Moab Trail Marathon,
Half Marathon,
10K Adventure Run
and Kids K

Race Dates: November 2nd & 3rd, 2024.
Registration Opens March 1st, 2024.
2024 USATF Trail Half Marathon National Championships!
Host of the Collegiate Trail Running Championships 2024!

An unforgettable voyage through some of the world’s most scenic and unique lands. Try it!

EVENT INFORMATION

Race Date: November 2nd & 3rd, 2024

We are happy to announce that we will again be running Sundays 1/2 Marathon in addition to the traditional Saturday Races. So, you may run the 1/2 marathon on either Saturday or Sunday (same course, same support, but two separate awards.)  If you want to run the Marathon, 10K or Kids K- they will be offered on Saturday only.

We added the Sunday 1/2 Marathon since Saturdays 1/2 Marathon fills up very early. Please note that all Saturday’s races will likely fill up by early June. There will be a waitlist but please try to sign up early! We expect Sundays 1/2 Marathon to be open until early October (and Sunday’s entry fee is considerably less!).

Location

Event takes place in the spectacular and beautiful Kane Creek Canyon area near Moab, Utah.

Directions to Race Venue/Packet Pick-up/Start/Finish: Heading south on Main Street Moab, turn right on Kane Creek Blvd which is at the McDonald’s.
Continue, staying left at the one fork after about a mile, to continue on Kane Springs Road. You’ll follow
alongside the Colorado River for just over 3 miles until the road turns from pavement to dirt. The venue/start/finish area is in the Kane Creek parking lot, on the right. Packet pickup parking will be just beyond the venue area between 2pm and 6pm on Friday.

Race Day Parking:
NO on-site parking on race days (Saturday or Sunday). All participants must take the shuttle to/from the start or be dropped off by friend/family member. Shuttles will leave from the south side of HMK Elementary School (located at North 400 East and Mi Vida.) Please park at the school, Swanny Park, along the streets near the school, or designated parking lots (but not on private property).

Additional Shuttle & Dropoff Information (PDF for printing)

Registration Information:

Register at RunSignUp.com. Registration limited to the first 900 to sign up for each day. Register early! (Elite runners, please contact race director if you need more time to sign up, we will save some spots for elite runners!)

Your Registration includes an incredible course (fully marked), Chip Timing, t-shirt, goodie bag, aid stations on course with water and snacks, post event soup and snacks, a finishers medal and mug, Sponsor “swag” to top 3 M/F overall in each race, prizes to top age group finishers (10 year age-group increments, M/F) in the marathon and half marathon, $6600 cash purse shared between top Half Marathon Finishers, a chance to be titled the “Half Marathon National Champion” (overall and age group).

A portion of your entry fee will be donated to local non-profit organizations, including the Humane Society of Moab Valley, Grand County Search & Rescue, Trail Mix and Community Rebuilds.

Note that Saturday’s races have filled by mid-June the last 4 years.

ENTRY FEES

Saturday Nov 2nd: Marathon, 1/2 Marathon, 10K, Kids’ K:
Sign Up-by Date March 1st-March 31st April 1st-June 30th July 1st-October 30th Limits
Marathon $155 $165 $175 700
Half Marathon $115 $125 $135 1050
10K $85 $95 $105 250
Kids K $45 $55 $60 50
*Note that all Saturday events have filled up by mid-June the last 4 years.
Sunday Nov. 3rd: Half Marathon only:
Sign Up-by Date March 1st-March 31st April 1st-June 30th July 1st-Race Day (or capacity reached)
Half Marathon $95 $105 $115 1175
Click here for Refund, Deferral & Transfer policies (printable PDF).

Start Times

Saturday

7:45-8am: Marathoners, waves 5 minutes apart

8:30am: Kids K

10am-10:20: Half Marathon, waves 5 minutes apart

10:35am: 10K

Sunday

8am-8:40am:
Half Marathon, waves 10 minutes apart

 

Cutoff Times & Suggested Qualifying Standards: Click for Info

1st

Packet Pick-Up

Packet pick-up will be at the race venue at Kane Creek Parking Lot on Friday November 1st from 2pm-6pm.  Saturday runners can pick up their packet on Saturday morning starting at 6:45am and Sunday runners can pick up their packets on Sunday morning starting at 7:15am.

*Runners that pick up their packets on Friday will get a coupon for free Fries or Shake at Milts!

Additional Participant Information

 

 

Click Here for Pre-Race Info Click Here for Race-Day/Course/Safety Info

 

 

 

 

 

Course Descriptions

Marathon: Set a PR for your WOW factor on this course! This course is unique and wild. The canyons around Moab are unlike anywhere in the world, and this course conquers some of the most spectacular! You will travel through narrow canyons with spectacular vertical walls on both sides and along the rim-tops of deep canyons with spectacular vistas every direction. The terrain changes frequently to keep the miles clicking and includes narrow single-track, rugged jeep trails, sandy washes, ‘Moab-style slickrock’, a short section of dirt road, a few sections of no-track, a very old mining trail and a couple sections of fixed line traverse. Views will take your breath away, and include the spectacular red rocks of “Behind the Rocks Wilderness” and “Amasa Back” area, also view the sheer vertical walls of Pritchett, Hunter and Kane Creek Canyons and views into Canyonlands National Park. In the distance are the beautiful 12,000 foot La Sal Mountains. You’ll pass by several arches, lots of lizards, some really cool and funny looking rocks, possible eagles and hawks, some neat ancient pictographs, a couple small creeks and springs, and our friendly aid station volunteers who will be there to hydrate and fuel you in some of the craziest spots! The elevation gain and loss is about 3500 ft. There are two major climbs, one at the beginning which is nice and gradual, and one just after the ½ way point which is shorter and steeper. There are several other short climbs and descents throughout the course. The top runners will run all but the fixed rope section and are expected to finish in less than 4 hours. Average runners will do a combo of running with a bit of walking and are expected to finish in the 5 to 6 hr range. If you want to feel ecstatic and in awe after a race, then this one is for you!

