Runners set new records in The Other Half
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Perfect weather and an experienced frontrunner converged to deliver another Moab Half Marathon event for the record books, organizers said. The sixth annual The Other Half race, held on Sunday, Oct. 18, produced a new course record as Paul Peterson of Logan, Utah completed the 13.1-mile run in 1:09:50, a blistering pace of 5:20 per mile.
Peterson smashed the previous course record, held by Ewen North of Boulder, Colo., by nearly 2.5 minutes, race organizers said.
Peterson led the race from the start and gained ground throughout the race. The second-place finisher, Dakota Jones of Durango, Colo. (formerly of Moab), crossed the finish line more than seven minutes after Peterson broke the tape.
“He came through and we got ready for the rest of the runners. But we had a long wait before the next guy got to us,” said Alisa Jeffries, who helped the GCHS Outdoor Education Program run an aid station at mile 10 of the race.
The race for top women’s finisher was also exciting. It came down to a sprint for the finish between current female master course record holder Lisa Goldsmith, 45, of Nederland, Colo., and Cherell Jordan of Sandy, Utah. Jordan edged out Goldsmith by one second for her half marathon win.
“This was hands down the most beautiful race course I’ve been on,” Jordan said. “I wasn’t expecting to win.”
As with last spring’s Canyonlands Half Marathon and Five Mile run, The Other Half also had a record year for attendance. A total of 1,517 official runners crossed the finish line at Sorrel River Ranch, on state Route 128 northeast of Moab. The number of entrants was raised from 1,500 last year to 2,000 for 2009, according to Ranna Bieschke, race director.
“We’re grateful to Sorrel River Ranch for accommodating another 500 runners this year,” Bieschke said. “And of course, my staff and the fantastic volunteers make it all possible.”
Bieschke and staff are looking forward to the Moab Half Marathon’s third and final race of the year, the Winter Sun 10K. That event, scheduled for Dec. 5 in Moab, begins at the Moab Golf Course and ends at Grand County High School, making the course “downhill nearly the entire way,” Bieschke said. Registration is available through the group’s website, www.moabhalfmarathon.org.
Peterson smashed the previous course record, held by Ewen North of Boulder, Colo., by nearly 2.5 minutes, race organizers said.
Peterson led the race from the start and gained ground throughout the race. The second-place finisher, Dakota Jones of Durango, Colo. (formerly of Moab), crossed the finish line more than seven minutes after Peterson broke the tape.
“He came through and we got ready for the rest of the runners. But we had a long wait before the next guy got to us,” said Alisa Jeffries, who helped the GCHS Outdoor Education Program run an aid station at mile 10 of the race.
The race for top women’s finisher was also exciting. It came down to a sprint for the finish between current female master course record holder Lisa Goldsmith, 45, of Nederland, Colo., and Cherell Jordan of Sandy, Utah. Jordan edged out Goldsmith by one second for her half marathon win.
“This was hands down the most beautiful race course I’ve been on,” Jordan said. “I wasn’t expecting to win.”
As with last spring’s Canyonlands Half Marathon and Five Mile run, The Other Half also had a record year for attendance. A total of 1,517 official runners crossed the finish line at Sorrel River Ranch, on state Route 128 northeast of Moab. The number of entrants was raised from 1,500 last year to 2,000 for 2009, according to Ranna Bieschke, race director.
“We’re grateful to Sorrel River Ranch for accommodating another 500 runners this year,” Bieschke said. “And of course, my staff and the fantastic volunteers make it all possible.”
Bieschke and staff are looking forward to the Moab Half Marathon’s third and final race of the year, the Winter Sun 10K. That event, scheduled for Dec. 5 in Moab, begins at the Moab Golf Course and ends at Grand County High School, making the course “downhill nearly the entire way,” Bieschke said. Registration is available through the group’s website, www.moabhalfmarathon.org.
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