in. If you are not a Washington County resident, there are very few options other than putting in for the lottery which gives you a 50% chance of being selected for entry. One of the options is the Utah Runner's Series, where you have to participate in 2 Utah runs during the year, and if you do then you get automatic entry in the St. George Marathon.

I entered the Runner's Series and the first run I needed to complete was this morning. It was the Spectrum 10K, which was held in Ivan's Utah, which is right outside of St. George. I drove up last night with my second oldest and we stayed in a hotel. Amazingly, this was the artwork on the hotel wall.



My friend Chris Jolly has in-laws who live in St. George. They were gracious enough to watch my daughter while I ran the race. The race directors bussed the participants to the starting line in the canyon. We ran through the canyon, into Ivans, through the neighborhoods of the town, and ended up finishing at the Church on Main Street (how small town is that?). I set a goal for 50 minutes, which would require 8-minute miles for the entire 6.2 miles. Chris' 11-year-old son ran with us. They set a goal of 56 minutes. I crossed the finish line at 47:46, and Chris and his son came in at 53:30. Chris' son (who again is only 11) took 3rd in the 11-14 age division. He could not have been more happy. Everyone was very pleased with the times they turned in. Chris says he is going to enter the Spectrum every year. After today I think I may join him.

Here we are soaking up the glory after the finish.



After the run I went back to the hotel and changed. Then ate at my favourite place in St. George, a little Mongolian BBQ spot. After that I took my daughter to "Fiesta Fun" for a ride on the bumper boats and a round of miniature golf. I think my daughter will drive Tiffany crazy with requests to go there every time we pass through St. George (which is something we do several times a year).