½ Marathon: The ½ Marathon course follows the first 9 miles of the Marathon Course. Then you’ll get a break, technically but not physically as you’ll climb up the switchbacks of Kane Creek Road, then back down where you’ll enter the depths of Kane Creek Drainage. This unique canyon is rarely travelled but absolutely beautiful. Most of the canyon is runable and along hard packed sand with a bit of water. Some sections are on single-track along the shore and other sections through deeper water (not more than knee deep, unless the Beavers go to work before the race!) You’ll travel about a mile through the canyon, and then along the dirt road for a ½ mile and a final 1/2 mile of fun single track to the finish. Click here for race map and profile.

10K: We are excited to offer a 10K for the first time in 2023! This course starts on a dirt road for about ¾ mile with vertical walls on both sides, including the ‘Tombstone’ rock where you might see base jumpers taking the leap. It then descends into a small canyon and crawls out and up up up the Amasa Back jeep road, or “Cliffhanger” as it’s better known. You will reach the aid station at the top, about mile 3. Then you will run along the edge of a cliff looking down into the Jackson Hole with glimpses of the Colorado River. Stay away from the edge if you’re afraid of heights, it’s spooky in places. The fun starts as you descend Jackson Trail, a narrow singletrack along the edge of a beautiful canyon with views of the Colorado River and the finish line below. Be careful on this trail, it’s amazing but exposed. One last crossing of Kane Creek and a short steep hill and you’ll arrive at the finish.

Kids K: Kids love it! Parents love it! This is an adventure 1K, not your ordinary dash. Our elite runner ‘guide’ will lead the Kids to the start and they will they will run onto the singletrack and down to a narrow bridge, across the creek to the base of the canyon wall next to neat grottos and along a tricky technical section adjacent the creek, under a ‘canopy’ then again crossing the creek and running through the ‘jungle’ and up a short steep hill to the finish. Challenging for kids, but so much fun! Parent/guardian may join their kids. There is no fee, but they must sign waiver at check-in.

PRIVATE PROPERTY NOTICE:
Attention Runners: Two sections of the course cross private property. Please do not travel on these sections. Travel on these sections are allowed ONLY on race day for registered runners within the cutoffs. Anyone caught on these sections otherwise will be charged with trespassing.

The two sections are Mile 14-16 of the Marathon, and the section between the two fixed lines which are Mile 2 of the 10k and Mile 25 of the Marathon.

Thank you for respecting.

 Awards and Prize Money

 

MARATHON AWARDS:

Finishers’ mug and medal to all finishers within the cutoff. Special prize to the top M/F in the following divisions: 19 & under, 20-29, 30-39, 40-49, 50-59, 60-69, 70-79, 80+. Top 3 M/F finishers will get a swag-bag filled with goodies from our sponsors.

 

HALF MARATHON AWARDS

Saturday and Sunday Half: Finishers’ mug and medal to all finishers within the cutoff. Special prize to the top M/F in the following age divisions: 19 & under, 20-29, 30-39, 40-49, 50-59, 60-69, 70-79, 80+. Top 3 m/f will get a swag bag filled with goodies from our sponsors.

AND Saturday USATF Trail Half Marathon Championships: also eligible for beautiful championship medals to top 10 overall and top 3 to age-group over 40 in 5-year increments. AND: $6600 Cash Prize Purse! As follows: top 5 overall M/F– 1st: $800, 2nd: $650, 3rd: $550, 4th: $450, 5th: $350 and top m/f masters: $350 and grand master: $150. AND Saturday Collegiate Trail Championship awards to top Collegiate Team (fastest combined time of teams top 2 male and female finishers) and top 3 m/f individual collegiate finishers.

10K AWARDS:

Finishers mug and medal to all finishers within the cutoff. Swag bag filled with goodies from our sponsors to top 3 M/F overall. No age-group awards for the 10k.

KIDs K AWARDS:

  • Medal and mug for all Kids K finishers.

There will be an AWARDS TENT set up in the finish area venue where you can swing by and pick up your awards and have your picture taken. Awards will be ready to give out approximately 40 minutes after you finish, to allow for all the waves chip times to be taken into account. Overall awards are based on clock time and only those participants in the first wave of their event are eligible. (7:45 for the marathon, 10am for the Saturday Half, 8 am for the Sunday Half, and 10:35am for the 10k). Please request to be in the first wave of your event if you think you have a chance for top 3!

USATF National Championship Half Marathon AWARDS Ceremony will be at 1:30pm at the stage next to the awards table. All USATF members in the Half Marathon 10am wave are eligible, please join USATF before the race. Prize money as well as USATF medals for overall and age groups will be handed out at this time.

 

Travel Info and Related Links



Tripadvisor Vacation
Rental Info


Milt’s Stop N Eat
For Good Food
Click for Lodging
For Local Info
and Lodging

Bighorn Lodge

Bighorn Lodge is offering
a special discount rate for
the race. Mention “Moab
Trail Marathon”

Worldmark Affiliate – 20% Off for participants  Gonzo Inn – 20% Off for participants

Supporters of the Moab Trail Marathon

Non-Profit Beneficiaries & Recipients