Guacamole Trail Section of the Zion 100

I have had the pleasure of surviving running the Zion 100 both first year and the second year since the race was born. The Zion 100 is incredibly challenging and stunningly beautiful. I am blessed to literally have the course in my back yard and almost every mile I run in training is a point somewhere on the course.

On New Years Day I ran a section of the course with a seriously fun group of friends. Our route: The Guacamole Trail. (Mmmmm. Sounds delicious!)

A few sections of the trail wind along the edge of the mesa. I caught Colleen and Cathy admiring the view.

The majority of the trail is on rolling, twisting slick rock akin to slowly forcing your legs through a meat grinder.

One of the things I like about the Guacamole Trail is that each run is like a scavenger hunt. Much of the route is marked by little rock towers so sometimes it takes a minute to spot the next tower. Scavenger hunts are fun!

For me the highlight of the trail is Zion National Park looming on the horizon. The views here are beautiful.

I think this picture gives the best idea of what you're in for with the trail. You can't get into rhythm with running because of the rolling rocks. It's a unique and rewarding challenge.

Don't let these pictures deceive you. Although there was plenty of running, there was also a hefty supply of laughing, joking, and fun. Running with such a fun group of friends makes the miles fly by. That is until the girls decide they want to plank across a deep crack in the Earth. (The crack in the picture looks way scarier than the fact that it's only about five feet to the bottom.)

At the end of the run someone suggested we better take a jumping picture before we go. Did it take seven tries before we got this one? Yep. Was it worth it? Undoubtedly.

In order of appearance, this is Ben (clearly in the midst of a back spasm), me, Dustin, Lyle, Colleen, Anna, Jud, Cathy, and Kristal. Everyone in the country would be runners if they knew it could be this fun.