Southern Utah Half Marathon

Downhill From Washington City to the River

The Southern Utah Half Marathon is a point-to-point road-and-trail race that starts high on the east side of Washington City, at Highland Park, and finishes at Bloomington Park in south St. George. The organizer's pitch for the start is the view: a line on the high ground above town, with the sun rising over Zion National Park in the distance.

From there the course drops fast. The first four miles fall roughly 500 feet as the route winds down through Washington City's neighborhoods, and then it reaches the river.

Nine Miles on the Virgin River Trail

The back two-thirds of the race run on the paved Virgin River Trail, which follows the river southwest through the heart of the valley on a gentle downhill grade all the way to the finish. Once on the trail the route is off the streets, and the gradient keeps working for you rather than against you.

That profile is the race's identity. A net-downhill course with a steep opening and a long, gradual finish is built for fast times, and it suits runners chasing a personal best. The trade-off is the quads: four miles of real descent at race pace is hard on the legs, and runners who have trained only on flat ground tend to feel it in the final miles.

A Spring Target Race

Held on a Saturday in late March, the race falls early in the spring road season, after the winter training block and before the valley's heat arrives. That timing makes it a natural goal race for runners building toward a spring marathon elsewhere, and a rehearsal for anyone testing fitness on a forgiving course. The event also offers a wheelchair division over the same half-marathon route.

An Underground Runner Event

The race is produced by Underground Runner, a St. George-based event company that stages a calendar of themed runs around southern Utah, from half marathons in Beaver Canyon and Parowan to trail ultras. Its stated aim is to focus on the things that make running fun.

Getting to the Start

Because the race ends miles from where it begins, logistics run backward: you park at the finish and ride to the start. Buses leave Bloomington Park before dawn and carry runners up to Highland Park, and parking is set aside at Bloomington Park and nearby Bloomington Elementary School. Runners who stay near the finish have the easiest morning; Bloomington and Green Valley describes that corner of St. George, and Washington City, Coral Canyon and Green Spring covers the start-line side of the course. For other races and gatherings through the year, see St. George annual events.