Race Info

RACE DATE:  SATURDAY, OCTOBER 14, 2023

Online registration for all events will remain open until midnight on October 12, 2023.  Onsite registration will be offered during packet pickup on October 13.  

STARTING TIMES

MARATHON:  7:30 A.M.  at Hill & Hollows in Boulder, Utah.

HALF MARATHON:  9:00 A.M. at Mile 13.1 of the Marathon course.

Both of these race courses will close at 1:30 p.m.  We know that some may finish after that, but please be aware that our safety personnel will only be available until course closure, which will mark the end of our liability.  We will, however, stay at the finish line until every runner has crossed it!

5K FUN RUN:  12:00 P.M. three miles up Pine Creek Canyon.

RACE ELIGIBILITY

Except for the 5K fun run, we cannot accept entries for participants to run with strollers, baby joggers, or other wheeled equipment, or to run with pets.

RACE SAFETY

Please Note:  For all races, the Escalante Canyons Marathon reserves the right to remove a runner from the course at any time if, in our judgment, the runner’s health or safety may be endangered through continued participation.

Also, be careful to note that we cannot close the Route 12 corridor for the ECM, as there is no alternative driving route between Boulder and Escalante.  This is one of the reasons we keep this race small.

Both east- and west-bound traffic will be allowed.  We always issue a traffic advisory for race weekend, including notices to businesses along Route 12 and highway signage advising drivers to pass runners “wide and slow.”  The Utah Highway Patrol, EMTs, and volunteers will also be monitoring the course to ensure runners’ safety.

We urge racers to stay to the far right side of the road as you run between Boulder and Escalante — we’ll have orange cones as a guide.  You will be running in the direction of traffic; we set up the course this way for several reasons, but we recognize that it requires extra precautions.

In addition, knowing that the course is tough, we will have EMTs and safety volunteers on the lookout for runners who may need assistance along the marathon and half marathon routes.  If you need, you will be driven to the finish line for medical assistance.  To date, this has been a rare occurrence, but we’re prepared.

Be safe!

BIB FEES 

2023 fees will be announced when registration opens.  Look for updates by November 1, 2022.

ALL RUNNERS RECEIVE…

T-shirt 

Finisher medal

Pre- and post-race drinks and fruit

SERIOUS bragging rights!

PRIZES

Prizes for the 2023 race will be announced soon.

WEATHER

Regional weather conditions are almost always favorable during October.  According to weatherbase.com, the average October temperature is 57 degrees Fahrenheit in Boulder and 51 degrees in Escalante, which will of course vary depending on time of day.  The average high temperature for October in Boulder is 78 degrees and the average low temperature is 37.5 degrees.  In Escalante, the average high is 67 and the average low is 35.  The chance of sunshine is high, while the chance of precipitation is low.  Rain or snow may fall in October on an average of 2 days in Boulder and 3 days in Escalante.  Air quality is always pristine!

ELEVATION

The start of the marathon in Boulder is 6300 ft (1920 m) above sea level, and the finish in Escalante is at 5774 ft (1760 m).  The half-marathon starts at approximately 6200 ft (1890 m) above sea level, with the same finish elevation as the marathon.  Altitude and hill training are advisable for both races.

TRANSPORTATION TO BOULDER AND ESCALANTE

The Escalante/Boulder area is approximately a five-hour drive from both the Salt Lake City and Las Vegas international airports, and a three-hour drive from the St. George, Utah. For further tourism information, contact the Garfield County Office of Tourism at 435-676-1161 or 800-444-6689, or email travgar@color-country.net.

LODGING

Note that motels in both Boulder and Escalante fill up quickly for race weekend.  We will add a Lodging page to the website soon@

For the hardiest souls, backcountry camping is abundantly available; please obey Escalante Canyons National Monument and Dixie National Forest rules.  If you want to camp at an improved campground, such as Calf Creek or Deer Creek or the Escalante Petrified Forest State Park, it’s highly advisable to make advance reservations.

