Zion Ultras

Five Distances From One Ranch

Zion Ultras is a trail-running weekend with five distances: a 100-mile race, a 100K, a 60K, a 30K and a trail half marathon. Every one of them starts and finishes at Ruby Rider Ranch in Apple Valley, a small Washington County town about twelve miles east of Hurricane along SR-59. Aravaipa Running directs it, and runners pick up bibs at the ranch the Friday before.

The courses nest inside one another. Each begins on dirt road toward Wire Mesa, skirting the edge of the Smithsonian Butte Wilderness before turning onto the singletrack loop around the mesa. The half marathon is essentially that loop. The 30K adds a second stretch of singletrack near the old Grafton townsite. The 60K climbs onto Gooseberry Mesa for rim trail above the Virgin River and an out-and-back to Crazy Jug Point.

Where the Long Courses Go

The 100K and 100-mile courses leave Gooseberry by the Mondo Z Cut, a descent past the cliffs made famous by Red Bull Rampage, then drop through washes and ATV roads into the Virgin Desert. There the two split. The 100K works back through the town of Virgin and climbs the Mondo Z Cut a second time to the ranch.

The 100-mile course, which the organizer measures at just under 97 miles, keeps going. It crosses Highway 9 and makes the longest sustained climb of the day to Smith Mesa, then descends the Flying Monkey Trail, rocky technical singletrack with a fixed rope on one large drop, which the organizer warns is particularly challenging in the dark. After that come Dalton Wash, where water crossings are possible, and long sections of slickrock in the Guacamole area before the route returns across Highway 9 and back up the Mondo Z Cut. Because it runs through the night, the 100-mile race spans Saturday into Sunday.

Beside the Park, Not Inside It

The name points at Zion National Park, but the running happens on BLM-managed desert adjacent to it, administered from the St. George Field Office. The park is the view rather than the trail: from the mesas runners look across to West Temple and the Watchman, with the Virgin River far below.

History

The race began as the Zion 100. Matt Gunn founded Ultra Adventures in 2012 with it as the company's first event, and results on UltraSignup run back to that 2012 edition. The Ultra Adventures races are now directed by Aravaipa Running, which runs Zion under the Zion Ultras name.

Desert Conditions in Spring

Expect a cold start, often in the 40s, and heat later in the day. The organizer also warns that thunderstorms and even snow are not unusual at this time of year, so pack for all of it. The footing is ever-changing: slickrock, narrow rim sections and loose technical ground. The race is also cupless, so carry your own bottle or hydration system to refill at aid stations.

Who It Suits and Getting There

The half marathon is a real introduction to desert trail running, fast and flowing by the standard of this terrain. The 100-mile course is for experienced ultrarunners comfortable on technical descents at night. It is not a spectator event: supporters are limited to the start and finish area, and the organizer asks families not to chase runners around the course.

Hurricane, about twelve miles west, is the nearest larger town, and Hurricane and La Verkin are the practical base for the weekend. Bring what you need for Friday bib pickup and Saturday's start, because the ranch is a drive from either.