Bryce Canyon Half and 5K

 

BRYCE CANYON - One of our favorite races/places. 

Our first year was 2007.  We started going because the Rogel's and my parents were going and they would stay in the teepee's at Ruby's Inn in Bryce Canyon (This is where the half marathon starts) and it was so much fun but then they stopped and we loved it and kept going.  It's a tradition that our kids absolutely will not let us miss.  We have changed it up a little these last 2 years because last year they gave our teepee to someone else so we had to spend twice as much and get a hotel room.  It was really nice and Joel said that he had a great night sleep for the first time before the race. This year JoEllen gave us her room in Cannonville, at the end of the race course, at the one and only hotel in the city.  Well, when we got there to check in they said that since we didn't call them to confirm when JoEllen had just talked to them a week earlier so they gave it away to someone else.  So...we freaked out and they called around to see if anyone had anyplace for us to stay.  There are 5 of us, remind you, with no linens, pillows, towels, not even a bar of soap with us.  We wanted to stay at the bottom of the race because we were all signed  up to do the 5K in the morning.  But we had NOTHING with us.  We were destined to sleep in the church parking lot in the van.  One of the biggest problems was that we were expecting to shower and get ready for Ashley's wedding that was at 2:00 the next day right after the race.  Hard to do if you don't even have a place to pee.  BUT...they said that right around the corner at the KOA they had one Deluxe Cottage available.  We took it and took it fast.  The hotel let us borrow linens, towels, pillows and gave us two little dinky bars of soap.  THANKGOODNESS!  So we checked into our cute little cottage and went to go pick up our running packets.  This is what it looks like on the outside and inside.  I meant to take a picture of us standing on the porch of this cute little thing but because of the huge rush we were in it never happened. So this is off of the internet.   In fact while putting this together right now Ben just walked by and said, "Wait!  There was a lake behind our cabin?"  We were so rushed this trip he actually thought that he had missed something that big.

At the other end of the room there was a roomy little bathroom with a toilet and sink. If you look close you can see a door knob.  All it needed was it's own shower and we were in business.  There was a shower house directly behind our cabin so it was super easy to run back there and shower.  It turned out to be really fun.  The kids enjoyed it.  We don't know what we'll do for next year.  We'll have to wait and see. 

So we picked up our packets and registered for the 2nd annual Canyonland Music School Fund Raiser Color Fun Run.  It's like a Color Me Rad race except it is only 1 mile and you can sign up to run and get a shirt or you can sign up to throw color.  I am a thrower so I can take pictures. 

David's objective is to win.  I try to tell him to go slow trough the color but he doesn't listen.

 

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Ben dodges the color throwers.  Good thing the money goes to a good cause.

 Then bringing up the rear are Sophie and Joel.  Everyone gets an Otter Pop for running and a guy with a leaf blower will blow off all the extra chalk if you want him to.

 Then it's over to the spaghetti dinner to carbo load for the run in the morning and then off to bed.

This is everyone's number pinned to their shirt, folded up on top of their shorts, placed on their shoes, ready to go in the morning.  And cool looking mile marker 13 with some rain clouds behind it.

 

This is us before the 5K.  Thanks to a stranger.

 This is me running trying to take a picture of Ben and David up ahead of me.  I don't like this at all.  Sorry there will be NO pictures of this race.  Bummer.

This is us AFTER the race.  Again I had to ask another stranger to take our picture.  I really don't like that.  Also, since we had to run back to the cottage to hurry and shower for the wedding we only got a picture of John headed to the finish line instead of a bunch of fun pictures of everyone running as we drive past them down the course from the top of Bryce Canyon.  Oh Well.  By the time Sophie and I showered and got down to the fish line we had missed seeing Brian and Joel finishing.  We decided to check to see what place the boys came in to see if they by any chance placed and sure enough, just because we were in a hurry, they did.  They crossed the finish line at the same exact time which timed them for 3rd!  So we had to sit around for an extra half an hour to pick up their Bronze medals.  It was really cool.  John took 2nd in his age group and took a Silver.  1st place in his age group was the guy in the wheelchair!

 If Sophie had only ran a little faster she would have placed.  She took 4th and I took 6th in my age group. 