START LINE INFO

MARATHON:  The marathon starts near the Hills & Hollows store on the outskirts of Boulder — look for the start line banner.  Race volunteers will be on hand around 7:00 am, and we will do our utmost to start the race at 7:30 am.

HALF MARATHON:  The half marathon starts at the marathon’s halfway mark, at a staging area about 1/2 mile west of the Escalante River — look for the start line banner. Race volunteers will be on hand by 8:30 in anticipation of the 9:00 am start time.

5K FUN RUN:  This run starts up Pine Creek Canyon, just beyond Turnabout Ranch.  We’ll have the start line clearly marked.  Pine Creek Canyon is accessed by driving north on 300 East in Escalante, turning left onto Pine Creek road, and bearing right at the fork just past the Escalante River.  Follow the road past all the pastures and up the canyon until you see the start line banner.

CAST-OFF CLOTHING AND SUPPLIES

For the marathon and half marathon, we will include a cast-off bag, with your bib number, in the race packet.  You will be able to put jackets, hats, and other items that you don’t want to wear or carry during the race in these bags.  At the start line, you should put your bag in the designated area (typically on the shuttle bus), and we will drive them to the finish line area.  You will also be able to leave cast-off items at the first two aid stations for each race for retrieval at the finish line area, where we will arrange all bags on a lawn area for self-pickup.

START AND FINISH LINE SHUTTLES

We will offer shuttles from Escalante to the Boulder marathon start, from both Boulder and Escalante to the half marathon start, and from Escalante to the 5K start.  Details will be provided a little farther down the road!

PARKING

MARATHON:  Parking is available at the Boulder marathon staging area near the start line, along Route 12 north of the staging area, and at the Escalante finish line.

HALF MARATHON:  Parking is NOT available at the half marathon start line, although private vehicles may drop racers off.

5K FUN RUN:  Start-line parking is available along the roadside of Pine Creek Canyon.

In Boulder and Escalante, please refrain from parking in either the Hills & Hollows or Griffin Groceries parking lots.  In Escalante, parking will be available on 100 North adjacent to the City Park.  Note that Center Street along the finish line area will be closed for parking during the races.

RACE PACKET PICKUP

Race packet pickup will happen on Friday, October 13, with more details to follow.  Because we’re a small race, we’re flexible and can offer packet pickup alternatives.  We’ll keep you posted.  

PRE-RACE DINNER

A pre-race dinner will be offered on October 13, 2013.  Please plan to join, because proceeds benefit the community!  Details will be provided closer to race date.

POST-RACE INFO

All races will end at the Escalante City Park.  Refreshments will be available for runners, and park restrooms and plenty of space to stretch out will be available.  There are restrooms and a picnic area at the park.   

Physical therapists will offer massages and post-race stretching for all runners free of charge — take advantage of this great opportunity! 

Awards ceremonies will be held near the Finish Line on a rolling basis as overall and division winners complete the race. 

AID STATIONS

MARATHON AND HALF MARATHON:  Along with refreshments at the start lines of each race and the finish line, we’ll have between 10-13 aid stations along the marathon course, with the last 5-6 stations serving both the marathon and half marathon.  The first station for each race will be 2-3 miles from the start line.  All aid stations will provide Gatorade and water, and those along the more challenging parts of the course will also have energy gels.  Porta-johns will be available at several points along the course. The race packet will include course maps marked with aid station and porta-john locations.

5K FUN RUN:  We will offer Gatorade and water at the start line, and we’ll have one aid station, around mile 2, along the course.

SPECTATORS

Aside from a few cows and our ever-ready aid station volunteers, local spectators will be sparse between Boulder and Escalante.  Runners will be enthusiastically welcomed at the finish line, and we encourage friends and families of racers to find a place to park along the race course to cheer their favorites on!  Highway 12 will be open — with a travel advisory and safety management — during the race, as there is no alternate route for travelers between Boulder and Escalante.

PHOTOGRAPHS

We will have a photographer on the course as well as at the finish line.  We’ll provide information about how to download and obtain photos.