Endurance racers aim for the Triple Crown of Moab

Only the strong will survive the Triple Crown of Moab, beginning with the Dead Horse Ultramarathon on Saturday, Nov. 16.

The Triple Crown of Moab recognizes those who compete in the Dead Horse Ultra, the Arches Ultra in January and the Behind the Rocks Ultra in March.

Mad Moose Events owners Denise and Justin Ricks promote the three annual trail events, which stretch runners endurance over hard country and races that go as long as 50 miles.

“Last year, we had around 60 folks who finished all three races,” said Justin Ricks.

The Dead Horse Ultra runs through technical slickrock among the Magnificent Seven Trails off of Gemini Bridges, including a bit of Gemini Road, upper Gold Bar Rim, Golden Spike, the north end of Poison Spider, and the Portal Trail. Runners can compete in distances of 50 miles, 50 kilometers (around 30 miles) or 30 kilometers (around 19 miles).

“We’re expecting about 1,000 runners this weekend, from all over the country. The Dead Horse has become one of the bigger events in the country in a short period of time,” said Ricks.

Prizes will be awarded to the winners of the Triple Crown of Moab in two categories: the Triple Crown of Moab Short Series and the Triple Crown of Moab Ultra Series.

Runners who weren’t able to register for this year’s Dead Horse Ultra may substitute Moab’s Red Hot race in Feb. 2020. Full guidelines for the categories can be found at www.madmooseevents.com/triple-crown-of-moab.

Mad Moose Events awards those who complete three ultramarathons