 Fun stuff!  When Josh heard that the top three overall 5k winner were Hurricane High School Cross Country Runners and that they got HUGE trophies he was pumped to win it next year.  He just has to make sure that he doesn't have another 50 mile scout hike to go on that weekend.

Happy 4th of July!

Year #2 of the Uncle Sam 5k is now in the books.  I thought I was supposed to pick up the Wells' family from the Vegas airport so I didn't sign up to run but as luck would have it Jillyn went to get them instead.  So I was able to shoot the race.  Which is my preferred way to do a race anyway.

Josh has been training with the Pine View Cross country team this summer and lined up right behind them.  John hates when they sign up to do any race because that means he isn't going to win.  He has a get blog about his races.  To read it click on the link...It's not over until I win.

Here's the rest of the crew along with Gillie and Jared Lott our friends form the Coral Canyon ward.

It's not very often that I get picture's of John.  I usually get him starting but never finishing.

  But the best part of this race is that the course it right close.  They leave the Sunbowl go down around the park and up past the baseball fields and back to the corner of the Sunbowl to turn and go up one block past Grandma and Grandpa Beckstrands house and turn onto Tabernacle.  Then they go down Tab until they get to the round-a-bout then come back the way they left.  It makes it super easy to get great pictures.  So here's the order that they ran.  John.

Josh

                                                             Emma

Then came Joel, David and Alex.  At the after the turn Joel leaves these two but they stick together the entire time which was great for David.  A lot of times he's by himself and I know he loved having Alex with him.  He talked about the entire race all day long.

Then came Ben and Sophie.  Ben said that he was first going to leave her but then when decided to stay and run with her.  He said he kept her going and wouldn't let her walk.  It ended up being great for her because she got a new best time of 28 minutes!  Thanks Ben.

Mary runs all by herself and I missed her.  She's not one to yell out, "Hey aunt Penny!  Take a picture of me!"    Although she most definitely should because she so cute.  Here are Kali and Kristal.

Here's John coming back.  The only people in front of him were...Pine View kids and this guy that he passed 2 seconds later.

I had to take a picture of this cute house because those dots are just paper plates!  How cute is that?

Josh was next and doing great.  After he passed me I headed back over to the Sunbowl because there is a bridge that goes over the entrance that is perfect for taking pictures and I could see them all finish.  

I was finally about to get a photo of John finishing!  He had an incredible time of 18 minutes.  Wow!  And it wasn't his best.

Next was Josh with 22:07

Then cute Emma right after him at 23:48.

Here comes Joel.  His time was 24 but for some strange reason the clock says 22:01.  Time travel.

Then David and Alex.  Alex is always nice and stays with one of my boys.  This time it was David because Ben was being nice and staying with Sophie.

This little cutie patootie is a runner!  She takes off on her own and waits for no one!

Here are Ben and Sophie.  Thanks to Ben not letting her stop Sophie got a new personal record!  

38 minutes!  We are very proud of her!  Josh ran down to help them run the last up hill climb to the finish line.

Jared and Gillie finished right after Sophie and Ben.

Sophie doesn't like this picture because it makes Josh looks so much taller than her.

Here is a picture of George - From Red Rock Canyon School -  taking a picture of everyone.  Haha.  I thought it was funny.

Another fun Beckstrand run.

Right after the race we walked up to Grandma and Grandpa Beckstrands for the p-raid.  Another great tradition.  St. George does a great 4th of July.  We are there from sunrise to sunset.  The 24th of July, however is a Washington holiday.  They do activities over there that our stake is in charge of.  But the 4th is much more fun because it is a play all day and see a free concert and fireworks at night.

After the parade we were all pretty hungry so we took the kids over to Golden Corral for a breakfast buffet.  They loved it!  Ben had 2 plates of bacon.  Everyone put on their Uncle Sam Fun Run shirts so no one would get lost.  Then we went home and just relaxed.  Later that night all of our friends went to other places for B-B-Q's so we ordered pizza.  This is Sophie's sad B-B-Q face.  I was fine with it.

Then...my favorite part...we caught back up with everyone in the Sunbowl for the KONY Concert and Fireworks Show!  It was awesome!  All the little cousins get to run around like chickens with their heads cut off and I could care less.  It is always great music and great company.  A good couple hours to just sit and relax and just enjoy everything around me and be grateful for all the freedoms I have and for this wonderful country I have to live in with the people I love.