GrassRoots Events

This coming Presidents Day Weekend GrassRoots Events will be presenting Moab’s Red Hot 55k/33k 7th annual event. This trail race has come a long ways in those seven years. It started out as a mass email to selected running friends that attracted 45 runners from the surrounding Four Corners area, very small event in the first year. Now each year over 400 runners line up. Great things have happened for the Red Hot especially this years 33k distance. This years 33k is apart of the La Sportiva Mountain Cup Series which has attracted runners from all over the country. One particular runner is Ryan Woods from N. Carolina who was the 2010 La Sportiva Mountain Cup Series winner. This years running field is going to be competitive in both distances. In the 55k distance there’s Karl Meltzer from Sandy, Utah, Ian Torrence from Flagstaff,AZ, Anita Ortiz from Eagle,CO, Darcy Africa from Boulder,CO, Kevin Shilling from Salt Lake City,UT, Helen Cospolich from Breckenridge,CO, Krissy Moehl from Boulder,CO. I’m sure the day before the race a few others will pop up to see if they can enter the event.

The 33k is also seeing some top notch athletes this year. The Red Hot 33k has brought a lot of attention to this event. It’s the perfect distance for those who aren’t ready for the ultra distance but who’s wanting something more challenging than a half marathon. This section of the course is the toughest! So even those elite 33krs who have trained all winter are going to be exhausted by the time they get across the finish line. Those runners are: Ryan Wood from N. Carolina, Dan Brillon from Boulder,CO, Ashley Arnold from Carbondale,CO, Bernie Boettcher from Silt,CO, and many more.

There’s a new sponsor at this years race. I’m excited to have UltraAspire aboard. UltrAspire is a new hydration system geared to the trail runner. UltrAspire has a team of Immortals that run with their hydration systems in endurance trail races across the country. UltrAspire is the next innovative hydration system to hit the market with its ingenuity designs. 360 Moab Adventures will be issuing this hydration systems to its guest for trail running tours.

At the finish line Moab’s Red Hot loves to keep the party atmosphere going with a live DJ spinning fun beats. Most runners stick around for this celebration and to continue this party back in town at Eddie McStiffs. At McStiffs there’s light appetizers, beer, and a live DJ.

Moab’s Red Hot 55k/33k has come a long ways from a mass email to a few friends and where it is today. The one thing it still hasn’t lost since its massive growth, the runner who runs this event leaves with a few new friends.

Chris Martinez,RD Moab’s Red Hot 55k/33k