I was doing some random internet surfing last night and decided I wanted to look for some “must run races” for my 50 State Challenge and what better place to start than with Arizona? I got to go to the Grand Canyon in January 2013, so my first google search was for “Grand Canyon half marathon” and what did I find – a race 5 miles from the Grand Canyon! Even more amazing? There’s a whole series of these races, focusing on half marathons held near various national parks:
- Zion, Utah (March)
- Grand Canyon, Arizona (May)
- Yellowstone, Montana (June)
- Rocky Mountain, Colorado (August)
- Grand Teton, Wyoming (TBD 2015)
- Great Smoky Mountains, Tennessee (September)
- Glen Canyon, Arizona (October)
I really want to go back to the Grand Canyon, so this would be a perfect way to combine a vacation with a running event. I’m a little nervous about the weather for the Grand Canyon in May, but it looks like the high averages in the low 70’s and the low averages in the mid-30’s, so it should definitely be manageable (though very different from my experience in January which required shoe spikes & a winter coat to be able to walk the trails).
I will keep adding to my “wish list” races on my 50 States Running page, but I’m also looking for suggestions, so feel free to send them my way!
I'm from Vegas, why don't you check out the Red Rock Canyon Half Marathon in Las Vegas, Nevada! That would be a great excuse to come to Vegas 😉 here's the link:http://calicoracing.squarespace.com/red-rock-marathon-and-12-marat/