State Number 4 – Top of Utah Marathon, Logan, UT
15 September 2012
A month has passed
since achieving a personal worst at the Mt. Sneffels Marathon in Colorado. Now it was time to focus on the Top of Utah
Marathon in Logan, UT.
I mention
the personal worst here, but seem to forget about revealing my personal marathon
best. That was achieved on October 17,
2010 at the Long Beach Marathon in Long Beach, CA with a time of 3:56:24. Although I could have used this event as
State No. 1, while remaining in chronological order with my 50-state quest, the
blog post of State No. 1 explains my reasoning.
My wife
and I departed LAX Runway 25R the morning of 14 September on the usual LAXX
Seven departure procedure for a non-stop United 737 flight to Salt Lake City
(SLC). The flight carried us over Las
Vegas and up the I-15 corridor over Utah Lake for a straight-in approach to
Runway 34R.
With
family in the Logan and the Salt Lake City area, we combined this marathon trip
with a family visit.
We rented
a car at SLC for the ninety minute drive up to Logan. We followed I-215 out of the airport area,
but missed the exit to the I-15 merge. Instead,
we followed the Legacy Parkway (Utah State Route 67) where the speed limit abruptly
dropped from 70 to 55. Why on earth
would a speed limit drop on a six-lane divided freeway in a rural locale? With my curious mind, I had to find an answer
– so I did some investigating.
Legacy
Parkway construction began in 2001; however, with challenges to NEPA’s environmental
impact statement (EIS), Utahans for Better Transportation v. USDOT 305 F.3d
1152 (2002), Tenth Circuit, the construction ceased. In short, the court ruled that the EIS was
inadequate as it did not study other alternate routes that were less harmful to
wetlands that the parkway was originally to be routed through. A supplemental EIS changed the alignment of
the highway. The State of Utah and the
Sierra Club officially signed a compromise regarding Legacy Parkway. The compromise included no billboards along
the route, no semi-trailer trucks allowed on the parkway (except in emergency
circumstances or if there is construction on I-15), and a 55 mph maximum speed
limit. Traffic seemed to ignore the
court-ordered speed limit as I learned from driving on the parkway. I was on the lookout for state trooper
vehicles so I stayed around 60 or so, as being lit-up in a rental car in another
state was out of the question. Original
plans for the parkway had included a six-lane expressway, compared to the
four-lane controlled-access parkway as currently exists.
As the
Legacy Parkway merged back onto I-15, hunger set in so we exited at 200 North
in Kaysville for lunch at Wingers Roadhouse Grill. After perusing the menu, I decided to order a
roadhouse burger with the classic buffalo sauce. It was a messy burger, but very tasty. After our brief lunch stop, it was onto Logan,
only an hour away north of Kaysville.
As we
arrived in Logan, we went directly to the expo location held at the Marriott
SpringHill Suites hotel, Riverwoods event facility just off S. Main Street. We arrived shortly before the expo opened its
doors so we wondered around the area and walked down to the tree-lined Logan
River listening to the soothing sounds of the water’s supercritical flows and
hydraulic jumps over and around the boulders on the river bed.
Not long
after the doors opened, a variety of your run-of-the-mill vendors greeted
runners. We proceeded to the packet
pick-up tables to collect our swag-bag and tech shirts along with a few odds
and ends from the various event sponsors and vendors.
Next, it
was off to my aunt and uncle’s home a few minutes from the hotel. They were out running a quick errand, so we
made our way in and enjoyed the peacefulness of their backyard deck overlooking
the Logan River. The weather was very
pleasant for mid-September with temperatures in the low 80s.
As we
were relaxing on their deck, they arrived home to greet us. After an hour or so, we decided to take a
drive up to the starting line at Hardware Ranch up the Blacksmith Fork
Canyon. Large tents had been set up for
all the participants as well as some pace signs advising runners to line up
according to their anticipated pace times.
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| Wellsville Mountains |
The drive through the canyon afforded us the
opportunity to see what lied ahead for Saturday’s marathon. As we arrived back in Logan, the sun was
beginning to set behind the Wellsville Mountains. We were all getting hungry by this time and my
uncle suggested we order dinner from Logan’s Café Sabor at the foot of West
Center Street at 600 West. The
restaurant and cantina is located in an old railway depot and seemed to be a
popular place with the locals. The
burritos we ordered with the freshly made tortillas were very tasty, not to
mention the chips and salsa. After
dinner, we watched a little TV and turned in early so we can rest up for
Marathon Saturday.
