The Other Half is my favorite of the Moab half marathons. I was lined up to lead the 2:10 crew for this event, but a last-minute change up by the race officials landed me with the 3:00 spot. It's funny the only other time I've ever paced 3:00 was at this race last year because of yet another change up.
This course is one of the most beautiful courses I've ever had the privilege to run, and this year I had the chance to lead an extraordinary runner to a PR. I met a man at the start line who took up running around his 70th birthday, and after three previous attempts, he was aiming to finally break the 3:00 mark at this race. I was impressed, to say the least. During the race he told me how he struggled to run more than a minute at a time when he first began, but after a year of continuous practice, he had finally finished his first half marathon.
Though he hit a few hard spots, this man stuck close to my shoulder during the whole race. In the last quarter mile, he forged ahead and earned himself a major PR and a sub-3:00 finish! I was so happy! I came in a bit early with my pacing time (2:58:10), but that's ok.
I hope to make it to Moab again this year for this fall race!
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