Antelope Canyon 50 Miler Recap Part 2

We were lucky that the race start was only a 15 minute drive from our hotel, so we were able to sleep until the very last minute.  Race start was at 5:45, we left our hotel at 5:15 and made it to the start with ample time.

It was still dark as all the runners were gathering. There were half marathon, 50 miler and 100 miler runners all gathered around bon fires that were set up to keep us warm. We had ideal temperature in the low teens.  After the announcements and Navajo blessing was made, the buzzer went off and off we went into the darkness.

Start Line Selfie

The 50 mile racers were off first. There were probably about 300 people who were running this distance. The course starts out in a flat section in the desert for 5 miles on a sandy double track with a little slick rock and a slot canyon mixed in. The sun came up pretty quickly after we started.   Around mile 4 we go down into the first slot canyon which leads to the lower Antelope Canyon.

First of Many Aid Stations

You can see from the photo the other runners coming down behind the aid station.

Yummy Food

We knew that we would come back to this aid station, so we continued running into a very sandy open wash for about 3 miles before we got to the entrance of Upper Antelope Canyon.

This was the first of of a few canyons the we would be running through.  The sun was still coming up so the lighting was not the best for photos, and we were technically racing, so we had to keep on moving and parts of the slot canyons were so narrow that we had to run in single file.

Once we came out of the slot canyons we went back to the Antelope aid station for the second time.  This section was quite flat and mostly soft sand.  After stopping at Antelope aid station for a quick washroom break and to grab some food we headed back in the direction to where we had started. After about 4 miles of the running we split off from the where we had come from and head towards Horseshoe Bend/Waterholes Canyon leg.  

Not Even close to being done

Horseshoe Canyon

Running towards the famous Horseshoe Bend was the highlight of the race. We were all looking forward to seeing this magical place.  On our way there we stopped by Slickrock Aid station which was a mile into the desert running through more soft sand.  Like many runners, we stopped and spent some time taking photos and trying to take in the views of the canyon and the Colorado River below.

Jumping for Joy!

The next section had us weaving through slickrock, which is like sandpaper along the rim of the Colorado River.  This area is usually not travelled much by people and was challenging due to the constant elevation changes and change in the terrain that we were running in, from slickrock to soft sand.

Heading down into a Slot

After crossing back over the highway we fuelled up at Waterholes, we headed down into another slot canyon we we continued to run for about a mile before we exit and head back towards the city of Page on a LONG, exposed and sandy traverse which took us along Horseshoe Bend and Slickrock Aid stations for a second time. 

Climbing out of the many Slots

Once we enter Page, we climb up a plateau where the city is built. This route ties into the  single track  of the Page Rim Trail.  This is a 10 mile loop with beautiful views of the city, Lake Powell and Glen Canyon Dam.

This is final 10 mile leg offered us great views as the sun was setting.  My buddies and I watched the sunset as we headed towards the finish line.

What an amazing race with some of the best friends a gal can ask for.  Overall, the race was very well organized. Nutrition was good and the support crew were great.  Looking forward to the next race.