The Top
of Utah Marathon began at Hardware Ranch at an elevation of 5,400 feet in
the Wasatch Mountains southeast of Logan. The ranch is a wildlife management area where
wild elk are fed during the winter months to keep them from roaming into Cache
Valley. From the ranch, the race winds
down Blacksmith Fork Canyon, passing river banks, marshes, limestone
outcroppings, fall foliage, and cool canyon panoramas. Moose, elk, deer, and many other species of
wildlife make the canyon their home.
 |
| Starting line location |
The
first half of the race has a net elevation drop of 1,045 feet before reaching
the Cache Valley at Marathon Mile 14. The
course followed mostly along side roads through the communities of Nibley,
Millville, Providence, and River Heights before ending at Merlin Olsen Central Park,
named after the late Logan native, actor and defensive tackle from the NFL’s Los
Angeles Rams.
All runners were required to board
school buses at Merlin Olsen Central Park beginning at 0515 hours for transport
to the Hardware Ranch start line, as the Blacksmith Fork Canyon Road was closed
to all traffic. My uncle was gracious
enough to drive us to the park early Saturday morning. We boarded a bus around 0530 for the long
ride to the ranch. Once at the ranch,
the bus driver announced that the temperature was 29 degrees and wished us good
luck. On a side note, I hate riding on
school buses as the seat clearances are too small for me, especially over a
wheel well. My knees were crammed into
the seat in front so I had to sit at an angle.
After the 26-mile ride, I was ready to get off.
It was a crystal clear morning with the distant celestial
objects shining brightly above us as the
bus arrived at the start area. Light
pollution from the valley cities and communities was non-existent making star
gazing very enjoyable. The cold air hit
us runners as we disembarked from the bus, but as for some of us, we weren’t primed
for the cold temperatures, so we headed straight over to the warming tents set
up with large heaters inside where hundreds of runners packed in to keep warm. The warm air and shelter was a godsend as
waiting for start time would have been agonizing without that luxury.
After
a few Maniac group photos, the race announcer informed the runners to begin
lining up according to their respective paces.
After the playing of our national anthem, it was time to start.
 |
| Course profile |
I took notice the magnificent
geology of the steep canyon walls as daylight was dawning. The canyon is part of the Bear River Range consisting
of limestone, dolomite and sandstone outcrops of the Devonian (420 MYA),
Mississippian (360 MYA) and Pennsylvanian (320 MYA) ages and were deposited in
an ancient marine environment. The
Blacksmith Fork River is located in the Middle Bear-Logan sub-watershed encompassing
approximately 265 mi2 of the Bear River Watershed in the Cache National Forest and
is a tributary of the Logan River that intersects the Bear River at Cutler
Reservoir in eastern Box Elder and western Cache Counties, an impoundment held
back by the Arthur V. Watkins Dam used chiefly for flood control, irrigation
and water supply purposes. As the river
exits the canyon, annual flows average 262 cfs with a one-percent exceedance
peak of 1,730 cfs.
The autumn colors were beginning to
paint the canyon walls and along the river channel. Runners were able to absorb the diverse hues of
box elder (Acer negundo), birch (Betula sp.), alder (Alnus sp.), willow (Salix sp.), aspen (Populus sp.), oak (Quercus sp.), ash (Fraxinus sp.) and maple (Acer sp.)
interspersed with the greens of juniper (Juniperus
sp.), spruce (Picea sp.), pine (Pinus sp.) and Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga
menziesii) as well as other broadleaf trees and shrubs in native and
non-native grassy meadows.
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| Canyon colors |
Besides the super wonderful
volunteers staffing the aid and water stations, spectators were absent from the
canyon portion of the course due to road closures. That created a perfect opportunity for all to
enjoy the scenery and silent surroundings.
Spectators became more plentiful shortly after Marathon Mile 14, where
the course left the canyon and turned on to Hollow Road through the valley farm
lands and into the communities of Nibley, Millville, Providence, and River
Heights.
I crossed the timing mat at the half
marathon point in a time of 2:08, for a 9:46 pace. As the elevation lowered, the temperatures
began to rise. The sun was out in full
force with limited shaded areas. I knew
that the second half was going to be challenging for me, but I was determined
to beat my time from Mt. Sneffels. I
didn’t seem to experience any noticeable effect of the altitude as I did in
Colorado.
I was feeling pretty good through 18
miles where I began to “hit the wall.” I
had taken some acetaminophen for pain earlier between Marathon Miles 14 and 15
and I kept hydrating and consuming my GU packs for needed glucose energy as I
came across water stations. I figure it
was a combination of the heat and sun affecting my performance.
