98 Teams, 50 Miles: Lake to Lake Relay this Saturday

Clyde Behunin of the St. George Running Center team, finishing the final leg of Lake to Lake Relay 2010 / St. George Parks & Recreation Photo

WASHINGTON COUNTY – The pre-spring forecast for Dixie’s annual Lake to Lake Team Relay race this Saturday, March 5, couldn’t be better. The race will cover 50 miles from Gunlock Reservoir to Sand Hollow Reservoir.

Aaron Metler, Recreation Coordinator with the City of St. George Parks and Recreation Department (also, himself, the winner of the 2010 St. George Marathon), is enthusiastic in preparation for tomorrow’s race.

This year “is a record for the total number of teams participating,” said Metler.  “We had 84 teams last year, we have 98 this year, so this is the best race we’ve had yet, with many teams returning.”

Most teams are five persons, but “there are a couple in two-person division and a couple who are racing the full fifty miles solo,” he said, “so total of abut 475 racing participants.”

About 60 percent of this year’s participants come from outside Washington County, primarily from other parts of Utah and Nevada, with the other 40 percent being local, according to Metler.

Asked which teams might be favored to win this year, Metler said, “One of the teams from the first two years is back for the third year from the St. George Running Center, which is the sponsor of that team.  They have the closest record, they won it by a couple minutes last year and are back with the same five man team this year.”

Of promise is a new team from St. George Running Center this year that Metler is excited about.  They are “a women’s team – it’s their first time – but they are pretty good too and are favored to win.”
The community is encouraged to get out and cheer these teams on.  Metler said there are a lot of good spots on the course, transecting five cities, with any number of places spectators can pull over on the shoulder and cheer on the racers.  A road map of the race for spectators depicted below (this is not the same as the runners’ route, which will cover trails as well as roads in their fifty mile race).

No road closures will occur.

Volunteers are still needed. Anyone interested is invited to contact Heather Simkins, at St. George Parks and Recreation, 435-627-4577.

The race begins at 8 a.m. at Gunlock. First finishers are expected to cross the Finish Line at Sand Hollow Reservoir around 12:45 p.m.

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