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Celebrating a long walk to Utah with a 26-mile run in the hot sun By
Ryan White
Have you ever tried to leave Salt Lake City on the 24th of July? Don't think about it. July 24 is a Utah holiday celebrating the arrival of the Mormon Pioneers to the Salt Lake Valley. Every year there is an enormous parade that is televised around the state. But one of the relatively unknowns about the 24th is the Deseret News Marathon. The marathon is a 26-mile, 385-yard race to the finish line. The runners who participated in the race ran 11 miles up Parley's canyon toward Park City, then turned around and ran back down those 11 miles and then past Hogle Zoo and then on to Liberty Park on 700 East. The marathon started at 5 a.m. Monday. To go along with the marathon, there were a 5K and a 10K race. The winners of the 10K, both men and women, received prize money, a purse of $2,500. The winners of the marathon received $1,000. The men's marathon winner was Craig Lawson, former BYU All-American runner. He finished the race in 2:31.30. The winner of the women's marathon was Marty Hernandez, another BYU All-American. She finished in 3:14.30. For Hernandez, this was her first marathon. People from all over the nation came to participate. Names from Texas, Illinois, California, Alabama, and Florida were called as they finished the 26.3-mile race. One thousand runners ran the marathon and 3,000 runners ran the 10K. After the marathon, The Utah College of Massage Therapy was there to offer a massage to the runners who needed a little help rubbing and working out cramps that had developed during the race. Hundreds of family and friends of the runners participated in cheering the runners on to the finish line. It was quite a sight to see, feel and hear the emotion of the runners as they crossed the line in relief that it was finally finished. If you are interested in going next year, plan on watching the marathon and then stay for the parade.
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