The remaining six to eight miles
began to get tough. Walking was becoming
the norm as my body began to overheat with the rising temperatures. When I approached River Heights near Marathon
Mile 23, I received a text from my uncle as to a finish line ETA so he would
have ample time to stake out a spot to watch my wife and I cross under the finish
line banner. I wasn’t able to give an
accurate time, but thirty minutes was a fairly safe guesstimate.
Upon
entering the downtown district of Logan, the final 2 ½ mile push to the finish
was difficult. Passing within one block
of the finish line and knowing I still had a couple of miles remaining, I was
able to see and hear the finish line announcer and all the spectators cheering
finishing runners. That was somewhat
demoralizing in a way, but I kept telling myself that the finish was near and every
step was one step closer. I checked my
Garmin while doing some mental calculations of an expected finish time. Barring a catastrophic event, I knew I was
going to better my time from Mt. Sneffels, but by just how much was indeterminate.
 |
| Logan Tabernacle |
I used the remaining energy I had
for the final push up and around the Logan Tabernacle and the last two blocks
to the finish line. The spectators lining
the streets were very encouraging and supportive and provided me some
determination to finish strong. As I
rounded the final turn onto S 200 E into the park, I saw my uncle and aunt cheering
which lifted my spirits. As the race
announcer called my name, I was finished!
I was thrilled
to receive my unique finisher medal and after a moment of reflection, I
wandered over to get some chocolate milk, an ice cream sandwich, water and some
various fruits and goodies. By the time
I sat down to enjoy the fruits of my labor, my wife came down the homestretch
and crossed the finish line just a few minutes later. Finishing a marathon before my wife is an
infrequent occurrence, so when I do, I relish the moment.
 |
| Merlin Olsen Central Park |
As she gathered up some nutrition and
drinks, we sat down near the announcer’s booth for a few minutes eating, resting
and contemplating our run and overall experience. Soon after, we met up with my aunt, uncle and
cousin from Idaho with her two kids. It
was a pleasure to see and have them rejoice in our marathon experience.
I was pleased
with my time and appreciated each and every mile of the course. Even though some of the later miles were
tough going, I was proud of myself for conquering this challenge. As for my Garmin, it read 26.34 miles ±15
feet, in a time of 4:40:43, a 10:43 pace.
Age graded
score: 48.04%. Age graded time: 4:15:57.
When Sunday morning came, it was
time for us to travel back to California.
We had a late afternoon flight back to LAX that gave us the opportunity
to visit with my cousin from the Salt Lake area. We dropped off the rental car at SLC and made
arrangements for my cousin to pick us up at the rental car building. For an excursion, she suggested Park City to
visit the 2002 Winter Olympic venue and now training facility. The last time I skied Park City was in April 1985,
complete with a ghastly nose injury sustained the previous day at Snowbasin Ski
Resort, but being there without any snow was really different.
There were plenty of summertime
activities on the mountain. We were
lucky enough to enjoy watching freestyle ski jumping (into a pool), skeleton,
luge and bob sled training. The alpine slide
and coaster rides were open to the public, so we dared ourselves to ride
them. These rides were quite a thrill as
we reached speeds of around 30 mph. At
the conclusion of our adventures on the ski slopes, we drove into Park City for
lunch/dinner at Buona Vita Cucina Italian restaurant on Main Street for some
pizza.
After our mid-day meal, it was time
to find our way back to the airport for our flight to LAX. My wonderful cousin dropped us off at the
United Airlines terminal, and after an EDETH THREE departure procedure from SLC
Runway 34R, our two-hour flight landed at safely at LAX’s Runway 24R.
I would recommend this marathon to
anyone interested and would not hesitate to run it again. The organizers were dedicated to presenting a
top-notch event and to provide everyone with a gratifying stay in Cache Valley. This is not a big city marathon, so don’t
expect large crowds, but the experience of this marathon is outstanding,
rewarding and worthwhile. All the
spectators and volunteers were wonderful and provided ample support, cheer and
inspiration. What can you say? Beautiful canyon roads, pure air and a fast
course for a BQ.
I
dedicated this marathon to my late grandfather who would have celebrated his 97th
birthday on that beautiful Saturday afternoon.
I acknowledged him as I crossed under the finish line banner thanking
him for his strength to see me through to the end and for the wonderful time I
spent with family in Logan and Salt Lake City.
How Swede it was.
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