Up to 700 women will be toeing the line at the third annual all-womenās Thelma and Louise Half Marathon on Saturday, June 7, which includes, for the first time, a relay race.
āIt just makes sense to do [a relay],ā said Ranna Bieschke, race director and owner of Moab Half Marathon. āEspecially with this race, itās obvious that one runner is Thelma and the other is Louise.ā
The movie āThelma and Louise,ā partly filmed in the Moab area, was released in 1991. Bieschke said the movie had a profound impact on her. When she started producing races in Moab she thought, āwhy not put the two things together that mean a lot to me, running and those characters.ā
Bieschke isnāt alone in her enthusiasm.
āWe have at least 35 states represented and two other countries,ā Bieschke said. āThe thing about this race is that it has much more of a national appeal because of its uniqueness and because so many women can relate to Thelma and Louise.ā
Bieschkeās company sells DVDs of the movie and says they sell out every year. Many runners also wear accoutrements, such as a bandana or cowboy hat, inspired by the movie characters.
To further the fun with the movie theme, race organizers go so far as to place well-known story props from the movie along the course. The characters of Thelma and Louise themselves, will drive the vintage convertible lead-car and racers will be able to refresh themselves at the Brad Pitt-stop aide station along the way.
To beat the heat, the gun fires at 6:30 in the morning for the 13.1-mile out-and-back course starting at Gold Bar Campground on state Route 279.
Relay team members will run 6.55 miles, exchanging at the course turnaround point near the Potash boat ramp. Because the road is closed to traffic, team members will be shuttled to and from the exchange point by local tour-boat company Canyonlands by Night and Day.
The first team member has an hour and 15 minutes to get to the exchange point if she wants to make the shuttle, but Bieschke said, that should be plenty of time. āThe average [running-time] is a 10-minute mile for most half-marathons,ā she said.
This course, along what is commonly called the Potash Road, has only 20 feet of elevation gain.
āItās flat and fast,ā said local racer Jeri Hamilton, who ran in the race last year and plans to run again on June 7. āI was surprised at my finish timeābecause Iām not a super fast runnerāand I thought, this is a great course to try for a PR (personal record). So Iām trying for 2 (hours).ā
The current course record is held by last yearās winner, Florida runner Sara Petrick, who finished in one hour, 26 minutes and 39 seconds. The anticipated front runner this year, however, is Sara Peterson, who is originally from England and now lives in New Jersey.
āSheās run a 1:19 and change,ā Bieschke said. āIf sheās in that kind of shape, sheāll definitely shatter the course record.ā
Another runner to watch is returning local racer Lauren Atkison, who came in second overall in 2013 with a time of 1:32:26.
However fast some of these women are, this race is known more for its camaraderie than its competition, as is fitting for a race named after two famous best-girlfriends on the run.
āEven though some people are there to run a PR, it doesnāt feel intense,ā Hamilton said. āItās just fun, like a big girl-friend party.ā
Race organizers help spread that female fellowship by donating proceeds from the race to the nonprofit organizations Girls on the Run, a nation-wide running and life-skills focused program for girls in third through eighth grade, and to the local Seekhaven Family Crisis and Resource Center.
āWe chose two organizations that, we felt, support and empower women and girls, because that what the movie was about,ā Bieschke said.
Thelma and Louise Half Marathon fosters camaraderie among racers
āEven though some people are there to run a PR (personal record), it doesnāt feel intense. Itās just fun, like a big girl-friend party.ā
What: Thelma and Louise Half Marathon
When: Saturday, June 7, Race begins at 6:30 a.m. Post race festivities begin at about 8 a.m.
Where: Gold Bar Campground, state Route 279
To register or for more information, go to www.moabhalfmarathon.com