Moab, Utah's "The Other Half" Is A Favorite Of Females
Record field of 1,000 expected

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Posted Thursday, 19 October, 2006

Moab Half Marathon staff and volunteers are busy this week preparing for the 3rd annual The Other Half race, scheduled for Sunday, October 22. The 13.1 mile race is the fall companion to the popular spring event, Canyonlands Half Marathon.

Participation in The Other Half has grown steadily over its three-year history. The 2004 race had 500 entrants, the 2005 race had 665 entrants and this year's registration is slightly over the 1,000 person capacity. The race takes place on Sunday morning, a highly unusual practice in the state of Utah, due to conflicts with the opening day of hunting season.

"We have 33% of our field coming from Colorado and 25 other states are represented," said Ranna Bieschke, race director. "And the female runners outnumber the males 3 to 1."

The 2005 female and male champions will be back to defend their titles. Local favorite Michelle Kelley, co-owner of the Desert Bistro Restaurant, will face competition from master record holder Lisa Goldsmith from Nederland, Colo. and 2005 third place finisher Maria Paegle from Salt Lake City. In the men's division, two-time winner and overall / master record holder Bernie Boettcher from Silt, Colo. will be challenged by two-time runner-up Erik Packard from Grand Junction, Colo.

"We are all keeping our fingers crossed for beautiful weather," Bieschke said.

The organizers depend on the help of many local individuals and groups, including 51 volunteers from Daystar Academy. Visit the race website for more information at: MoabHalfMarathon.org

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