This was the fourth long distance relay Judy has run with the same core group of runners 60 or older who comprise one of the few Mixed Grand Masters teams that compete in these events. The races are generally in the neighborhood of 200 miles where each of the 12 members on each team runs three legs of varying lengths depending upon the terrain. Judy’s teams have generally completed the courses in 30-32 hours. Previous races included Reach the Beach (2010, New Hampshire), the Wild West Relay (2008, Colorado and Wyoming), and the Rocky Mountain Relay (2011, Colorado).
This year the Osteo-Ferocious team gathered at Brian Head Ski Resort, in Brian Head, Utah, (highest town in Utah at 9,800’) east of Cedar City, for the start of the Red Rock Relay–Zion: 187 miles down the mountain, into the farming area west of Cedar City, south to St. George, and east to Springdale at the south entrance to Zion National Park. Once runners ran down the mountain to the Cedar City area, the course was generally undulating the rest of the way, though everyone thought there was a lot of uphill. Early September temperatures reached nearly 100° during the day; thankfully, Judy ran her legs early in the morning, early evening, and before dawn the second morning. (Below is a photo of Judy running her first leg, all uphill; note sign in background reads “Summit 10420”. She actually climbed about 1,000' in about three miles.)
We camped with the dogs the night before the race in the parking lot of the ski resort. In the morning John, the lead runner, took off at 7:20 to run from the resort to the base of the ski lift, rode the ski lift to the top of the mountain (11, 307’) and ran down to the base of the lift (9,600’)—a short but very steep leg on an uneven dirt trail. Judy then ran from the base of the ski lift over Mammoth Summit (10,420’) on state route 143 and handed off to the next runner, and then left in one of the two team vans to next runner exchange point.
Meanwhile, Hughes, Bella, and Lucy drove the RV back to Cedar City where he’d left the car overnight, hitched the car to the RV and drove to the very clean and comfortable Willowind RV Park in Hurricane where we have stayed before. While the runners were sweating in the summer heat, Hughes and the dogs enjoyed plenty of shade and cool A/C in the RV. In the morning they checked out and drove about 25 miles to the finish area in Springdale at the south entrance to Zion NP. About 3:00 o’clock Saturday afternoon, the last member team finished the final leg, and after lots of photos we all went to Zion Pizza and Noodles in Springdale for a congratulatory celebration over very cold beer and delicious pizzas (plus champagne and cake for birthdays and anniversaries). We left promptly after this late afternoon snack to drive 45 miles to Kanab and our spot in the shade of the Crazy Horse RV Park.
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